Human Rights: Issues, Acts and Treaties

The end of the Cold War and the spread of democracy have opened previously closed societies to scrutiny. With the advent of the Internet has come widespread communications that now allow even the average citizen immediate access to news and current events. Heinous crimes and violations against humanity are now matters of international concern and knowledge, which is evident by the hundreds of web sites dealing with human rights.

Typically, discussions about civil rights focus on their absence and can cover a range of perceived abuses such as the death penalty and religious persecution. Internet users can now access documents such as the United Nation's Universal Declaration of Human Rights online to get a better understanding of these issues. Sites dealing with human rights are quite diverse. For the intellectually inquisitive, there are academic resources such as the extensive University of Minnesota Human Rights Library, resources that provide worldwide current events, and online journals.

Finally, for those that want to do more than just read about human rights, the Internet can be used as the ideal way to obtain the information necessary to become a human rights activist. Whatever the reason for wanting to discover the issues surrounding human rights throughout the world, Internet users will be able to access an abundance of information via the World Wide Web.