I think that considering the war that has been going on between the U.S. and the Middle East since the events of September 11th, articles three and five in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are significantly relevant to our world today. Article three states that "everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of a person." Although we believe this to be true for the most part in the United States, people in other countries may not be so lucky or fortunate. In addition, article five states that "no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment." In the U.S. we find torture and cruel punishments sometimes common with serial killers and mass murderers. But in many countries besides our own, cruel treatment is applied on a daily basis without being reprimanded by the law or government authorities. In Thailand, people are being brutally beaten, burnt with candles, subjected to electric shocks, and numerous other torturous methods. These acts are being committed by security forces who are attempting to stop rebellion and insurgency, but government officials are not happy with the brutal acts being committed. A statistic in March 2008 said that since 2004 66% of the people killed were innocent civilians. I think it is ridiculous that the government in Thailand and other neighboring countries cannot find forces to put a stop to such violence. We are lucky to live in the U.S. where we don't need to worry about our own armies and militia killing brutally torturing citizens at random.
I believe article three and five go hand in hand, are some of the most important articles in the declaration. If anything, people should be about to live without fear of being harmed or killed. It is horrible that poorer and under-developed countries constantly live with the fear that their home or family might be next in the line of fire. In the third article I came across, 43 civilians died in Pakistan in a Taliban crossfire. These people had nothing to do with the Taliban or the fight going on, but unfortunately the were taken down by the Taliban. All over the world innocent lives are being taken because not all countries give their citizens basic human rights such as the right to live without fear. Another example is that in Haiti, sexual violence towards women and girls has soared and is now widespread among the country. Rape is now being used as a political weapon; criminal gangs are trying to instill fear and punish these young girls and women. The authorities are taking action to prosecute all complaints of sexual violence, but in reality that isn't enough for the women who are domestically abused and cannot speak out in their family. If everyone cannot be wealthy or own a home or have the nicest clothes or be in perfect health, people should at least have to right to be safe.
For the few years after September 11th people in the United States started to lack our freedom to be safe in our country. I can say that at times I was nervous when planes would fly over land, wondering if we were about to be bombed or not. But for us Americans that was nothing compared to the fear that many people live in and have to think about every day of their lives. Fear affects their happiness, their lifestyle, and the choices they make on a daily basis. I think article 3 and 5 are extremely important in terms of what has happened to our country in the past 10 years. And since most of our citizens are lucky enough to live in safe neighborhoods, I think it would be useful for our country to put some of our militia and other safety resources to use in countries that are not so fortunate where innocent civilians cannot speak out without being tortured or brutally punished.
"Thai security forces systematically torture in southern counter-insurgency"
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/report/thai-security-forces-systematically-torture-southern-counter-insurgency-2
"Don't turn your back on girls - sexual violence in Haiti"
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/report/dont-turn-your-back-girls-sexual-violence-haiti-20081127
"Pakistan: 43 civilians die in Taliban crossfire"
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/02/01/pakistan.taliban.attack/index.html#cnnSTCText
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