ICSE Class 10 Answered

Following are three important features of human rights:

1. Human rights are inalienable, i.e., they cannot be taken away from an individual or a group of individuals except in specific situations and according to due process. For example, the right to liberty may have to be restricted if an individual is found to be guilty of a crime by a court of law.
2. Human rights are interdependent and indivisible. Without having the means to exercise their civil and political rights, people cannot assert their economic, social and cultural rights. Similarly, without means of livelihood and a working society, people cannot exercise their civil or political rights. This fact has been confirmed by the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action at the World Conference on Human Rights, 1993.
3. Human rights are equal and non-discriminatory. All human beings are equally entitled to them without any type of discrimination. It prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, race, religion, ethnicity, colour, caste, community and economic status. This is based on the principle that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.