History Main / HumanRightsIssues

An index of tropes relating to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights human rights]] - violations of them, or struggles for them.

* TotallyEighteen: Human rights policies defining "child" as "anyone younger than 18" is one of the underlying reasons for why this trope (with 18 being the exact number) has become so universal over the last few decades.

* FairForItsDay: When a work, act, or policy is considered better than that of its predecessors but still unacceptably backward by current standards.

* PublicExecution: Capital punishment / death penalty is a very controversial subject for many reasons. Even putting aside the ethical concerns of whether or not society's very worst criminals who are [[MoralEventHorizon truly guilty of irredeemably evil crimes]] deserve to continue living after what they've done, there's also the fact that many people in [[ValuesDissonance various times and places]] have been [[DisproportionateRetribution sentenced to death]] for [[FelonyMisdemeanor nonviolent offenses]] such as being a petty thief or drug addict, holding illegal political/religious beliefs, or just simply being a persecuted minority. Not to mention that innocent people have been [[MiscarriageOfJustice wrongfully convicted]] and [[AcquittedTooLate then executed]] for [[FrameUp crimes they didn't even do]].

* ObligatoryWarCrimeScene: Human rights violations during war, often due to the absence of international laws or due to said laws being ignored.

* SinkTheLifeBoats: When soldiers go out of their way to kill the surviving crew of a destroyed vehicle who are no longer a threat.

* TheWomenAreSafeWithUs: When soldiers refuse to sexually assault female civilians or [=POWs=], or when their officers forbid them to. This mandatory by international laws.

* HumanTraffickers: Criminals who deny any rights their victims have by buying and selling them.

* PrideParade: Marching for the rights of minorities and to celebrate sexual diversity and gender diversity.

* FantasticGhetto: The segregation of another species just for looking too different.

* TraumaticCSection: The once-common practice of cutting open pregnant civilian women, the idea being that you're killing ''two'' enemies at once. This is now forbidden by international law.
* TheWomenAreSafeWithUs: When soldiers refuse to sexually assault female civilians or [=POWs=], or when their officers forbid them to. This mandatory by international laws.
* WouldNotShootACivilian: When soldiers refuse to harm non-combatants, or when their officers forbid them to. This is is, of course, mandatory by international laws, as well as by the laws of most modern nations.
* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil: Due to the immense and long-lasting suffering rape causes to the victim, it is considered a severe violation of human rights and is illegal in almost all nations.
* TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized: When part of a country's population rises up against the established government with the hopes of radically changing it, and when said uprising is willing to violate human rights in order to achieve its goals. Even revolutions are subject to international laws, and should be held to basic ethical standards like anyone else.

* VanHelsingHateCrimes: Unjustified violence against innocent people who just happen to be considered "monsters".

* WouldBeRudeToSayGenocide: When a genocide is ignored, forgotten, covered up, or treated as justified. This results in the victims of genocide being deprived of justice, dignity, and often forgotten. It also makes it easier for future genocides to occur.

* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: The idea that abortion is unethical, [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment it is a hotly debated issue in the modern world]]. The groups that support legalized abortion argue that it is the right of a woman to terminate an unwanted pregnancy, while the groups that oppose legalized abortion argue that the practice violates the child's right to life. Both groups believe that they are the ones defending human rights.

* FairForItsDay: When a work, act, or policy is considered better than that of its predecessors but still unacceptably backwards by current standards.

* UsefulNotes/TheLawsAndCustomsOfWar: All's ''not'' fair in love and war, and there are rules and laws that must be followed.
** FictionalGenevaConventions: Humans restricting the use of some acts of magical or futuristic warfare due to being in violation of human rights.
** ObligatoryWarCrimeScene: Human rights violations during war, often due to the absence of international laws or due to said laws being ignored.
*** ChildSoldiers: When a military organization places children in combat situations which they are too young to handle. Often these children are forced to fight against their will, [[ShellShockedVeteran and many suffer mental trauma long after the fact]].
*** ISurrenderSuckers: The crime of perfidy, which is pretending to have a surrender or truce in order to make a surprise attack.
*** RapePillageAndBurn: When soldiers murder civilians, sexually assault civilians, destroy property, steal property, or otherwise harm the defenseless. Often called "sacking" or "raiding", in modern times this is a crime punishable by imprisonment or death.
*** SinkTheLifeBoats: When soldiers go out of their way to kill the surviving crew of a destroyed vehicle who are no longer a threat.
*** TheWomenAreSafeWithUs: When soldiers refuse to sexually assault female civilians or [=POWs=], or when their officers forbid them to. This mandatory by international laws.
*** TraumaticCSection: The once-common practice of cutting open pregnant civilian women, the idea being that you're killing ''two'' enemies at once. This is now forbidden by international law.
*** WouldNotShootACivilian: When soldiers refuse to harm non-combatants, or when their officers forbid them to. This is is of course mandatory by international laws, as well as by the laws of most modern nations.
* LivingIsMoreThanSurviving: There are things beyond basic human needs that makes a life, among them being, well, their rights.

* MightMakesRight: The idea that the desires of a perceived strong or triumphant party supersede the rights of everyone else.
* PrejudiceTropes: Bigotry and discrimination against various categories of human beings.
** {{Dehumanization}}: Where a certain group has their humanity ignored to make them easier to oppress.
** FantasticRacism: Issues of racism and similar conflicts handled through fictional races of (non-)human people as a metaphor.
*** FantasticGhetto: The segregation of another species just for looking too different.
*** InhumanableAlienRights: Humans denying aliens or magical creatures the same rights they enjoy, based on them being something else than human.
*** SuperHumanTrafficking: People trafficking, but with super-powered people.
*** VanHelsingHateCrimes: Unjustified violence against innocent people who just happen to be considered "monsters".
*** WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: How to define the "human" aspect of "human rights"?
*** ZombieAdvocate: Fighting for the rights of non-human beings.
** FinalSolution: Genocide — the deliberate mass-murder in whole or in part of an entire ethnic, cultural, national, or religious group — is often considered the ultimate violation of human rights.
*** WouldBeRudeToSayGenocide: When a genocide is ignored, forgotten, covered up, or treated as justified. This results in the victims of genocide being deprived of justice, dignity, and often forgotten. It also makes it easier for future genocides to occur.
** PrideParade: Marching for the rights of minorities and to celebrate sexual diversity and gender diversity.

** KarmicRape: The idea that someone "deserves" to be raped. Supporters of international human rights reject this notion, and press for laws that protect criminals from PrisonRape.
*** RapePortrayedAsRedemption: Use of rape as a punishment.
** MaritalRapeLicense: A human rights violation in which someone rapes their spouse. It is still accepted and even legal in some places.
*** AndNowYouMustMarryMe: Forcing someone to get married with questionable or no consent, or denying them the right of a divorce out of a bad marriage, is illegal in most contemporary societies.
*** OldManMarryingAChild: Violates the right of the child, as the child is too young to consent to sexual activity. Since these marriages are often arranged by the child's parents, the child also loses the right to choose her own husband.
** PrisonRape: A rampant human rights abuse common in the prisons of both fiction and real life. Oftentimes it is [[BlackComedyRape joked about in media]], [[DirtyCop purposely ignored by prison guards]], [[KarmicRape or otherwise treated as something prisoners deserve]]. While there have been some efforts to prevent this, progress is slow.

*** NowYouMustMarryMe: Forcing someone to get married with questionable or no consent, or denying them the right of a divorce out of a bad marriage, is illegal in most contemporary societies.

[floatboxright:
See also:
+ CensorshipTropes
+ GenocideTropes
+ MoralityTropes
+ PhilosophyTropes
+ PoliticsTropes
+ PrejudiceTropes
+ SexualHarassmentAndRapeTropes
+ SociologyTropes
]

** {{Dehumanization}}: Where a certain group has their humanity removed to make them easier to oppress.

** FinalSolution: Genocide - the deliberate mass-murder in whole or in part of an entire ethnic, cultural, national, or religious group - is often considered the ultimate violation of human rights.

* UsefulNotes/VictimBlaming: The idea that some people "deserve" to be raped, beaten, robbed, attacked, etc.

*** SinkTheLifeBoats: When soldiers go out of their way to kill enemy combatants who have already surrendered or are otherwise out of the fight and therefore no longer a threat.

* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: The idea being that when a woman becomes pregnant, her body is no longer her own, and she must carry to term, no matter what. Even if it will [[DeathByChildbirth literally kill her]], or [[ChildByRape was the result of rape or incest]] and will compound the trauma she's suffered.

* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: The idea being that when a woman becomes pregnant, her body is no longer her own, and she must carry to term, no matter what. Even if it will [[DeathByChildbirth literally kill her]], or was the result of rape or incest and will compound the trauma she's suffered.

** TheWomenAreSafeWithUs: When soldiers refuse to sexually assault female civilians or [=POWs=], or when their officers forbid them to. This mandatory by international laws.
** TraumaticCSection: The once-common practice of cutting open pregnant civilian women, the idea being that you're killing ''two'' enemies at once. This is now forbidden by international law.
** WouldNotShootACivilian: When soldiers refuse to harm non-combatants, or when their officers forbid them to. This is is of course mandatory by international laws, as well as by the laws of most modern nations.

An index of tropes relating to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights human rights]] - violations of them, or struggle for them.

+ PhilosophyTropes
+ SexualHarassmentAndRapeTropes

!!Tropes

* {{Dehumanization}}: Where a certain group has their humanity removed to make them easier to kill.

* FantasticRacism: Issues of racism and similar handled through metaphor.
* FictionalGenevaConventions: Humans restricting the use of some acts of magical or futuristic warfare due to being in violation of human rights.
* FinalSolution: Genocide - the deliberate mass-murder in whole or in part of an entire ethnic, cultural, national, or religious group - is often considered the ultimate violation of human rights.
** WouldBeRudeToSayGenocide: When a Genocide is ignored, forgotten, covered up, or treated as justified. This results in the victims of genocide being deprived of justice, dignity, and often forgotten. It also makes it easier for future genocides to occur.

* InhumanableAlienRights: Humans denying aliens or magical creatures their human rights, based on them being something else than human.
* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil: Due to the immense and long-lasting suffering rape causes to the victim, it is considered a severe violation of human rights and is illegal in almost all nations.
** PrisonRape: A rampant human rights abuse common in the prisons of both fiction and real life. Oftentimes it is [[PlayedForLaughs joked about in media]], [[DirtyCop purposely ignored by prison guards]], [[KarmicRape or otherwise treated as something prisoners deserve]]. While there have been some efforts to prevent this, progress is slow.
** MaritalRapeLicense: A human rights violation in which someone rapes their spouse. It is still accepted and even legal in some places.
** OldManMarryingAChild: Violates the right of the child, as the child is too young to consent to sexual activity. Since these marriages are often arranged by the child's parents, the child also loses the right to choose her own husband.
** KarmicRape: The idea that someone "deserves" to be raped. Supporters of international human rights reject this notion, and press for laws that protect criminals from PrisonRape.

* ObligatoryWarCrimeScene: Human rights violations during war, often due to the absence of International Laws or due to said laws being ignored.
** RapePillageAndBurn: When soldiers murder civilians, sexually assault civilians, destroy property, steal property, or otherwise harm the defenseless. Often called "sacking" or "raiding", in modern times this is a crime punishable by imprisonment or death.
** SinkTheLifeBoats: When soldiers go out of their way to kill enemy combatants who have already surrendered or are otherwise out of the fight and therefore no longer a threat.
** ChildSoldiers: When a military organization places children in combat situations which they are too young to handle. Often these children are forced to fight against their will, and many suffer mental trauma long after the fact.
** WouldNotShootACivilian: When soldiers refuse to harm non-combatants, or when their officers forbid them to. This is mandatory by International Law, as well as by the laws of most modern nations.
** TheWomenAreSafeWithUs: When soldiers refuse to sexually assault female civilians or [=POWs=], or when their officers forbid them to. As with the above trope, this is mandatory by International Law.

* PrideParade: Marching for the rights of minorities and to celebrate sexual diversity and gender diversity.
* RapePortrayedAsRedemption: Use of rape as a punishment.

* SuperHumanTrafficking: People trafficking, with super powered people.
* TotallyEighteen: Human Rights policies defining "child" as "anyone younger than 18" is one of the underlying reasons for why this trope (with 18 being the exact number) has become so universal over the last few decades.
* UsefulNotes/VictimBlaming: The idea that some people "deserve" to be raped, beaten, etc.
* UsefulNotes/TheLawsAndCustomsOfWar: All's ''not'' fair in love and war, and there are rules and laws that must be followed.

* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: How to define the "human" aspect of "human rights"?
* ZombieAdvocate: Fighting for the human rights of monsters or similar.