Facts and background on human rights and women’s rights
In the wake of the crimes of World War II, by adopting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 the international community sought to establish comprehensive protection for all people, regardless of gender, religious and political convictions, national and ethnic origins, or social status. The declaration establishes fundamental political, economic, social and cultural rights. These include the right to live free of violence and discrimination, the right to access education and health, the right to own property, the right to vote and the right to equal pay for equal work.
By adopting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, for the first time an international agreement was also unmistakably aiming to achieve the equality of women and men in the eyes of the law. However, reaching this aim was a long way off.
