INDIVIDUAL
RESPONSIBILITIES
AND RIGHTS
LEARNING OBJECTIVES After completing this chapter the learner is able to — • discuss the interface between responsibilities and rights. • analyse one’s own responsibilities towards self, family, community and the larger society. |
19.1 INTRODUCTION
You must have read about rights and responsibilities of individuals in different contexts. Let us begin with a brief recapitulation. All individuals have the right to life, liberty, security, equality and dignity. These rights are enshrined to every man, woman, youth and child irrespective of their caste, race, colour, sex, religion, nation or place of origin or habitat, rural-urban differences or socio-economic backgrounds. The rights are enforced, either by individual or collective force or through mutual negotiations and help in the form of written or unwritten social
contracts.Rights and freedom do not exist in a vacuum or by mere belief. All freely exercised rights and freedom are contingent on people recognising these rights and supporting their implementation. Mutual and reciprocal respect and recognition among human beings is crucial and remains the basic principle for the protection of all types of rights. Rights and responsibilities are corollary to each other.‘‘I learned from my illiterate but wise mother that all rights to be deserved and preserved come from duty well done” — Mahatma Gandhi.Every right gives rise to a corresponding duty. In the present times, we are becoming increasingly conscious about our rights, which is a positive development. Many non-government.
Conduct a brainstorming session on the following thought
“It has always been a mystery to me how men can feel themselves honoured by the humiliation of their fellow beings.”
organisations (NGOs) are involved in efforts to educate people about their rights and ways to assert them. However, as we become aware of our rights, at the same time we also need to become sensitive and concerned about our responsibilities.
Individual rights for adults should and are always accompanied by responsibilities. If one values one’s own needs, interests, safety, feelings, wants, or the whole self and expects every part of her/his life worth caring for and protecting, She/he is expected to do the same for others. Where rights in general, and human rights in particular, are the resultant of certain essential basic human needs, responsibilities are sincere and committed efforts by an individual made for nsuring the protection of human rights of both, self and others. By fulfilling one’s responsibilities properly one can ensure protection of one’s own rights as a human being. These are the two sides of the same coin. For example, an adolescent has the responsibility to educate herself/himself and attend to the health of mind and body such that one’s own quality of life is enhanced along with that of the family; thereby the adolescent is fulfilling responsibilities towards one’s own self and also her/his family.
Although it is of utmost importance to assert one’s rights, it is equally significant to ensure that in the process of doing so, one is not violating another’s rights. For example, it is the right of every individual to celebrate a wedding or a festival with music. Yet, if the loud music from the “bandbaja” late into the night is disturbing many people who live nearby, then it is violating their right to a noise-free environment during this time. Do you agree with this? Can you think of examples in which your own rights may be in conflict with another’s rights? How can such situations be reconciled?
An important aspect of responsibility is also to question and intervene when one observes violation of another’s right. For example, if you observe that a young girl walking down the street is being harassed by some boys and she is trying to protest, what would you do? Study Figure 1 below and discuss the responsibilities that you have in this stage of your life.
