A universal human dignity, conceived as an inherent and inalienable value or worth in all human beings, which ought to be recognised, respected and protected by others, has become one of the most prominent and widely promoted interpretations of human dignity, especially in international human rights law. Yet, it is also one of the most difficult interpretations of human dignity to justify and ground. The fundamental problem rests on how one can justify bestowing an equal high worth to all human lives, whilst also attributing to all human life a worth that is superior to all non-human animal life. To avoid the speciesist charge it seems necessary to provide further reasons, over and above species membership, for why all humans have a unique worth and dignity. However, intrinsic capacities, such as autonomy, intelligence or language use, are too demanding for many humans (including foetuses or the severely cognitively disabled) to meet the required minimum standard, whilst also being obtainable by some non-human animals, regardless of where the level is set. This thesis offers a solution to this problem by turning instead to the significance of the relational ties between individuals or groups that transcend individual capacities and abilities, and consequently does not require that all individuals in the group need meet the minimum required capacity for full moral status. Rather, it is argued that a universal human dignity could be grounded in our social nature, the interconnectedness and interdependence of human life and the morally considerable relationships that can and do arise from it, especially in regards to our shared vulnerability and dependence, and our ability to engage in caring relationships. Care represents the antithesis to the dehumanizing effects of humiliation, and other degrading and dehumanizing acts, and as a relational concept, human dignity is often best realised through our caring relationships. The way that individuals and groups treat each other has a fundamental role in determining both an individual’s sense of self-worth and well-being, as well as their perceived public value and worth. Thus, whilst species membership is not in itself morally fundamental or basic, it often shapes the nature of our social and moral relations. These relational ties between humans, it is argued, distinguish us most clearly from other non-human animals and accord human relationships a special moral significance or dignity.

The thesis is focused on the history of human rights, and their evolution since the time of ancient Greece and Rome to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948. The aim of the work is to make reader acknowledged with major events which influenced the development of human rights. Described are the thoughts of philosophers and significant events that changed the course of development of human rights. There is depicted a situation in ancient Rome and Greece, the period of development of the Christian faith and the Middle Ages and significant modern milestones including French revolution and the emergence of Declaration of Human rights, the reign of Maria Theresa and her son Joseph II. who made o lots of reforms, or revolution of 1848 and finally the emergence of Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948.

Em dezembro de 2011, a Assembleia Geral aprovou a Resolução 66/137 adotando a Declaração das Nações das Nações Unidas sobre a Educação e Formação em Direitos Humanos em sequencia ao processo educativo em direitos humanos - iniciado em 1948 com a Declaração dos Direitos Humanos - que vem em evolução constante, principalmente a partir da década de noventa. A Declaração é a reafirmação da comunidade internacional da necessidade de uma mudança de paradigma e valores que orientem a vida cotidiana dos indivíduos em todo o mundo e que é responsável pelo estado atual dos direitos humanos. Com a adoção deste novo documento internacional, começa o processo de difusão e disseminação do seu conteúdo visando a efetivação do direito humano à educação em direitos humanos - agora indubitavelmente positivado que, sem embargo, deverá superar diversos obstáculos estruturais para a aceitação dos princípios contidos na Declaração Universal dos Direitos Humanos, vale dizer, os valores e tradições nas sociedades baseadas no patriarcalismo e no capitalismo neoliberal. / In December, 2011, the UN General Assembly approved the Resolution 66/137 adopting the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training following the human rights education movement started in 1948 by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in an on-going evolution mainly as of the 90`s. The Declaration is the ratification by the international community of the need of changing paradigm and values which orient the life of individuals in daily basis worldwide and that is responsible for the current state of the human rights. With the adoption of this new international document the process of diffusion and dissemination of its content started aiming at the effectiveness of the right to human rights education. Yet, the Declaration must overcome many structural obstacles for the acceptance of its principles, in especial, the values and traditions of the societies based on the patriarchy and the neoliberal capitalism.

L’Indonésie reconnait la liberté d’expression depuis 1945 ou trois ans avant l’adoption de la DUDH par l’Assemblée générale de l’ONU. Malgré cela, la protection au droit de la liberté d’expression est présente réellement à la société depuis 1999 ou quelques mois après la période de la réforme nationale contre le régime autoritaire du nouvel ordre du Président Suharto. Les articles 19 de DUDH et du pacte ont été ratifiés par le gouvernement indonésien à travers la loi numéro 15 de 2005. Pour l’Indonésie, la liberté d’expression consiste en la liberté de rechercher, de recevoir, et de diffuser des informations et des idées. Cependant, la conception de la liberté d’expression en Indonésie possède ses propres spécificités par rapport à d’autre pays. La particularité de la liberté d’expression en Indonésie est influencée par l’idéologie du pays, le « Pancasila », et par l’esprit de l’archipel indonésien le « Bhineka Tunggal Ika » (unité dans la diversité). D’autres éléments importants de l’exceptionnalité indonésienne sont les valeurs nationales : les valeurs de la religion, les valeurs des cultures et le droit de coutume. Les limites à la liberté d’expression en Indonésie sont également influencées par ces trois éléments. Le gouvernement indonésien est face à deux principes importants : le droit international et les normes locales. Le travail le plus délicat qui revient au gouvernement indonésien est de concilier les instruments internationaux relatifs aux droits de l’homme et les valeurs nationales qui sont vues comme les éléments essentiels du pays. Il convient de donner un raisonnement aux pays à l’origine de la pression internationale / Indonesia has recognized freedom of expression since 1945 or three years before the adoption of the UDHR by the UN General Assembly. In spite of this, the protection to the right of the freedom of expression is really present to the society since 1999 or some months after the period of the National reform against the authoritarian regime of the New Order of President Suharto. Articles 19 of the UDHR and the covenant are the cornerstones of freedom of expression. They have been ratified by the Indonesian government through law number 15 of 2005. For Indonesia, freedom of expression is the freedom to seek, receive, and disseminate information and ideas. However, the concept of freedom of expression in Indonesia has its own specificities compared to other countries. The particularity of freedom of expression in Indonesia is influenced by the country's ideology: « Pancasila » and by the Indonesian archipelago « Bhineka Tunggal Ika » (unity in diversity). Other important elements of Indonesian exceptionality are national values: the values of religion, the values of cultures and the right of custom. The limits to freedom of expression in Indonesia are also influenced by these three elements. International legal instruments also possess binding capacity. The international standard cannot be neglected. The Indonesian government faces two important principles: international law and local standards. The most delicate task for the Indonesian government is to reconcile the international human rights instruments with the national values that are seen as the essential elements of the country. Reasoning should be given to the countries at the origin of international pressure

Em dezembro de 2011, a Assembleia Geral aprovou a Resolução 66/137 adotando a Declaração das Nações das Nações Unidas sobre a Educação e Formação em Direitos Humanos em sequencia ao processo educativo em direitos humanos - iniciado em 1948 com a Declaração dos Direitos Humanos - que vem em evolução constante, principalmente a partir da década de noventa. A Declaração é a reafirmação da comunidade internacional da necessidade de uma mudança de paradigma e valores que orientem a vida cotidiana dos indivíduos em todo o mundo e que é responsável pelo estado atual dos direitos humanos. Com a adoção deste novo documento internacional, começa o processo de difusão e disseminação do seu conteúdo visando a efetivação do direito humano à educação em direitos humanos - agora indubitavelmente positivado que, sem embargo, deverá superar diversos obstáculos estruturais para a aceitação dos princípios contidos na Declaração Universal dos Direitos Humanos, vale dizer, os valores e tradições nas sociedades baseadas no patriarcalismo e no capitalismo neoliberal. / In December, 2011, the UN General Assembly approved the Resolution 66/137 adopting the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training following the human rights education movement started in 1948 by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in an on-going evolution mainly as of the 90`s. The Declaration is the ratification by the international community of the need of changing paradigm and values which orient the life of individuals in daily basis worldwide and that is responsible for the current state of the human rights. With the adoption of this new international document the process of diffusion and dissemination of its content started aiming at the effectiveness of the right to human rights education. Yet, the Declaration must overcome many structural obstacles for the acceptance of its principles, in especial, the values and traditions of the societies based on the patriarchy and the neoliberal capitalism.

The aim of this work is to analyse the progress made by Turkey in human rights area and identify how important role of Islam there is. The work attempts to refute the idea that Muslim society is not possible to create a functioning legal system that takes sufficient account of the protection of human rights. Reforms of 20 and 30 years of the 21st century were used as theoretical basis. For the analysis of advances in the field of legislation was used Turkish Constitution as the basic document, which is the most important from the point of view of the European Union. A key part of this thesis is an analysis of current problems in the field of human rights and criticism of the international community, especially the European Union that Turkey must face. The work attempts to identify how important role is played by Islam in the issue.

Dès le sixième siècle avant J.-C. l’homme a été défini comme un « être d’une certaine hauteur, dont la forme de la main est différente de celle du pied, qui possède des cheveux et des dents, et qui peut se déplacer vite et debout ». Il prit alors deux formes de statut : celui de ren pour désigner un homme de vertu ou qui exerce une fonction publique ou privée ; et celui de min pour désigner celui qui n’exerce aucune fonction publique. La société chinoise s’est construite sur cette séparation : les ren, encadré par leur vertu, doivent rendre service aux min et à la société ; et les min disposent de certains droits fondamentaux vis-à-vis des ren. De ce fait, la Chine traditionnelle a mis en place deux mécanismes de protection de ceux-ci : la requête individuelle que les min peuvent utiliser pour valoir leurs droits fondamentaux contre des actes ou des hommes public qui leur ont porté atteinte, et le zuiji zhao par lequel les empereurs s’auto-punissent. Avec le temps, trois formes du contrôle de conformité des actes publics ont été successivement mise en place. A la fin de la dynastie des Qing les droits humains fondamentaux chinois seront confrontés aux droits de l'homme occidentaux auxquels les chinois s’identifièrent parce qu’ils correspondaient à leur tradition temporairement écartée. Trois réformes politico-juridiques principales furent engagées successivement par les Chinois afin de la rétablir et de la concilier avec les théories et les expériences occidentales dans ce domaine. Le point culminant de cette rencontre fut la participation chinoise àl’élaboration de la DUDH et la nomination de son représentant comme vice-président de son comité d’élaboration. En 1949 la République populaire de Chine remplaça la République de Chine. Dans un premier temps ses dirigeants se montrèrent assez sensibles aux droits de l'homme et à leur protection ; mais la Révolution culturelle anéantit cette démarche, créant une situation dont la Chine d’aujourd’hui souffre encore. Ces dernières années, les droits de l'homme connaissent en Chine une forme de renaissance qui se traduit dans les domaines législatif, éducatif, administratif et judiciaire. Le caractère encourageant et constructif de ce mouvement, qui s’appuie sur les exemples étrangers et sur certains progrès régionaux, mais qui se fonde sur les traditions principalement confucéennes chinoises, laisse envisager une protection des droits de l’homme dans le pays analogue à celle qui est garantie dans les pays les plus avancés. / The concept of human being was defined in China since the sixth century B.C. as "a living organism which has a certain height, its hands are different from its feet,covered by hair and has developed teeth, capable of moving quickly in an uprightposture". Since then, two categories of men were defined: the ren, to designate a virtuous man or somebody who xercises public or private functions; and the min, to designate men who have no public power. The Chinese society was built on thisdistinction: the ren, known by their virtuosity, might offer their services to the min and the society itself, and the min have some fundamental rights towards ren population. For that reason, ancient China set up two protection mechanisms: min’sindividual queries to request the respect of their fundamental rights against actions from public agents, and the zuiji zhao, mechanism used by the emperors to punish themselves. Over time, three compliance control mechanisms were developed. By the end of the Qing Dynasty, this Chinese approach to fundamental human rights was compared to Western approach to human rights by the Chinese population, who recognized themselves in the western approach, following the disturbance in the Chinese tradition led by the Manchu. For the re-establishment of Chinese tradition, three main political and legal reforms were carried out by the Chinese in order to restore their tradition, abandoned by the Manchus, and to conciliate Western theories and experiences with Chinese approach. A turning point was achieved with thecontribution of China in the development of UDHR, and the nomination of the Chinese representative as vice president of the redaction committee.

In this dissertation I am analysing certain aspects of labour, especially the ones that are of significant interest to moral philosophy within the church and its catholic doctrine. In the same time I identify the foundation for freedom and dignity of labouring human being that are being degraded especially in the present time economisation process. Further, I outline the issues associated with the changes within the division of labour from industrial revolution to present day and in the same time I present issues connected with labouring human being vs. human capital. Because freedom is the foundation of humanity I also describe issues connected with human rights in the context of universal and natural law. In this way I analyse Universal Declaration of Human Rights and its defence in an intercultural environment. Lastly, besides those theoretical concepts, I evaluate an Amnesty International CR project called "Business That is Worth It" which aims at supporting companies to a responsible management of employees rights protection especially in developing countries.

Le statut juridique de la Déclaration universelle des droits de l'Homme, qui a fait l'objet de controverses lors de son adoption, a évolué depuis. Sur le plan international, la Déclaration universelle fait désormais partie du corpus juridique du droit interne de l'ONU et a été reconnue comme un instrument obligatoire par la doctrine et les organes judiciaires et quasi-judiciaires. Sur le plan national, elle a été incorporée dans de nombreux ordres internes en suivant des dynamiques propres à quatre espaces transrégionaux (Common Law, Amérique Latine, Europe et Afrique). Cette double évolution a modifié le statut intrinsèque de la DUDH, qui fait désormais partie des sources non-conventionnelles du droit obligatoire, bien que certains ordres juridiques refusent d'admettre sa force contraignante. Son applicabilité repose ainsi sur la formulation des droits qu'elle énonce. / The legal status of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was subject to controversy at the time it was adopted, has evolved since then. At the international level, the Universal Declaration has become part of the United Nations legal corpus and has been recognized as a binding instrument by publicists and judicial and quasi-judicial bodies. At the national level, it has been incorporated into many domestic legal systems following dynamics related to four trans-regional areas (Common Law, Latin America, Europe and Africa). This double evolution has changed the intrinsic status of the UDHR, which is now part of the non-conventional sources of mandatory law, though some legal systems deny its binding force. Its applicability is therefore based on the formulation of the rights it contains.

Every human being deserves to have their rights respected all the times. Not only does the correctional system have the responsibility to rehabilitate offenders before they are released to the community but also to respect their rights throughout the rehabilitation process.. In this research the extent in which human rights affect the process of rehabilitation was outlined. This was achieved by analyzing the provisions of major human rights instruments, both internationally and nationally as well as standards required for the treatment of offenders. In addition various rehabilitation programmes were also discussed. The findings of the research indicated that South Africa has achieved a lot when it comes to the recognition of human rights. From the research it was discovered that indeed offenders' rights have an impact on the rehabilitation process. Based on these and other findings recommendations were made. / Criminal Justice / M. Tech. (Correctional Services Managemnent)