Can our rights be ensured without responsibilities ?

“…A certain drift towards individualism is often mentioned and owing to the fact that so much emphasis is put on rights, the issue of responsibilities has been forgotten…they are only mentioned once in the Declaration of Human Rights… deterring from a more collaborative way of thinking that focuses on how individual civic responsibilities relate to society.1 ”Getting involved indicates a willingness to consider one’s responsibilities, whether it be on a personal or a collective level. However, the prevailing idea that “society is simply a collection of individuals, plays a large role in disconnecting rights from responsibilities and making them two distinct objectives. Our children, who very frankly tell us that we don’t have the right to say or do this or that or that they have the right to… have easily seen through this flawed thinking.” 2

In the last few years, responsibility has become a catch phrase for just about every and anything ; companies, governments and corporations all feature a myriad of so called “socially responsible initiatives”, which do nothing to impede, either the pursuit of profits nor the power brokering. As a result rights and responsibilities have been at odds not only in reality, but also in societies’ mind’s eye.

“(We need to)…rethink the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in order to better integrate the socially related aspects (of responsibility)…as they are understood in the East…(Joseph, Yacoub)

The Charter Of Human Responsibilities is a first step towards the inclusion of responsibilities in the protection of human rights.

1.MONTPETIT, Caroline.” Les dérives de l’individualisme “, Le Devoir, 20 mars 2000

2&3. Joseph Yacoub,politicologue L’émission par 4 chemins – Saison 1999/2000 à consulter sur [www.radio-canada.ca->www.radio-canada.ca/par4/_radio/index_sujets