Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Delhi.
Online published on 28 January, 2022.
‘If wishes were horses, beggars would ride’, a Scottish proverb, that suggests if wishing could make things happen, then even the most destitute people would have everything they wanted, is reminiscent of the situation that prevails in the area of human rights in the world. Even after seventy five years of establishment of United Nations, the purposes of human rights protection and enforcement have not been fully achieved. Apparently, the national and international politics seem to have spoilt the grand and sacred hopes of a world free of hunger, poverty, racism, strife and conflicts, torture, genocide, and wars etc. The strange issue is that who, in this world, is interested in human rights? Is it the nations, the international organisations, the NGOs, or the individuals? Whoever may or may not be interested in protection of human rights but the truth is that human rights protection, for a majority, still remains a wishful thinking.
Be it within the nations or at the international level, the selfish interests, politics and the false sense of national sovereignty has prevented the dream of human rights from becoming reality. This exists at both levels, the domestic as well as international. The international concern for human rights is considerably influenced by national politics. The social and political circumstances within a nation play important role in shaping the national approach towards human rights. A nation's relations with foreign nations and its international policies, its reach, and ambitions do matter in determining its attitude on human rights. This approach reflects in national policies and legislations as well as in state behavior on international platforms and institutions. Nations persist in hampering any step that may not go well with them or with their friendly nations. That ultimately results in stifling important decisions and in keeping the status quo maintained. This paper seeks to identify the factors that place obstacles in proper protection and implementation of human rights in the world.
