U N I T 1 RIGHTS AND LAWS This Unit deals with rights. You will learn about the difference between human and civil rights and about how the concept of human rights evolved throughout the centuries. Moreover, you will meet the men who made a major contribution to the concept and understanding of human rights. In addition, you will learn about what a constitution is and what law is. A. HUMAN RIGHTS, CIVIL RIGHTS Some of the over 15,000 logo suggestions from over 190 countries participating in the global online competition A Logo for Human Rights. 172 Every individual is entitled to certain basic rights, which are either inherent or obtained through a constitution. Human rights and civil rights are the two basic rights that are often debated. Both have their own features and characteristics. Human rights are the rights that an individual enjoys by virtue of being human. No government body, group or person can deprive an individual of their human rights. Some of the basic human rights are the right to life, education, fair trial, freedom of expression and protection from torture. Human Rights were conceived soon after the Second World War and became widely accepted after the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. Civil rights, on the other hand, are rights that an individual enjoys by virtue of citizenship. Civil rights are protected by the constitution, and themselves protect the individual from discrimination or unjustifiable action by the government, any organization, or other people. With a philosophical and legal basis, civil rights are an agreement between country and individual. While human rights are universal, basic rights to which all are entitled, civil rights are the creation of society. While human rights do not change from one country to another, civil rights do, as they depend on the laws of a given country. Human rights are universally accepted rights regardless of nationality, religion or ethnicity. On the other hand, civil rights fall within the limits of a given country s law, and pertain, among other things, to its social, cultural, religious and standards and traditions.