ABSTRACT
To begin with, human rights, following the seminal thoughts of Nickel (2007: 7), ‘aspires to formulate and enforce international norms that will prevent governments from doing horrible things to their people and thereby promote international peace and security’. In the first instance, human rights are aimed at preventing specific problems initiated by governments, such as detention without trial, quelling political dissent, and discrimination on the basis of the Universal Declaration recognises that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights (Nickel, 2007: 7). Second, human rights are universal and relevant to every living individual, unhampered by characteristics such as race, sex, religion, social position and nationality. According to the Universal Declaration, human rights are embedded in the dignity and worth of human beings and in the requirements of international peace and security (Nickel, 2007: 10).1
