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General human rights
Background: Human rights – A key prerequisite for development
Millions of women, men and children in developing countries cannot change the circumstances in which they are living by their own efforts alone because they are being denied basic human rights:
More than a billion people worldwide go hungry; they are being denied the right to food.
Every year some three million women and girls undergo genital mutilation – a serious violation of the right to physical integrity and other human rights.
75 million children worldwide – more than half of them girls – have no access to primary schooling; their right to education is being disregarded.
Women the world over are being denied the right to equality with men.
More than 200 million children worldwide have to work – despite the illegality of such employment – thereby violating treaties adopted by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The death penalty is still applied in 58 countries. According to the human rights organisation Amnesty International, at least 2,390 prisoners in 25 countries were executed in 2008.
In addition, the right to freedom of opinion, freedom of information and freedom of the press is severely restricted in many countries. In 2009 at least 33 journalists were killed in the course of or because of their work. Around 265 were imprisoned, 82 of whom were online dissidents.
The list could go on and on ...
Strengthening human rights – Promoting development
An analysis of the successes and failures in achieving the Millennium Development Goals shows that development has made good progress in areas where human rights are observed, governance has been improved and public institutions have become more efficient. Where, by contrast, states do not want to or cannot fulfil these requirements, sustainable development is impossible.
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