Depending on which part of the world you are in, the definition varies from opinion to opinion that which in many cases has been muted out by society and sometimes governments . According to the Microsoft Encarta encyclopedia 2002, discrimination is any situation in which a group or individual is treated differently based on something other than individual reason, usually their membership in a socially distinct group or category. Such categories would include ethnicity, sex, religion, age, or disability. Many governments especially in the western world, if not all, claim to be the “best” at eliminating discrimination as compared to the third world who are said to have the most human rights violations. “The Western world and its culture have a far superior record of human-rights protections than anywhere else.” [Walter Williams, Capitalism Magazine]. What is discrimination anyway and who decides when it should be called discrimination?
Discrimination is a result of human rights violations which obviously differ from continent to continent. To a Westerner, the African woman carrying a pot of water on her head seven days a week maybe considered a victim of gender discrimination although the woman may see it the other way. Basically, it can be argued that discrimination lies in the eyes of the beholder. Nonetheless, based on the definition stated earlier, there is a lot of it taking place in our world today. Taking a look at nations all around the world, one can see the great amount of discrimination or violations of human rights happening today.
Respect for human rights is something that should be cherished, and nowhere on earth are they fully respected, however some countries and cultures have a far better record than others. The Western world and its culture have a far superior record of human-rights protections than anywhere else.
Think about it. If you are a feminist, where would you prefer to live: Iran, Saudi Arabia, China or a country in Africa? If you are a criminal, where would you prefer to be tried and imprisoned: Turkey, Mexico, China or Russia? If you are a minority: where would you prefer to live Burundi, Albania, Malaysia or Liberia? If you were an unborn spirit condemned to live a life of poverty, but permitted to choose a country for that life, what country would you choose Chad, Romania, North Korea or Kenya?
A moment's reflection to any of these questions would yield an answer you would probably prefer the United States or a European country. That's not to say that the United States and European countries are utopias, but by observing who's trying to flee to where suggests they are superior alternatives to other places.
The United States of America like most of the western world, is well known for her great protection of the human rights. The US government has set out laws which are to be followed accordingly by the citizens of the states so as to avoid violations from taking place. Along with their bill of rights, charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the US government has to work together with the law enforcing bodies (such as the police force, judges etc) so as to work at eradicating the discrimination that takes place in their nation. She has laws against many if not all kinds of discriminations taking place, whether or not they are being implemented effectively is another question all together.
The United States recognizes that the gay and lesbian community exists and does in fact contribute to the nation in every field just like any other citizens group. The government has also noted that these people often face prejudice or are discriminated against as a result of their sexual orientation. Many times they have to deny their orientation so that they can keep their jobs or simply to live safely and comfortably in society. Since the Stonewall uprising in New York over 30 years ago, the gay and lesbian movements have united together and all those committed to justice and equality in a crusade to outlaw discriminatory laws and practices and so as to protect gays and lesbians from the prejudice and persecution they face (Cable News Network, 22 June 1999). Each passing year the American people become more receptive to the diversity of sexual orientation through the parades such as the Gay Pride Parade in the held on the 22 of June in San Jose, gay lesbian movements, the nationally recognized gay and lesbian rights month of June amongst many other various activities supported by the government. Their nation is at last realizing that gays and lesbians must no longer be "strangers among friends" as the civil rights pioneer David Mixner once noted. To build onto the progress of the fight against discrimination, in 1998 former US president William. J. Clinton, issued an Executive Order to prohibit discrimination in the Federal civilian workforce based on sexual orientation. This step that was taken up until today continues to fight for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would outlaw discrimination in the workplace based on sexual orientation.
Looking at a totally different society of the world today, let us take a look at a nation on a different continent all together, Zimbabwe. Like many developing nations, homosexuality is considered by both the government and the people as immoral. It is not yet in many developing nations been accepted as a way of living but in fact is said to be an disgusting immoral practice. With this in frame of mind many governments in these nations do not make any laws that in any way protect these people as they feel it is encouraging immorality in society. In June 1995, President Robert Mugabe abolished a book exhibition that had been organized by the Gay and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ). When explaining his action, President Mugabe stated that homosexuals are "worse than dogs and pigs" and that they should be cast out of society. He also inferred that it was not part of the African culture and was “perniciously imported” by the west. Zimbabwean church leaders did not take long to start weighing in on the matter and in fact the Zimbabwean Council of Churches stated that they agreed with the president on behalf of the Protestant religious community. They predictably cited Leviticus as proof that homosexuals are beyond the pale of Christian morality. Obviously if you are a homosexual, Zimbabwe should be your last choice to move to. (The Herald, June 30 1995)
In 1991, Delwin Vriend was fired from his job as a lab coordinator at a private Christian college in Edmonton, Alberta, for being an active homosexual, a "lifestyle choice" that contravened the college's moral code. Vriend took the Government of Alberta to court for not explicitly outlawing "sexual orientation" discrimination in its Individual Rights Protection Act (IRPA), an Act which explicitly outlaws discrimination on grounds of "race, religious belief, colour, gender, physical disability, mental disability, age, ancestry, place of origin, marital status, source of income and family status." (Glenn Woiceshyn, Capitalism Magazine).
Moving onto another country we can see great similarities in the laws made in the fight against discrimination. Holland has made various attempts in order to fight this disgusting cases from developing any further than it had already. The Holland Human Relations Commission was created in 1966 to ensure that citizens of Holland have the opportunity to "...enjoy equal freedom to peaceably pursue their just aspirations; and that practices or conditions based on or resulting from considerations of race, creed, handicap, educational association, color, sex, age, marital status, or national origin, or association, which result in hindrance or restrictions upon the enjoyment or exercise of that freedom are harmful to the common good and contrary to the public policy of the City." (The Holland Human Relations Commission)
Section 2 of the Canadian Charter states "freedom of conscience," "freedom of thought, belief, opinion" and "freedom of association" are "fundamental freedoms" for every individual. Furthermore, section 7, under "legal rights," stipulates that "Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person...." This means, and can only mean, that there is no right to a job (or guaranteed income), even if someone needs it, for that would violate the legal rights of those forced to provide it — a policy consistent with slavery, not liberty. Since the employer pays the wages he should be free to set the terms of employment, including moral conduct. The employee is free to either agree or look elsewhere for a job. If the employer is not free to fire an employee for violating the terms of employment, the employer essentially has no right to his own property — and, by implication, neither does anyone else. (The same is true for landlords.) The alternative is for government to dictate the terms of employment, a practice consistent with communism and fascism.
At the end of the day, as much as we all want to think the governments have successfully addressed and dealt with this issue of discrimination it is not completely the case-revising of many government human rights laws have to be made. Many women in the world today in both developed and developing countries have not yet enjoyed equal constitutional rights compared to men. A report quoted a CIA report by Xinhua news agency in China on February 16th 2000, says up to 50,000 women and children are smuggled from Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe each year. These victims “are subject to slavery and torture.” Why is this so? Racial discrimination is another one of the most serious social problems facing societies today.
It is only necessary to recognize that discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, education, age and residency all exists in most if not all parts of the world. It also essential to commend those governments which have made laws to fight against this ailment. However, it is probably high time governments which do not have any discrimination prevention laws enact them and those with them revise them so as to prevent contradictory laws in order to formulate specific amenable systems which will in turn serve to prevent human rights violations and protect the people.
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