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Rights, Duties and the Development of Human Rights

What are you entitled to, and what do you owe others? Sort rights from duties, trace human rights from Magna Carta to the Equality Act, and balance the two.

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What you'll cover

Entitled, and expected 📜

Living together means balancing what we are **entitled** to against what we **owe** each other. A **right** is something you are entitled to. A **duty** (or responsibility) is something you are expected to do. This module covers both, and how human rights grew over time.

Right or duty?

Which of these is a duty (a responsibility) rather than a right?

  • Obeying the law
  • A fair trial
  • Freedom of speech
  • An education

Types of rights 🗂️

Rights come in several types:

Match each type of right to an example

  • Human right
  • Legal right
  • Political right
  • Civil right
  • The right not to be tortured
  • The right to a written employment contract
  • The right to vote in elections
  • The right to equal treatment regardless of race

Rights bring responsibilities ⚖️

Rights are balanced by responsibilities. Free speech does not allow you to incite violence, and the right to protest does not allow you to harm others. Citizens are also expected to obey the law, pay taxes, and respect the rights of others.

Spot the duties

Select the TWO examples of a citizen's duties or responsibilities.

  • Paying taxes
  • Serving on a jury if called
  • Being given a fair trial
  • Receiving free healthcare

The road to human rights

An interactive activity.

Match each milestone to what it did

  • Magna Carta (1215)
  • UDHR (1948)
  • Human Rights Act (1998)
  • Equality Act (2010)
  • First limited the power of the monarch
  • A global statement of rights after the Second World War
  • Brought European rights into UK law
  • Combined UK anti-discrimination law

The 1998 Act

What did the UK Human Rights Act 1998 do?

  • Brought the European Convention on Human Rights into UK law
  • Created the United Nations
  • Abolished all taxes
  • Wrote the Magna Carta

Legal vs human rights 💡

A key distinction: a **human** right is a universal moral entitlement everyone has, everywhere. A **legal** right is one your country's law grants and enforces. Many human rights are also protected as legal rights in the UK, for example through the Human Rights Act.

Balancing act

An interactive activity.

Rights and duties frame

A _____ is something you are entitled to; a duty is something you are expected to do. Human rights are _____ entitlements everyone has, while legal rights are enforced by a country's _____. The UK Human Rights Act of _____ brought European rights into UK law.

right universal law 1998 duty optional court 1215

Explain it 🏅

An interactive activity.