Essay Example on Human Security & Human Rights: Protecting People in the Center

Introduction

The two concepts of human security and human rights have been interpreted narrowly from the ancient period. Both of them are concepts that are prevailed with freedom from threats against their safety and rights, respectively, and the bearer of both of them are human beings. Human security and human rights place human beings in the center (Mingst et al., 2018). Human security means the safety provided to individuals from violent and non-violent threats that might affect their lives. It entails taking measures that assist in preventing or minimizing risk and reducing vulnerability, and it comprises security dimensions such as health, food, politics, environment, economics, community, and personal security (McIntosh & Hunter, 2017). Human security is an extension of international security and peace, and it is built on the understanding that the security of individuals in one continent depends on security in other continents. Also, the maintenance of international security and peace, together with the security of states, is constructed based on secure individuals.

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On the other hand, human rights are universal rights that hold that every individual all over the world deserves equal treatment with dignity. It comprises fundamental rights such as freedom of speech, health, liberty, life, privacy, an adequate standard of living, and security. Human rights are indivisible, interrelated, and independent with principles such as inalienable and universal, non-discriminatory, and equality. Security in itself is a human right as the security of an individual has been a concern of human rights. The paper discusses the greatest challenges to human security and human rights in the global system.

Challenges to Human Security and Human Rights

Human rights are the normative framework and core of human security. Various threats or challenges of human security are classified to be violations of human rights so long the universality of human rights is taken seriously to include social, civil, political, economic, and cultural rights together with the rights to development.

Challenges to Human Security

In changing the global system, there have been changes in the threat perception to the global security of humans. The challenges to human security are posed by the rise of a society that is market-oriented, the diffused nature of various conflicts all over the world, and technological resources that have been distributed unevenly. Some of the greatest challenges are diseases and malnutrition, which causes the death of many children globally, sewage-contaminated water that results in several deaths yearly, food insecurity or hunger, lower incomes, which is less that one dollar daily, and lack of access to better health services. Other challenges to human security are lack of access to drinkable water by many individuals across the world, and the issue of illiteracy also acts as a challenge because illiterate people are more insecure compared to the literate once because they are at danger of receiving poor health services and suffering from hunger.

Human security also is threatened by poor security policies that are not integrated with development and democracy strategies. There is also a lack of effective intervention by various actors such as civil society, multilateral organizations, and states to address some issues that are a threat to human security. Some of the international instruments which were introduced to address drug trafficking, transnational organized crimes, environmental degradation, and terrorism have not been well implemented in most countries, which becomes a challenge to human security.

The issue of climate change is a threat to human security as it results in displacement and destroys the ability of individuals to earn a right livelihood in areas where they were born. Climate change causes the inequalities and high tensions within societies, and sometimes it drives conflict.

War is another challenge to human security. The increased conflicts in the globe today cause substantial humanitarian and economic costs, and its outcomes are enduring and broad harm on several people, which are then carried to the next generation by children who are affected by such conflicts. In today's world, various intra-state conflicts are experienced with few states to state wars (Adger et al., 2014). Many countries today break the agreements that exist, and that addresses the respect of human security during wars. Some states utilize technology to develop new weapons, and they have loosened the efforts to control and rationalize the creation of arms, which then poses a threat to humanity as such weapons are used in several conflicts.

Some of the challenges that have currently increased in both intensity and scope are food insecurity. The challenge is caused by drought, conflicts, and climate change. The number of undernourished individuals all over the world has of recent rose to the extent that about one out of nine individuals worldwide goes without getting sufficient food (Owens, 2012). Apart from food insecurity, economic inequality is also a threat to human security. The disparity is growing as there is an enormous production of wealth than before in the current world. With an increase in labor productivity, the wealth produced is not shared equitably, and the trend is moving up, causing more inequality where the larger population gets less wealth to the rich few. The security of the poor is low.

Challenges to Human Rights

Human rights are affected by various challenges, which comprises of weak institutions, impunity, discrimination, democracy deficits, global inequalities and poverty, and armed violence and conflicts. Weak institutions are considered to be a significant human rights challenge. In most countries all over the world, various institutions that are expected to advocate for human rights are not putting more effort into protecting the rights that are in place (Donnelly & Whelan, 2017). Most governments, when implementing policies that protect human rights, do not involve the public on the decisions. Governments, through their agencies, shut down the critical voices of the society, which then results in a lack of accountability, and the policies implemented are not grounded to the needs of the society.

Another challenge to human rights is the rise in hatred all over the world, which is directed to migrants and minorities. The hatred is directed to religious, foreigners, ethnic, and racial groups (Forsythe, 2017). In most countries, the extremist ideas have now been replaced with actions that are against the human rights which includes incline to political mainstream that views the world in an intolerant, nativist, and exclusionary manner that is against the efforts that are put in place to bring social justice and maintain multilateral agreements between countries. The views result in instability all over the world by shirking the global burdens.

Involuntary displacement is another challenge to human rights. Many people globally are being displaced by civil wars and country to country wars. The conflicts have forced most of them to migrate to the neighboring countries, which are at least safer than their home country. Such individuals are being denied human rights through such forced displacements as they will never enjoy life because of poor living conditions, inadequate water, and food together with psychological problems.

Conclusion

Both human rights and human security have common concerns as they have close relationships with the bearer and ultimate focus on an individual, and it places humans' beings in the center. Both of them are affected by the same challenges, and some other challenges affect each of them individually. The common and greatest challenges are global inequalities and poverty, democracy deficits, and armed violence and conflict. Then the greatest challenges to human security are food insecurity, diseases and malnutrition, poor security policies, lack of drinkable water, lower incomes, and lack of access to better health services. On the other hand, the greatest challenges to human rights are involuntary displacement, rise in hatred all over the world impunity, weak institutions, and discrimination.

References

Adger, W. N., Pulhin, J. M., Barnett, J., Dabelko, G. D., Hovelsrud, G. K., Levy, M., & Vogel, C. H. (2014). Human security. Cambridge University Press. https://ore.exeter.ac.uk/repository/bitstream/handle/10871/20276/WGIIAR5-Chap12_HumanSecurity.pdf?sequence=1Donnelly, J., & Whelan, D. J. (2017). International human rights. Hachette UK.

Forsythe, D. P. (2017). Human rights in international relations. Cambridge University Press.

McIntosh, M., & Hunter, A. (Eds.). (2017). New perspectives on human security. Routledge. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/review-of-international-studies/article/human-security-and-the-rise-of-the-social/E19783CB002DBBEF589F667B633BEFD7

Mingst, K. A., McKibben, H. E., & Arreguin-Toft, I. M. (2018). Essentials of international relations. WW Norton & Company.

Owens, P. (2012). Human Security and the Rise of the Social. Review of international studies, 38(3), 547-567.