human rights in the third world

8/8/2019 Human Rights in the Third World

1/16

Human Rights in the Third World:A Cross Cultural Context

Pat Ray Magpulong Dagapioso


2/16

Strong Cultural Relativism

David Forsythes definition: all truth and

goodness is relative to particular cultures.

Scholars and politicians see the Westernapproach to human rights as a form of

cultural imperialism.

Josiah Cobbah argues that Western rights

traditions are fundamentally flawed and

are inferior to rights traditions from Africa.


3/16

Josiah Cobbahs Argument

Cobbah sees that the universal standardsof human rights is based onphilosophically unsound view of human

nature. Universal human rights defies the

existence of cultures.

Further, UHR, fails to meet the needs andfails to deliver dignity to oppressed groupsand individualsa in Western and Non-Western Societies.


4/16

Josiah Cobbahs Argument Part II

Cobbah argues that the natural rights theory areunrealistic. Natural rights theory postulates:equality of all human beings, inalienability of

rights, and stress on individualism. Cobbah tries to replace this with African counter

example as an international model for humanrights. This model, Cobbah believes, can speak

to the needs of developing nations. This aFrican model is necessary for thepromotion of 2nd generation socioeconomicrights and 3rd solidarity rights.


5/16

The African Model of human Rights

This model contains and stessescommunalism, duties and hierarchy.

Rather than survival of the fittest andcontrol over nature, the African worldviewis tempered with the general quidingprinciple of survial of the entire community,

and a sense of cooperation,interdependence and collectiveresponsibility.


6/16

Cobbahs Assumptions

Cobbah holds that this Africna model of

human rights is as valid as the European

theories of individualism and the socialcontract.

Cobbah tries to argue that the Africna view

is superior where it really counts and his

position entails refection of the Westerntradition in a fundamental way.


7/16

The Feminist Critique

Feminist view on human rights criticizes all

three view on culture and rights.

The arguments of feminist scholars base

their views on the androcentric biases ofthe three and for their lack of attention to

womens rights.

This view is central to the feminists viewthat human rights concerns of women are

not always the same as of mens.


8/16

Feminists View on the Three Views

Spike Peterson has constructed a feministcritique of what she calls givens in human rightsdiscourse.

Spike criticize on three grounds: Westernelement, element of liberalism, and the elementof individualism.

Western element Spike found weaknesses

same as what cultural relativism has found. YetSpike also pointed out that cultural relativismalso allows for its own forms of violations, e.g.,burning of wives in asia, and genital mutilation in

Africa.


9/16

Spike Petterson on Western

Element Spike challenges that the Western

element is based on male perspectives,

male priorities and male realities.

Womens views, perspectives and realities

had become marginalized or ignored.


10/16


11/16

Spike Petterson on

Individualism Individualism is a masculine viewpoint

according to Spike. Individualism stresses

the abstract, separation apartness.

Spike stresses that each womans

viewpoint is based on concrete,

connectedness and the group.


12/16

Charlotte Bunch, Feminist

Women are routinely subjected to the grim realitiesof womens rights.

Women are: tortured, starved, terrorized,

humiliated, mutilated, and murdered. Yet, womens rights are still not classified as

fundamental human rights.

Narrow definition of womens rights impedes

consideration of womens rights. For Westerndefinitions of human rights only caters to civil andpolitical rights, feminists seeks to promote theincreased attention to socioeconomic rights of

women.


13/16

History of Womens Rights

Snippets View

Abuse of women has not been a top priority

since the end of World War 2.

In 1993, 124 nations presented petitions in

Vienna demanding that gender violence berecognized as a violation of human rights.

In 1993, WHO (you know the acronym), targeted

female genital mutilation for elimination. Bunch, calls for a an increased attention in

international human rights arenas the plight of

women in the 90s.


14/16

History of Womens Rights

Snippets View, Part II

Bunch further calls for the feminist

transformation of human rights. This

includes the notion that violence against

women be considered as a hate crime, as

is violence against homosexuals, Jews

and other minorities.


15/16

MNCs and Womens Rights

This topic centers on how human rights abuses werecommitted by non-state actors.

MNCs harms women indefinitely. For example, the case

of Export Processing Zones. Governments set aside

territory and provide economic incentives specifically forfactories producing goods for the international market.

Cheap labor is their major selling point. Yet, more than

70% of the workforce are women, younger women.

Furhter, MNCs and EPZs are waivered with minimum

wage laws, safety regulations and environmental

protections


16/16

The End

human rights in the third world

Documents