Human Rights

Here are the four topics that we are going to debate in the human rights committee:-

Capital Punishment is the legally authorized killing of someone as punishment for a crime. The first attempt by the international community at abolishing the death penalty, or simply minimizing the use of it, was in 1948, with the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Declaration defines the rights and freedoms of individuals in detail, whereas the United Nations Charter had loosely discussed human rights only in general terms. As defined by the UN Charter, the United Nations was created after the Second World War to prevent unnecessary death, while the Universal Declaration further clarifies that goal, stating in its article 3 that “everyone has the right to life”.

Human Trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, harbouring, or receipt of people for the purposes of slavery, forced labour and servitude. It is the fastest growing criminal industry in the world. The victims of human trafficking are usually coerced, deceived and fraudulently propositioned as well as illegally and illicitly abducted.

Womans Rights refer to the freedoms and entitlements of women and girls of all ages. More often than not, these rights are overlooked in certain countries on the inherent historical and traditional bias against the exercise of rights by women and girls.

Freedom of Speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship or limitation and is protected under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Right 1948. However a debate has been started in the UN Human Rights Council surrounding whether a necessary implication of the right to freedom of speech is the right to defame religion or whether as Resolution 7/19 suggests it should be the responsibility of the international community to protect the dignity of believers in not accepting that anyone has the right to defame religion.

More information will get added to this site nearer the time but if you have any specific problems in preparing for PGS MUN 2009 feel free to e-mail us:

p.eldrid09@pgs.org.uk

h.smith09@pgs.org.uk