Gandhi’s Approach to Human Rights

Abstract

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi is widely recognized as one of the twentieth century's greatest political and spiritual leaders. Honored in India as the father of the nation. Gandhiji (1869-1948) is known as the apostle of non-violence and peace. Gandhian concepts on Satyagraha, Education, Unity, Truth etc relate to human rights and responsibilities. Gandhiji stood for love, universal brotherhood, freedom, justice and equality to him. Service to community, is service to God. Human rights are said to be those fundamental rights which every man or woman inhabiting any part of the world should be entitled to by virtue of having been born as a human being. Basic to human rights is the concept of non-discrimination and equality of treatment. Gandhi Approach to Human Rights: i) Right of Self – Determination (ii) Right to Life, (iii) Prohibition of Torture and Inhuman Treatment , (iv) Prohibition of Slavery and Slave Trade , (i) Right to Work (ii) Right to Just and Favourable Conditions of Work (iii) Right to Social Security (iv) Rights relating to Motherhood and Childhood etc. The right to clean environment; the right to information; the right to development; the right of the indigenous people; the rights of women; the rights of children; The freedom of religious worship and study also enabled him to uphold the analogous right of a person to “intelligent conversion”, that is, to voluntary change of belief and faith. The human rights of women and girl child are an inalienable, integral and indivisible port of universal human rights. The full and equal participation of women in political, civil, economic, social and cultural like, at the national, regional and international levels The children have right for food, right to play games, right to enjoy health, right to acquire education, right to express their views, right to follow the religion they aspire, and right to enjoy the atmosphere without pollution. Therefore, Gandhi admitted the hard reality that only those succeed in actually securing the deserved rights who shout, strive and are ready to sacrifice their all.