Human and Civil Rights

Global Rights for All Alliance is dedicated to advocating for human and civil rights by providing support to marginalized communities worldwide. Our mission is to ensure that everyone, regardless of background, has the opportunity to live with dignity and freedom. Through educational programs and public advocacy, we strive to make a lasting impact.

Human rights and Civil Rights. Two key terms within the sphere of diplomacy and development which you have probably heard of, but what do they actually stand for and what are the differences between them?

Civil rights are proclaimed by governments for their citizens, while human rights stem from natural law. Both human and civil rights are crucial within diplomacy and development.

A simple definition is that human rights are the rights you have simply for being a human being. Comparatively, civil rights are contextual, meaning you are entitled to specific civil rights through being a citizen of a particular country, nation, or state. Civil rights are proclaimed by the government for the citizens of that country, while human rights are derived from natural law and are universally protected and applied.

Human Rights

The United Nations Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 [1]. universally protects Human rights via international law. Officially created after World War 2 to protect against what happened under the Nazi regime, it was adopted as the first legal document to set out the fundamental human rights to be universally protected [2]. Some key examples include The Right to Life, The Right to Food, The Right to Education, and The Right to Work. 

Civil Rights

Civil rights are designed to protect individuals’ freedom from violation by governments, political and social organizations, and individuals. They protect against discrimination in civil and political society, but this protection depends on the state or nation in which the citizen belongs: "Civil rights are in place to protect citizens from discrimination and to grant them certain freedoms in that nation." [3] For example, in the United Kingdom, Civil rights are protected by common law and statute, whereas in the United States, the Constitution protects Civil rights. 

What is the difference?

Both Human rights and Civil rights protect against discrimination, injustice, and inequality. They are closely linked, for example, if you are denied a fair trial by an impartial and independent council, a Human right, you are also denied your Civil right in many countries and states.

On an international level, as Civil rights are determined by the laws or constitutions of an individual country, and Human rights are considered universal to any human being, some human rights become civil rights when governments choose to put those rights into national laws.

Notably, Civil rights can vary from nation to nation or state to state: "No nation may rightfully deprive a person of a human right, but different nations can grant or deny different civil rights and liberties."

Another difference is why you have the right. Human rights are due to being a human being; you are born with them, but Civil rights occur as a result of some Human rights being put into law. Civil rights can be found in Constitutions, or within laws in that country.

For example, in the United States, the Article (19) Freedom of Expression is in the Constitution defended by the First Amendment. In the United Kingdom, under the 1998 Human Rights Act which was adopted, everyone has the right to Freedom of Expression as well. Hence, both Human rights and Civil rights protect a human being against injustice, maltreatment, and oppression. However, Human rights are something universally applied and given to every human being, whereas Civil rights are dependent on a citizen’s context and government or political regime. 

Universal human rights are often expressed and guaranteed by law, in the forms of treaties, customary international law, general principles and other sources of international law. International human rights law lays down obligations of Governments to act in certain ways or to refrain from certain acts, in order to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms of individuals or groups.

Interdependent and indivisible

All human rights are indivisible, whether they are civil and political rights, such as the right to life, equality before the law and freedom of expression; economic, social and cultural rights, such as the rights to work, social security and education, or collective rights, such as the rights to development and self-determination, are indivisible, interrelated and interdependent. The improvement of one right facilitates advancement of the others. Likewise, the deprivation of one right adversely affects the others.

Equal and non-discriminatory

The principle is present in all the major human rights treaties and provides the central theme of some of international human rights conventions such as the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.   

The principle applies to everyone in relation to all human rights and freedoms and it prohibits discrimination on the basis of a list of non-exhaustive categories such as sex, race, colour and so on. The principle of non-discrimination is complemented by the principle of equality, as stated in Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”

Both Rights and Obligations

Human and civil rights entail both rights and obligations. States assume obligations and duties under international law to respect, to protect and to fulfill human rights. The obligation to respect means that States must refrain from interfering with or curtailing the enjoyment of human rights.

The obligation to protect requires States to protect individuals and groups against human rights abuses. The obligation to fulfill means that States must take positive action to facilitate the enjoyment of basic human rights. At the individual level, while we are entitled our human rights, we should also respect the human rights of others. 

Influencing change

How does one go about understanding these differences?
At GRAA not only we understand them, but we believe being able to implement that knowledge to help others understand the difference.

We at GRAA are committed to helping everyone learn their human and civil rights. Our certificate program certifies generations of human rights consultants that are able to go out there and teach to make a change.

Our commitment to these rights ensures that everyone, regardless of their background, can live a life of dignity and inclusion.