Discussion: 'International law is limited in its application- it serves to highlight as opposed to prevent, abuses of human rights'.

Essay by grandimundiHigh School, 11th gradeA, April 2007

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Although international law on human rights are created with the benign intention of fostering a global sense of co-operation of the upholding of entitlements given to all humans by birthright, regardless of genders, race, religion or sexuality, there are both critical flaws and strengths in this system. Whereas one could argue that international law is effective in making provisions on the rights of freedom of speech, employment and education in a world which has shifted towards 'global interdependency', one could also argue the weaknesses of international law underlined with its lack of imposing/enforcing these laws into bearing equal importance to member nation's domestic laws. Hence, this has lead to international law seeming to only 'highlight' abuse of human rights as opposed to preventing it.

First of all, international law can be seen to be successful in preventing human rights abuse through the support member nations provide in helping lesser developed nations prevent and reduce their often higher rates of rights abuse.

For example, Uganda, which in 1990 ratified the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child, has been aided by the UN in helping crack down on one of the grossest abuse of human child rights-the use of children as soldiers. Here, The Lord's Resistance Army, a paramilitary group which has been embroiled in civil war since 1987, have been estimated to have forced over 20 000 children to work as soldiers or sex slaves. With co-operation of member UN states, particularly of Britain and other African nations, the International Criminal Court was able to warrant the arrests of the heads of the LRA on the charges of crimes against humanity- the pinnacle being the enslavement of children as child soldiers/sex slaves. Through the collective sense of the UN nations working together to help reinforce the ratification of these...