Human Rights are an extremely important source of freedoms, moral principles and protections, that should be granted to each and every individual, regardless of their gender, nationality, religion, race or any other unique status.

At their core they are designed to protect the fundamental worth and common humanity of us all, and give us scope to develop as individuals, free from discriminations and threats to our development.

Examples of our fundamental Human Rights would include rights such as:
The right to life; the right to freedom and equality; the right to freedom from torture; the right to seek asylum; the right to a fair trial; privacy rights; anti-discrimination rights; rights to marry; rights to own property; rights to seek work; education rights and rights to basic living standards.

The ability to realise these Human Rights varies enormously depending on location, as obvious where some countries such as North Korea, afford their citizens little or no access to even the most basic right.

In Ireland our Human Rights are derived and protected under the various European Conventions and provisions, as well as our own Irish Constitution. Human Rights are regarded as inalienable, meaning they should not be taken away from the individual except certain circumstances occur and unless a proportionality test is executed. An example of this would be a person, will lose their freedom, for a time determined by the Court, if found guilty of a crime. During the covid era, we all lost certain freedoms, as justified to protect public health.

While the above loss of Human Rights is justifiable, the guarantee of receiving all rights that are owed to us all, is very tenuous. We see in present day Ireland many human rights violations occurring regularly, ranging from issues such as access to education, difficultly acquiring property, discrimination against asylum seekers, and many people being unable to achieve basic living standards owing to the current cost of living crisis.

When rights are denied, it can cause a feeling of helplessness and hopelessness, but there are resources available:

• As the current housing situation is so dynamic, a good reliable resource for tenancy rights can be found through the Residential tenancies board Home | Residential Tenancies Board (rtb.ie).

• FLAC FLAC – Promoting access to justice | Home Page is a wonderful resource, manned by qualified solicitors, who will advise on legal queries one may have, on a range of issues.

• If one feels they are the victim of workplace discrimination, the Workplace Relations Commission, is a fantastic resource to access. They are involved in solving the majority of workplace related issues in Ireland, preventing the need for these matters to proceed to the Court system Home – Workplace Relations Commission.

• As times are difficult, it is easy to fall into debt, and the related stress that accompanies this, can have a hugely negatively impact on one’s health. MABS is a helpful resource for advice on all things financial MABS – Money Advice and Budgeting Service.

• Finally, for a one-stop resource, that will answer most general queries, do not overlook Citizens Information, as they have a wonderfully accessible website, and staff on hand to speak to you over the phone Citizens Information.