HSC English First Paper | Unit: 7, Lesson: 2 | Human Rights | Are We Aware of These Rights II?

1. Warm up activity:

□ Pick up the day's newspapers (at least two) and find out stories about violation of human rights / rights of children, women, the disadvantaged, ethnic minorities etc. and summarize them in a paragraph.

2. Read the following texts which are some of the articles of the Declarations of Human Rights.

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 14. (1) Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.

(2) This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from nonpolitical crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

Article 15. (1) Everyone has the right to a nationality.

(2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.

Article 16. (1) 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.

(2) Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.

(3) The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.

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. (1) Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.

(2) No one may be compelled to belong to an association.

Article 21. (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 to 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 shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.

3. Match the words in Column A with their meanings in Column B:

Column A

Column B

a. asylum b. arbitrarily c. prosecution d. dissolution e. conscience f. manifest g. genuine h. suffrage

i. conducting of legal proceedings against someone. ii. the closing down or dismiss of an assembly, body etc. iii. an inner feeling or voice which directs one's behavior. iv. protection granted by a nation to someone who left his or her native country or as a political refugee. v. clear or obvious to the eye or mind. vi. authentic vii. the right to vote in political election. viii. determined by chance, whim or impulse and not by reason or principle.

 
4. Refugees who have to leave their own countries for political, economic and other reasons have to lose many of the rights above. The provision of which articles above are denied to them?

5. What do you think freedom of expression and freedom of assembly imply? Write a page explaining what you mean by the terms.

6. Write a paragraph on any of the ethnic groups in Bangladesh. (150 words)

If you want to read the next lesson of this unit please click the link below:
Lesson 3: Rights to Health and Education