The United Declaration Of Human Rights - 2311 Words

Brooke Snell Professor Elaine Salo POSC317-010 8 April 2016 The U.S. Must Ratify CEDAW At the core of society are the undeniable rights we are afforded as human beings. These rights are outlined in the United Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) as a way to protect each individual’s freedoms. Since its adoption sixty-seven years ago, society and its viewpoints have changed drastically (â€Å"The Universal Declaration of Human Rights†). Therefore, while at the time the intentions for this document might have been genuine to protect all people, they are no longer sufficient. The lack of inclusion in this document has led to the creation of documents such as the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).†¦show more content†¦In an effort to bring about peace and equality after the Second World War and the establishment of the United Nations, the UDHR was born (â€Å"History of the Document†). Within its thirty articles, the UDHR has laid out these rights, however throughout the years, many have believed that this document has become outdated, with some of these problems laid out below. Further, since this document holds such an important place in history, there is no way it would ever be destroyed or updated. Therefore, there is an inherent need to create documents such as CEDAW to fill these holes. Upon first glance, the UDHR might seem like a document that protects all under a variety of circumstances. However, through further investigation, it can be found that this document is not as inclusive as it could be. Although the UDHR sometimes uses the terms everyone, their or themselves, there are many instances where the following words can be seen: brotherhood, his, him, himself and men. While this may seem insignificant, the amount of male personal pronouns versus female personal pronouns proves otherwise. In this document there are twenty-eight male personal pronouns and only two female personal pronouns. Further, by using these male personal pronouns, it can be assumed that the article in question is meant to protect only men. Such can be seen in Article 13 (2), â€Å"everyone has the right