Self and Community Human Dignity

Question: Discuss about theSelf and Communityfor Human Dignity. Answer: Introduction Human dignity is the inherent and inviolable value of the individual for being a person, and not because of his or her ethnicity, religion, success, age, wellbeing or any other factor. Scripture states the origin of human dignity: God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27). Human beings are mage as a mirror image of God, and everyone is Gods children. All human beings desire good, intentionally and unintentionally. Common good are shared goods, with no decrease in intensity. A human beings dignity is an affair of participation. Humans possess dignity since they take part in a greater good. His participation in greater goods is higher than other living beings on earth, thus humans are considered exceptional and more dignified than the rest. Humans are at the tip of creation and represent the greatest degree of participation in good (Beattie, 2015). Human dignity violation is the humiliation, instrumentalization and degradation of human dignity. It is the diminishing action of a persons self-worth and treating that person just as a medium of goal achievement and devaluing him. It strips an individual of human characteristics and makes him feel inferior. Different forms of human dignity violation are there including torture, rape, slavery, social exclusion and labor exploitation (Schillling, 2016). Dignity is often assessed while checking for improved labor conditions, and it has been found most of the times that there is an absence of human dignity in the matter. There is a brink between acceptable labor standards and non-acceptable ones, as stated by International Labor Organization (ILO). International Labor Organization (ILO) first report on forced labor provided the number 12.3 million as a global estimate. The community has considered this modest enough and ignored the prevalence of the issue at that time. Human rights laws from the beginning have focused on fighting against human dignity violation and labor exploitation. Legislations from the beginning have opposed the exploitation of one persons individuality, humanity and labor rights by another. The laws have never discriminated based on ethnicity or gender and has always asked for equality (Shelton, 2015). There are different opinions based on the presence of labor exploitation in societies. Barnes (2013) opines that labor exploitation at times is mutually beneficial, especially when other options are unavailable, and then it no longer remains forced, but becomes consensual. He suggests the background situations be taken care of while reaping benefits from such actions. Until 2000, the UN Trafficking Protocol did not consider forced labor as exploitation. On the other hand, Lewis et al. (2015) opines that forced labor and other types of labor exploitation pose a risk to human lives and is a criminal offense according to the standards of ILO. ILO conducted a survey called Global Estimate of Forced Labor in 2012 that calculated about 20.9 million victims of forced labor. Out of them 9.1 million were victims because of human trafficking. Robinson (2014) has criticized trafficking for labor exploitation and recommends implementation of employment protection laws. TheCrimes Legislation Amendment Act(2013) made some amendments and made forced labor a separate offence. The ILO has put special emphasis on the fact that forced labor is not identified by the type of work performed, but by the employer-employee relationship. It has been understood that human dignity violation is a serious issue in todays society. Thousands of people fall victim to human trafficking, and it is required by the society to identify these serious issues and get involved to end this horrific practices for the sake of human dignity. Humans were created as an image of God, and not as monsters or sufferers. The only way to regain that image is to join forces and fight such evils and eradicate them from the society. References Barnes, M. R. (2013). Exploitation as a Path to Development: Sweatshop Labour, Micro-Unfairness, and the Non-Worseness Claim. Beattie, T. (2015). Dignity Beyond Rights: Human Development in the Context of the Capabilities Approach and Catholic Social Teaching.Australian e-Journal of Theology,22(3). Lewis, H., Dwyer, P., Hodkinson, S., Waite, L. (2015).Precarious lives: Forced labour, exploitation and asylum. Policy Press. Schilling, D. (2016). Reconsidering Human Dignity in a Confucian Context: A Review of Ni Peimins Conceptual Reconstruction.Dao, 1-11. Shelton, D. (2015).Remedies in international human rights law. Oxford University Press, USA. ucatt.org.uk. (2016). ucatt.org.uk. Retrieved from https://www.ucatt.org.uk/files/publications/Flex%20WP001%20-%20Prevention.pdf