On December 10, 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights the full text of which appears in the following pages. Following this historic act the Assembly called upon all Member countries to publicize the text of the Declaration and "to cause it to be disseminated, displayed, read and expounded principally in schools and other educational institutions, without distinction based on the political status of countries or territories."
Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienablerights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom,justice and peace in the world,
Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarousacts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of aworld in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief andfreedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspirationof the commonpeople,
Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse,as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that humanrights should be protected by the rule of law,
Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly relationsbetween nations,
Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmedtheir faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of thehuman person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determinedto promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in co-operationwiththe United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observanceof human rights and fundamental freedoms,
Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of thegreatest importance for the full realization of this pledge,
Now, Therefore,
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
proclaims
THIS UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS as a common standardof achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individualand every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind,shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rightsand freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, tosecure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both amongthe peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territoriesunder their jurisdiction.
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. Theyare endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one anotherin a spirit of brotherhood.
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in thisDeclaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex,language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin,property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be madeon the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status ofthe country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent,trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.
No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave tradeshall be prohibited in all their forms.
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degradingtreatment or punishment.
Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before thelaw.
All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discriminationto equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection againstany discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitementto such discrimination.
Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent nationaltribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitutionor by law.
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.
Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing byan independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rightsand obligations and of any criminal charge against him.
(1) Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumedinnocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at whichhe has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.
(2) No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of anyact or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under nationalor international law, at the time when it was committed Nor shall a heavierpenalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penaloffence was committed.
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy,family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputationEveryone has the right to the protection of the law against such interferenceor attacks.
(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movem ent and residence withinthe borders of each state.
(2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, andto return to his country.
(1) Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylumfrom persecution.
(2) This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinelyarising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposesand principles of the United Nations.
(1) Everyone has the right to a nationality.
(2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor deniedthe right to change his nationality.
(1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationalityor religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitledto e! qual rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.
(2) Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consentof the intending spouses.
(3) The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society andis entitled to protection by society and the State.
(1) Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in associationwith others.
(2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion;this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom,either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifesthis religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.
Everyone ! has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; thi sright includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek,receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardlessof frontiers.
(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
(2) No one may be compelled to belong to an association.
(1) Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country,directly or through freely chosen representatives.
(2) Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country.
(3) The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government;this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shallbe by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or byequivalent free voting procedures.
Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security andis entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operationand in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, ofthe economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity andthe free development of his personality.
(1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, tojust and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
(2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal payfor equal work.
(3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remunerationensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity,and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
(4) Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protectionof his interests.
Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitationof working hours and periodic holidays with pay.
(1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the healthand well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housingand medical care and necessary social services, and the right to securityin the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age orother lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
(2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance.All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same socialprotection.
(1) Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, atleast in the elementary and fundamental stages Elementary education shallbe compulsory Technical and professional education shall be made generallyavailable and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on thebasis of merit.
(2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the humanpersonality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamentalfreedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship amongall nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activitiesof the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
(3) Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shallbe given to their children.
(1) Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural lifeof the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancementand its benefits.
(2) Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and materialinterests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic productionof which he is the author.
Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which therights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.
(1) Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free andfull development of his personality is possible.
(2) In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subjectonly to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purposeof securing due recognition and respect for the rights an! d freedoms ofothers and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order andthe general welfare in a democratic society.
(3) These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary tothe purposes and principles of the United Nations.
Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State,group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any actaimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.