Human rights are often described as universal. In other words, they belong to everyone, regardless of their sex, race, religion, age or where they live.
Despite this, we know that terrible abuses of human rights occur every day around the globe.
Understanding what the issues are is the first step towards being able to make a difference and standing up for the ‘universality' of human rights.
On this page you can learn about the major human rights issues in different parts of the world today.
Click on the links below for further info:
- Country
profiles
Statistics from the United Nations on population, health, education and other indicators - Amnesty
International
A quick overview of the major human rights issues in each country in 2005 - U.S.
Department of State
An in-depth look at the human rights situation in each country in 2004
