Why Human Rights Has Not Worked
By Sajeeva Samaranayake -May 10, 2014
Sajeeva Samaranayake
Why Human Rights Has Not Worked – And What Needs To Be Done To Make Them Work
We have done ‘human rights’ a disservice by failing to question them, probe their meaning and relevance for us here and now in this country. I am not against human rights but against the blind imitation of all forms – be they foreign or local. In their marketing, human rights are rich in conclusions but poor in methodology. They promise much but deliver little. They are also trapped in formalism. When formal procedures fail in this country we are expected to catch the next flight to Geneva and invoke the formal procedures there. All this has served a particular class of people very well; but not the intended beneficiaries. It is high time the human rights activists in this country realized that they are fighting a well armed adversary with a blunt weapon which commands little respect – from anyone. Thus the time has come to start thinking. And as we start there will be a lot of conflicting thought processes. This is good and preferable to what Walter Lippman said about the unthinking, uncritical society: “when all think alike, no one thinks very much.”
Ten years of contemplation
Like ‘development’ the term ‘human rights’ has lost its meaning. This is due to over – use, especially by people who have not questioned and grappled with its real situational meaning. This includes many glib talkers in development organizations (both local and foreign) whose superficiality is plain to see.
I began my career as a development practitioner in 2003 with broader frameworks in mind (like the ethics of justice and care) to avoid getting enslaved to ‘rights.’ the term has not been easy to crack – much like a zen riddle. Only sustained reflection over a decade has helped me to place it in context in a way that is helpful for all of us.
