Abstract

Human rights are a set of standards that govern how individuals and groups are treated by states and non-state entities based on moral precepts pertaining to what society deems essential to a decent living. These requirements are outlined in national and international legal frameworks, which specify how to hold duty-bearers liable and compensate persons who may have suffered from violations of human rights. The paper aims to look at the conflicts between human rights and state sovereignty after discussing the use of human rights in ethical, legal and advocacy discourse. It also focuses on the challenges to the universality of human rights, the list of rights recognised by the international community, and the tools available to translate the lofty aspirations of human rights into practice.

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