6.9  Human Rights around the World


According to Amnesty International, human rights abuses are not limited to only a few nations. 

Amnesty International is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) with over 3 million supporters worldwide, who actively campaign against abuses of human rights. Their vision is for every person to enjoy all the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. They help stop human rights abuses by mobilizing the public to put pressure on governments, armed political groups, companies, and intergovernmental bodies by:

  • Publication and promotion of research findings

  • Public demonstration

  • Vigils

  • Letter writing campaigns

  • Awareness raising concerts

  • Direct lobbying

  • Targeted appeals

  • E-mail petitions and other online actions

  • Partnerships with local campaigning groups

  • Community activities

  • Co-operation with student groups

    • Source: Amnesty International website



Egyptians wait outside of a polling station during an election
Matt Moyer/National Geographic Stock

Human Rights in the rest of the world


Although we like to think that human rights abuses do not occur in democratic nations, even in Canada the treatment of Aboriginal people, violence against Native women, and excessive police use of tasers have put us on the list of nations with human rights abuses. In the United States, racial discrimination against African Americans, high rates of poverty, high crime rates, and interference in the foreign affairs of other nations are considered to violate human rights. Other nations are far worse. In some developing countries, brutal dictatorships are the cause of repression and the abuse of human rights. In these nations, people have little legal recourse when their rights are denied.