Work in human rights is intense, multidisciplinary, collaborative and can be relatively competitive to enter. However, if this area of social justice calls to you, there are numerous ways to break into the field. This guide provides information about the broad field of human
rights and opportunities for those exploring it as an area of interest or as a potential life's work.
What Are Human Rights?
Human rights are those we consider universal and irrevocable because we are human. The modern human rights movement holds that governments everywhere, regardless of ideology, adhere to certain basic principles of human rights in the treatment of their citizens.
Recognizing the inherent dignity of all people, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 without a dissenting vote. It was the first multinational declaration mentioning human
rights by name. Written in the aftermath of massive human rights abuses inflicted during World War II, representatives from most governments in the world unanimously adopted this document to protect basic human rights.
The United Nations Declaration pertains to the full spectrum of human rights --- civil, political, economic, social and cultural. In general, human rights organizations address one or more of these issue areas in their work. These issues may be addressed at a local,
national or international level.
