THE TERM HUMAN RIGHTS, as it is used today, refers to a group of fundamental rights recognized by countries around the world. These rights were originally described more than fifty years ago in an international declaration called the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. They have since been detailed in a series of international agreements, called human rights agreements, similar to international treaties. Today, more than two-thirds of the countries in the world have pledged to uphold these rights.

Human rights include many things. Among them are the right to life, liberty, and personal security; the right not to be tortured or enslaved; the right to safe, decent work; and the right to an education. Whenever any of these rights is denied to an individual anywhere in the world, that individual's human rights are said to be violated. Thus, when black South Africans were denied the right to vote...