Иностранный язык (английский). Political and social matters. Учебно-методическое пособие

отвлекать чье-либо внимание от земных проблем, предлагать утешение, поддерживать социальное неравенство, секуляризация/ отделение церкви от государства.

VI. Translate the following sentences from Russian into English:

1.Трудно определить наверняка, когда возникла религия, но антропологи утверждают, что религиозные вероучения существовали, по крайней мере, уже 100 000 лет назад.

2.Хотя определенные религиозные вероучения господствуют в некоторых областях и странах мира, сейчас даже внутри одного общества существует большое разнообразие верований и обрядов, которые характеризуют религиозную жизнь этого общества.

3.В современном мире экклесия имеет тенденцию ослаблять свою власть.

4.Ни одна нация в мире не имеет столько вероисповеданий, как США, так как переселенцы в «Новый Свет» привезли с собой религию своей родины.

5.Социологи признают большое значение религии в человеческом обществе и ее привлекательность для отдельного индивидуума.

6.Религия предлагает людям вечные ценности, которые помогают обществу укрепить другие социальные институты и общественный порядок в целом.

7.Религия предлагает людям утешение, давая надежду на вечное счастье в загробном мире.

8.Карл Маркс и другие теоретики рассматривали религию как опиум, особенно опасный для угнетенных народов, так как религия отвлекала их внимание от земных проблем и снижала возможность коллективного политического действия, направленного на то, чтобы покончить с угнетением и преобразовать общество.

9.Секуляризация современного общества ослабляет внимание религии на общественную жизнь. Но было бы неверно заключить, что религия в наше время находится в упадке.

Follow-up:

I. Answer the following questions:

a)George Bernard Shaw wrote, “There is only one religion, though there are a hundred versions of it.” Do you agree or disagree?

b)Would you marry someone of a different faith? Why or why not? What difficulties would you have to overcome, and what would be the positive or negative results?

c)Can a person be religious without following a formal religion?

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UNIT IV. SOCIAL ISSUES

Human rights

Warm-up

1.Which are the most basic rights that people have or should have?

2.What order of importance would you put them in?

3.Have your rights ever been violated? Which measures did you take to defend your rights?

Read the texts and answer the questions. Give synonyms to the highlighted words. Then write a summary of each text.

Text 1

What are human rights?

Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status. We are all equally entitled to our human rights without discrimination. These rights are all interrelated, interdependent and indivisible.

Universal human rights are often expressed and guaranteed by law, in the forms of treaties, customary international law, general principles and other sources of international law. International human rights law lays down obligations of Governments to act in certain ways or to refrain from certain acts, in order to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms of individuals or groups.

Universal and inalienable

The principle of universality of human rights is the cornerstone of international human rights law. This principle, as first emphasized in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights in 1948, has been reiterated in numerous international human rights conventions, declarations, and resolutions. The 1993 Vienna World Conference on Human Rights, for example, noted that it is the duty of States to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms, regardless of their political, economic and cultural systems. All States have ratified at least one, and 80% of States have ratified four or more, of the core human rights treaties, reflecting consent of States which creates legal obligations for them and giving concrete expression to

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universality. Some fundamental human rights norms enjoy universal protection by customary international law across all boundaries and civilizations.

Human rights are inalienable. They should not be taken away, except in specific situations and according to due process. For example, the right to liberty may be restricted if a person is found guilty of a crime by a court of law.

Interdependent and indivisible

All human rights are indivisible, whether they are civil and political rights, such as the right to life, equality before the law and freedom of expression; economic, social and cultural rights, such as the rights to work, social security and education, or collective rights, such as the rights to development and self-determination, are indivisible, interrelated and interdependent. The improvement of one right facilitates advancement of the others. Likewise, the deprivation of one right adversely affects the others.

Equal and non-discriminatory

Non-discrimination is a cross-cutting principle in international human rights law. The principle is present in all the major human rights treaties and provides the central theme of some of international human rights conventions such as the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

The principle applies to everyone in relation to all human rights and freedoms and it prohibits discrimination on the basis of a list of nonexhaustive categories such as sex, race, colour and so on. The principle of non-discrimination is complemented by the principle of equality, as stated in Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”

Both rights and obligations

Human rights entail both rights and obligations. States assume obligations and duties under international law to respect, to protect and to fulfil human rights. The obligation to respect means that States must refrain from interfering with or curtailing the enjoyment of human rights. The obligation to protect requires States to protect individuals and groups against human rights abuses. The obligation to fulfil means that States must take positive action to facilitate the enjoyment of basic human rights. At the individual level, while we are entitled to our human rights, we should also respect the human rights of others.

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Text 2

Human Rights Day

Human Rights Day is observed by the international community every year on 10 December. It commemorates the day in 1948 the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a milestone document in the history of human rights. Drafted by representatives with different legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world, the Declaration was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948 General Assembly resolution 217 A (III) (French) (Spanish) as a common standard of achievements for all peoples and all nations. It sets out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected.

The formal inception of Human Rights Day dates from 1950, after the Assembly passed resolution 423 (V) inviting all States and interested organizations to adopt 10 December of each year as Human Rights Day. When the General Assembly adopted the Declaration, with 48 states in favor and eight abstentions, it was proclaimed as a "common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations", towards which individuals and societies should "strive by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance". Although the Declaration with its broad range of political, civil, social, cultural and economic rights is not a binding document, it inspired more than 60 human rights instruments which together constitute an international standard of human rights. Today the general consent of all United Nations Member States on the basic Human Rights laid down in the Declaration makes it even stronger and emphasizes the relevance of Human Rights in our daily lives.

Text 3

UN Human Rights Bodies

The High Commissioner for Human Rights bears the principal responsibility for United Nations human rights activities. The mission of OHCHR is to protect and to promote human rights for all. OHCHR bases itself on the principle that human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent and

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interrelated. All rights – civil, cultural, economic, political and social – should be given equal emphasis and promoted and protected without discrimination. The High Commissioner for Human Rights, as the main United Nations rights official, and her Office play a major role in coordinating efforts for the yearly observation of Human Rights Day.

The Commission on Human Rights is the principal United Nations intergovernmental body concerned with the realization of human rights in the world. It is an important forum for the discussion, study, elaboration and monitoring of human rights standards. The Commission comprises 53 states from the different regions of the world. It meets each year for six weeks in March/April in Geneva with the participation of over 3 000 delegates from UN member and observer states and from non-governmental organizations. At each session the Commission adopts around one hundred resolutions, decisions and statements on a wide range of human rights issues.

Text 4

Human Rights Treaty System

Human rights treaties are an essential part of the international community‟s efforts to protect human rights. Treaties are legally binding documents, agreed to by Governments. By adopting international treaties, States agree to be legally bound to uphold the individual rights and freedoms of everyone under their jurisdiction. How well States keep their promises is monitored by committees, or “treaty bodies”, composed of independent exports. They are the “guardians” of the treaties.

States must submit regular reports to the treaty bodies so that the implementation of their commitments can be examined. They present their reports publicly and committees make observations and recommendations. As part of a continuing dialogue, the treaty bodies monitor and comment on follow-up actions by States.

Several of the human rights treaties have individual complaints procedures which allow the treaty bodies to consider complaints of human rights violations from individuals. If the treaty body concludes that there has been a violation, the State concerned is expected to provide a remedy. An OHCHR petitions team processes complaints and oversees the follow-up to decisions. Human rights treaties enjoy a high level of ratification by States. OHCHR works for the acceptance by all countries of all human rights trea-

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ties. It is campaigning to have all countries ratify the core human rights treaties.

The core human rights treaties:

1)International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (1965)

2)International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966)

3)International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966)

4)Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (1979)

5)Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1984)

6)Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989)

7)International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (1990)

After-reading tasks

Answer the following questions:

1.What are essential features of human rights?

2.Which principle is the basic part of international human rights law? What does it say?

3.Which principle is present in all the major human rights treaties? What does it prohibit?

4.Which important event does Human Rights Day commemorate?

5.Why is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights considered to be a document of immense importance for human rights protection?

6.Which bodies take responsibility for UN human rights activities? What are their key functions?

_____________________________________________________________

Exercises:

I. Fill in the gaps with the following words: respect, landmark, standards, community, adoption

The idea of human rights did not begin with the establishment of the United Nations – its roots can be found in all world cultures and religions. However, the ______ of the Universal Declaration by the UN General Assembly in 1948 was a _________ achievement in world history as it was the first time that the international ________set down formal ________ of human rights and freedoms that should be enjoyed by everyone, everywhere. The Universal Declaration proclaims that _______ for human rights “is the

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foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world”. Since agreeing on the Universal Declaration, the international community has pursued what is a continuing task, to make the Declaration‟s ideals effective.

II. Complete the sentences:

1.International human rights place Governments under an obligation to

…………...........................................………………………………………..

2.The 1993 Vienna World Conference on Human Rights stressed that it is the duty of States to ………………………………………………………

3.The principle of “non-discrimination” applies to everyone regarding all human rights and freedoms and prohibits ……………………………….

4.The obligation to respect human rights means that States must

……………………………………………………………………………….

5.By adopting international treaties, States agree to be ………………..

III. Give Russian equivalents to the following expressions:

Human rights abuses, to lay down obligations of Governments, to be reiterated in, to assume obligations and duties under international law, to adopt international treaties, to ratify core human rights treaties, to adopt the Declaration with eight abstentions, a binding document, milestone document, to be legally bound, forum for the discussion, study, elaboration and monitoring of human rights standards, submit regular reports to the treaty bodies, to examine implementation of one‟s commitments, to consider complaints of human rights violations, to oversee the follow-up to decisions, to uphold the individual rights and freedoms.

IV. Give English equivalents to the following expressions:

Имеющий право (на), нарушение прав человека, соблюдать права и гражданские свободы личности, определять (формулировать) обязательства государств, быть неоднократно повторенным, принимать (брать на себя) обязательства в соответствии с международным правом, принять Декларацию с … воздержавшимися, быть обязанным по закону, ратифицировать основные договоры по правам человека, глубокое изучение/тщательная разработка и контроль стандартов по правам человека, регулярно предоставлять на рассмотрение отчеты договорным органам, проверять выполнение обязательств, рассматривать жалобы о нарушении прав человека, осуществлять надзор/наблюдать за последовательным выполнением решений, ключевой документ, быть обязательным с правовой точки зрения /иметь обязательную силу.

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