Consumer Law

Civil Gideon and Human Rights

By Kia Franklin

Yesterday was Human Rights Day and the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. So I thought I'd point you to yet another great post to check out, published by Kevin Hsu of the Opportunity Agenda.

Thinking about Kevin's post in reference to the movement for Civil Gideon, I think about the fact that these basic human needs can easily be articulated as human rights. When these needs/rights are at stake, isn't there room to argue that a person should, at minimum, have access to adequate legal representation to help them get the best advocacy possible? So do you think Civil Gideon should be granted based on a human rights framework? With the stakes being so high, this certainly sounds like a viable argument to me.

An excerpt from Kevin's post:

December 10 is Human Rights Day, which this year celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Sixty years ago, in the wake of a decade of war, the world came together in the spirit of hope to declare in a single voice that there exists fundamental rights of dignity and fairness that every person, family, and community hold by virtue of their humanity, rights not granted by governments, but rather guaranteed to each of us as a core of our very existence. It is only by respecting these rights that we can establish justice, equality, and the opportunity for everyone to meet their full potential.

...Though the people of the United States took the first step to restoring human rights by delivering a clear mandate for change, hope, and dignity this year, advocates must take the next steps. The good news is that the public is on our side; our public opinion research shows that vast majorities of the American people support both the concept and the practical policy application of human rights across a range of issues. The time is now to raise the stakes in the human rights movement, to be explicit in using human rights language in our social justice work, and to challenge our representatives to recognize human rights as necessary to the American Dream of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. (Keep Reading)

Go to the original blogpost to read the full article and to view links to helpful resources on the subject of Human Rights, all provided by the Opportunity Agenda.

Full post as published by TortDeform.com on December 11, 2008 (boomark / email).