Do You Know Your Rights? Understanding the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Every year on December 10th, people around the world recognize Human Rights Day. This day commemorates the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), adopted by the United Nations in 1948. The UDHR sets out 30 fundamental rights and freedoms that belong to every person around the globe, regardless of their race, gender, nationality, or any other identity.
But how much do most of us really know about our human rights?
Human Rights in Canada
Human rights are the idea that we all deserve certain things just because we are alive and we are human. You do not have to earn your human rights. You are born with them, and they are the same for every person.
In Canada, human rights are protected by Canada’s Constitution and by federal, provincial and territorial laws, all of which stem from the principles established in the UDHR.
The Canadian Human Rights Act
The Canadian Human Rights Act, created in 1977, is designed to ensure equal opportunity, and prohibits discrimination in the context of federal employment and the provision of goods and services generally available to the public. It protects people in Canada from discrimination when they are employed by or receive services from the federal government, First Nations governments, or private companies that are regulated by the federal government such as banks and telecommunications companies.
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, created in 1982, is a part of Canada’s Constitution that guarantees fundamental freedoms and equality rights. These include:
freedom of expression
freedom of assembly
freedom of religion
the right to equal treatment under the law
The Charter applies to governments and public authorities, not private individuals or businesses. Its purpose is to ensure that the government, and anyone acting on its behalf, does not interfere with people’s rights and freedoms in an unreasonable way.
Together with provincial and territorial laws, the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Charter provide strong legal protections that help uphold dignity and fairness across the country.
Why Knowing Your Rights Matters
Understanding your rights is powerful. It helps you:
Recognize when your rights (or the rights of others) are being violated
Advocate for safety, equality, and fair treatment for all
Understand how human rights intersect with issues like discrimination, labour exploitation, and human trafficking
Support those who may be at higher risk of having their rights violated
For individuals experiencing exploitation or human trafficking, awareness of their rights, such as the right to freedom from violence, the right to fair working conditions, and the right to seek help, can play a crucial role in accessing safety and support.
The 30 Articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The UDHR covers a broad range of protections: the right to life, the right to safety, the right to a fair trial, the right to work, the right to education, and much more.
Below, you’ll find the full list of all 30 articles contained in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Article 1
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Article 2
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, 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 made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.
Article 3
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.
Article 4
No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.
Article 5
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Article 6
Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.
Article 7
All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.
Article 8
Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.
Article 9
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.
Article 10
Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.
Article 11
Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.
No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed.
Article 12
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.
Article 13
Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.
Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.
Article 14
Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
Article 15
Everyone has the right to a nationality.
No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.
Article 16
Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.
Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.
The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.
Article 17
Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.
No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.
Article 18
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 manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.
Article 19
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
Article 20
Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
No one may be compelled to belong to an association.
Article 21
Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.
Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country.
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 shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.
Article 22
Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.
Article 23
Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.
Article 24
Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.
Article 25
Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.
Article 26
Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.
Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.
Article 27
Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.
Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.
Article 28
Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.
Article 29
Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible.
In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.
These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
Article 30
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 act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.
Human Rights Violations and Human Trafficking
Human trafficking is not just a crime. It is a severe violation of human rights. Victims of human trafficking may be subject to a range of human rights violations that strip them of their freedom, dignity, and basic protections under international and Canadian law. Trafficking often violates multiple human rights simultaneously, making it a particularly complex and urgent issue.
At ACT Alberta, we work hard to uphold the rights of all individuals. We support our clients by respecting their choices and upholding their rights and freedoms, helping them live lives free from exploitation. We provide a safe, judgment-free space where anyone affected by human trafficking can access the support and resources they need.
What You Can Do
Take a moment to read through these rights. Share them with others. Start conversations about what these rights mean to you and people in your community. Consider how you would feel if one or many of these rights were taken away from you.
Human rights belong to everyone, and protecting them is a shared responsibility. Together, we can help build a world where dignity, safety, and freedom are a reality for all.
To learn more about Human Rights Day, visit the United Nations website.