Glopo: Universal rights and cultural relativism

Today, in global politics class, we had a debate on whether human rights should be seen as universal rights or culturally-relative rights. This question is significant because UDHR is criticised as being a Western construct that doesn’t value cultural differences on certain ideas. The debate was carried out by firstly brainstorming some arguments on post-it notes and narrowing the arguments into four with a partner. Then, we got into pairs with the person arguing the opposite to record the debate. Specifically, I argued for universal rights and supported by position with four main points.

Similarly to what I have argued, I do believe human rights should be seen as universal rights because it is essential in preventing certain humanitarian crisis. It provides a rulebook for state authorities and enables its citizens to have social, political and economic rights that play essential roles in maximizing their opportunities.