The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Human rights are international norms that help to protect all people everywhere from political, legal, and social abuses. Examples of human rights are the right to freedom of religion, the right to a fair trial when charged with a crime, the right not to be tortured, and the right to engage in political activity. These rights exist in morality and in law at the national and international levels. They are addressed primarily to governments, requiring compliance and enforcement. The main sources of the contemporary conception of human rights are the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (United Nations, 1948) and the many human rights documents and treaties that followed in international organizations such as the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the Organization of American States, and the African Union.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) sets out a list of over two dozen specific human rights that countries should respect and protect. These specific rights can be divided into six or more families:

· security rights that protect people against crimes such as murder, massacre, torture, and rape;

· due process rights that protect against abuses of the legal system such as imprisonment without trial, secret trials, and excessive punishments;

· liberty rights that protect freedoms in areas such as belief, expression, association, assembly, and movement;

· political rights that protect the liberty to participate in politics through actions such as communicating, assembling, protesting, voting, and serving in public office;

· equality rights that guarantee equal citizenship, equality before the law, and nondiscrimination; and

· social (or "welfare") rights that require provision of education to all children and protections against severe poverty and starvation.

Another family that might be included is group rights. The Universal Declaration does not include group rights, but subsequent treaties do. Group rights include protections of ethnic groups against genocide and the ownership by countries of their national territories and resources.

 

Law

The term ‘law’ is used in many senses: we may speak of the laws of physics, mathematics, science, or the laws of football. When we speak of the law of a state we use the term ‘law’ in a special and strict sense, and in that sense law may be defined as a rule of human conduct, imposed upon and enforced among, the members of a given state.

People are by nature social animals desiring the companionship of others, and in primitive times they tended to form tribes, groups, or societies, either for self-preservation or by reason of social instinct.

If a group or society is to continue, some form of social order is necessary. Rules or laws are, therefore, drawn up to ensure that members of the society may live and work together in an orderly and peaceable manner. The larger the community (or group or state), the more complex and numerous will be the rules.

If the rules or laws are broken, compulsion is used to enforce obedience. We may say, then, that two ideas underline the concept of law: (a) order, in the sense of method or system; and (b) compulsion – i.e. the enforcement of obedience to the rules or laws laid down.

The law is a living thing and it changes through the course of history. Changes are brought about by various factors such as invasion, contact with other races, material prosperity, education, the advent of new machines or new ideas or new religions. Law responds to public opinion and changes accordingly.

Thus Law is a system of rules, usually enforced through a set of institutions. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a primary social mediator in relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus ticket to trading on derivative markets. Property law defines rights and obligations related to the transfer and title of personal and real property. Trust law applies to assets held for investment and financial security, while tort law allows claims for compensation if a person's rights or property are harmed. If the harm is criminalised in penal code, criminal law offers means by which the state can prosecute the perpetrator. Constitutional law provides a framework for the creation of law, the protection of human rights and the election of political representatives. Administrative law is used to review the decisions of government agencies, while international law governs affairs between sovereign nation states in activities ranging from trade to environmental regulation or military action.

 

Lawyer

The main responsibility of a company commercial lawyer is to make sure that the activity of the company doesn’t contravene the current legislation. The daily work of a company commercial lawyer consists in drafting or checking the documents of the company to ensure that they conform to the legislation and the company’s best interests are protected. A company’s commercial lawyer represents the company in court.

The principal duties of a notary include: attestation of documents and certification of their due execution, preparation and certification of wills, deeds, affidavits, statutory declarations contracts and other legal documents specified in the legislation of Ukraine, certification of copy documents. A notary identifies himself or herself on documents by the use of his or her individual seal.

A barrister (solicitor) is a lawyer who represents natural and legal persons in court and defends their interests. To perform his duties a barrister has a number of rights, such as the right to study the documentation from the case of his client, the right to be present at the interrogations. A client can entitle the lawyer to represent him in court and may not be present at court sittings. Every person suspected of perpetration has the right to demand free solicitor’s advice.

Ukraine is one of the few countries where the main function of the Office of Public prosecutor is to survey whether the citizens of Ukraine observe the Constitution and other laws. A prosecutor can conduct criminal investigations. The prosecution is also the legal party responsible for presenting the case against an individual or a legal person suspected of breaking the law in a criminal trial.

A judge or justice is an official who presides over the court. To be appointed a judge one should be at least 25 years old, have university degree in law and a certificate issued after successful passing the qualification examination. Judges in Ukraine are appointed for the term of 5 years by the President and consequently their appointments are considered by the Verkhovna Rada.

 

Veterinary Medicine