Introduction
Social and economic rights are protected under the various instruments of human rights at the regional and international level. Governments are required respect, fulfill and protect the social and economic rights, and deploy strategies for progressive action towards the human rights. This paper explores the issues and actions regarding the social and economic rights.
The human right to work is a concept that states that individuals have a right to be engaged a meaningful or productive employment; as such, people should not be prohibited from working. The human right to work is enlisted in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the international human rights law, whereby it lays emphasis on socio-cultural and economic development (Claude & Weston, 2006). The type of work that an individual engages him/ herself in is determined by one’s accessibility to the available resources, level of education and appropriate training. The basic foundation of the human right to work is that involvement in work and accessibility of resources should be undertaken in such a manner that it facilitates the participation of every; individual who intends to work. It is also imperative that the benefits attained from working should be enough to reach a sustainable living standard (Clapham, 2007).
The human right to food is a universal human right that aims at ensuring that people undertake their lives with dignity without instances associated with food insecurity, malnutrition and hunger. The main objective of this right is to ensure that every individual has the capability to feed oneself in dignity. The human right to food is identified under the international human rights and humanitarian law and the state obligations as outlined in the international law. Conventionally, the human right to food outlines three distinct kinds of the state obligations, which includes the obligation for respecting, protecting and fulfilling. The obligation to protect means that governments should not deploy any actions that are aimed at intentional infringement of the people right to food (Donelly, 2003). The obligation to protect means that governments should enforce laws and actions aimed at avoiding infringement of the right to food to its people by third-party organizations and other individuals. The obligation to fulfill means that governments have the responsibility of facilitating access to food and other resources that can increase the capacity of individuals to have access to food (Donelly, 2003).
The right to education implies that every individual is entitled to education. The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights states that the right to educations encompasses a free and compulsory elementary education for every individual and a responsibility to ensure that secondary education is available to every individual and progress towards the incorporation of free secondary education. It also involves the obligation to ensure higher education is accessed equally with the progress towards making it free. The right to school also entails an obligation of offering fundamental education for those people who have not finished their primary education (Clapham, 2007). Eliminating discrimination at all levels with the educational system is also an important provision under the human right to school and that minimum standards have to be established with the main objective of improving the quality of education.
The human right to health is socio-cultural and economic right that ensures every person accesses the highest achievable health standards. The right to health is protected under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The human right to health is a fundamental human right that stipulates that every individual must enjoy the highest health standards that can be achieved regarding one’s personal wellbeing and family. In addition, this right advocate for equity during access to healthcare and related services, right to use to safe drinking water and sanitation, healthy environment and elimination of discrimination associated with social practices relating to health matters (Claude & Weston, 2006).
Analysis of the failures and successes
The human right to food is the most significant challenging due to the fact that large numbers of people usually face high levels of food deprivation that serve to undermine their human right of living with dignity.
In most of the countries, a significant challenge facing the issue of social and economic rights is that they are not identified or enforced by the law. This implies that there is less legal strength regarding the implementation of the human rights. Such an environment is a breeding ground for the violation of the human social and economic rights.
References
Clapham, A. (2007). Human rights: a very short introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press,.
Claude, R., & Weston, B. (2006). Human rights in the world community: issues and action. Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania Press.
Donelly, J. (2003). Universal human rights in theory and practice. Ithaca : Cornell University Press.