1. HUMAN RIGHTS

2. DEFINITION
All the rights a human being must enjoy just for the fact of being a person
CHARACTERISTICS
a) absolute: they are valid for everybody
b) vital: no one must abandon them
c) non property rights: they do not have an economic value

3. GENERATIONS
There are 4 generations of human rights, which are the result of a long historical path

4. The most important are:
First generation
They go back to 1789, just after the French Revolution with the Declaration of Human and Citizens’ Rights.
The most important are:
Right to life and physical integrity
Freedom of thought, religion, association, vote

5. Second Generation
They go back to 1948: Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
They include all the rights of an economic, social and cultural sort:
Right to education
Right to have a house
Right to have a job
These rights contribute to improving the social conditions of every citizen

6. Third Generation
Collective rights adressed to peoples not to single citizens
They are:
Right to peace
Right to development
Right to the safeguard of the environment

7. Fourth Generation
These are very recent, not yet classified and written. They concern the field of genetic manipulation, bioethics and new media

8. Types of violation Death penalty Tortures Unjust trials Wars Terrorism
Genocides
Persecutions

9. FORMAL ACTS Universal Declaration of Human Rights (ONU 1948)
Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU (2000), which obtains full legal effect with the Treaty of Lisbon (2009)
International Criminal Court (after WW2): It judges the following crimes: genocides, crimes against humanity, war crimes.