“Human rights” is a conceptual theme that I found
important to the study of this paper. By analyzing this theme, it is clear that
it is something that affects everyone. Through a conceptual definition of human
rights, I will relate it to the issues surrounding social and cultural
diversity. As well as this, the importance it holds with regard to my personal
beliefs and identity will be discussed, with an application to both my
discipline, criminology, and a sociological discipline.
Human rights are something that every man, woman, and
child is entitled to. A basic definition of human rights, are things to which
everyone is entitled to, freedoms that are guaranteed to all, regardless of the
situation (United Nations, as cited in O’Brien, 2014). Following this, human
rights apply to the concepts of culture and society, in the way that everyone
is entitled to the same fundamental rights, irrespective of race, religion or
creed. With the concept of culture, people have the right to express who they
are, their heritage, without the fear of discrimination, or fear of anything.
As well as this, the concept of society plays hand in hand with the theme of
human rights. Weber (1930) best understood this, and the constraints the concept
of society has had on this theme. Using Weber’s hypothetical iron cage, human rights
may be inhibited within a society, as social order dictates who has access to
these rights. The cage itself refers to those structures, imbedded in a
society, that restrict minorities, and forcing them into something they would
otherwise choose to steer clear from. For those who are unable to express these
rights, for example children, there is a need for the state to intervene and
provide assistance (Bruce, 2011). Otherwise, New Zealand based issues, such as
poverty, could become generational, as seen in poorer parts of the world.
In New Zealand society, the theme of human rights is
illustrated in many different issues surrounding both cultural and social
diversity and change. Using child poverty as an example, it is evident that
this is an issue. Over the last 30 years, child poverty has grown in to one of
the biggest issues seen in New Zealand today (Bruce, 2011). Looking at the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, created by the United
Nations (1948),
there are many parts of these documents that are not being fulfilled. In both,
the notion of children being entitled to an adequate standard of living, and if
needed, it is the responsibility of the State to uphold this. However,
following the work of O’Brien (2014), one will note that if this were the case,
child poverty would not exist. Using evidence presented by Bruce (2011), it was
revealed that there are many children, in New Zealand, that are forced to live
in substandard conditions. Furthermore, many of these students are living in
homes that are provided by the government.
Unfortunately, a high
portion of state housing in New Zealand is not up to an adequate standard
(O’Brien, 2014). Knowing this, it would seem that the children living in these houses
are being denied their basic human rights, and are almost being forced into
Weber’s (1930) iron cage. For this to be stopped, the New Zealand government
should look to the strategies put in place by the Icelandic and Danish
governments (Bruce, 2011). These governments have focused on implementing high
tax rates for the rich, and supplementing the wages of the poor. This in turn,
has given many of their citizens the opportunity to flourish, giving them
enough money to support their families, and positively contribute to society.
From this, it is clear that child poverty in New Zealand, and poverty in
general, is not an individual issue; in fact, the evidence points to it being a
systemic issue that has a negative impact on the theme of human rights.
For me, someone who identifies as both a Pacific
Islander and a Maori, human rights, as a concept, is important as it is
something that is not given as much attention in New Zealand society as it
deserves. This to me is most prevalent in the homeless population of Auckland. When
this paper first began, I looked at homeless thinking that it was their own
fault that they lived where they lived. I have worked full time, in a low
paying job, since finishing high school. I am a bartender; I pour drinks, I
make people happy, and ultimately get people drunk. It is what I am, it is what
I do, and I do it well. Even though I work full time, I still struggle to make
ends meet. The struggle forced me to assess my living situation, asking myself
if I, a 23-year-old single male, could to afford to live where I was. The fact
that I was struggling makes it clear as to why others are. Lowrey (2014)
related this to the fact that as the majority of households spending upwards of
50% of their weekly income on housing, belong to the lowest income quintile.
With so many people being unable to afford their homes, it would be clear that
homelessness would become a problem, especially in instances where the sole
income earner lost their job. However, for the homeless to be so populous,
increasing by 116% since 2013, is does the blame lie on their actions, or is it
in fact a societal issues stemming from a lack of basic human rights (Collins, 2015). This issue must be addressed
as soon as possible.
A criminological approach to human rights looks at how
these rights, or the denial of these rights, cause people to commit crime (Foucault,
1979). Further use of the iron cage shows that there are many factors that
cause people to commit crime, and that they may be due to a restriction of human
rights, and increased pressure towards social order (Weber, 1930). Foucault
(1979) took this view and applied it to prison populations. He argued that
prison populations are on the rise not because of an increase in criminality,
but in the denial of rights to minority parties who require it most. This can
be related to a sociological approach to human rights. Mills (1959) looked
objectively at society, noting that human rights extend past the individuals
control. This control is held by the State, whose role is to ensure that the
rights are being fulfilled. Sociologists and Criminologists both look at human
rights as a necessary aspect of society, critiquing the choices made for the
individual, that reinforce Weber’s iron cage (1930).
References
Bruce, B. (Writer/Director). (2011). Inside Child Poverty
[Documentary Film]. New Zealand. Red Sky Film and television Ltd.
Collins, S.
(2015). Auckland homelessness: Rough
sleepers tally doubles. Retrieved from http://www.nzherald.co.nz/
Foucault, M.
1979. Discipline and Punish: The Birth of
the Prison. Translated by A. Sheridan. Hammondsworth: Penguin.
Lowrey, S.
(2014). Auckland housing crisis drives
homeless problem. Retrieved from
http://www.3news.co.nz/
Mills, C. W.
(1959). The sociological imagination.
New York: Oxford University Press.
O'Brien, M.
(2014). Wanted: A better start for children: Reducing child poverty will have
significant benefits for children, adults and society as a whole. Kai Tiaki: Nursing New Zealand, 20(6),
20.United Nations
Weber, M.,
(1930), The Protestant Ethic and the
Spirit of Capitalism, translated by Talcott Parsons,
with a foreword by R.H. Tawney, London: Unwin University
Books.
