Human rights come in the form of free speech, assembly, press, association, procession, demonstration, and religious belief. Every man, woman, and child should be able to obtain these rights, but in some parts of the world these basic rights simply do not exist. The concept of human rights forges the foundation towards life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but why are so many people excluded from attaining these rights while the rest of the world enjoys freedom on a much larger scale?

There are literally hundreds of organizations throughout the world that are dedicated to the advancement and protection of human rights, but yet there are numerous accounts of human rights abuses occurring at an alarming rate. The terrorist group known as ISIS are killing Christians and anyone else that does not believe in their way of life, some of the world’s worst dictator’s are cracking down on journalists and activists for having an opposing opinion, Saudi Arabia are beheading people for minor crimes without a fair trial, African tyrants are rigging elections in order to stay in power, South Sudanese rebels continue to rape and kill innocent civilians, and the list goes on and on.

Today there are at least forty authoritarian regimes throughout the world where human rights are grossly violated on a regular basis. Arbitrary detentions, unlawful killings, torture, suppression of free speech and assembly are only a small fraction of the things that occur when human rights get over looked.

In some cases human rights have taken a back seat for national security issues from some of the worlds superpowers by propping up or paving the way for a regime to come to power with aid and support in order to quell international adversaries from advancing their global initiatives. In most scenarios the country involved in funding the regime know about its human rights abuses and simply look the other way.

Human rights abuses also come at a price by way of trade relations with other countries. There are countless multinational corporations that engage in business activities with countries that are guilty of serious human rights violations. Lobbying firms are paid substantial amounts of money from human rights abusers to provide public relations for the regime. Entertainers cash in on huge paydays for performing at a dictators expense.

It seems the majority of the world has lost its moral clarity when it comes to upholding human rights. Leaders talk a lot about human rights, but produce no real action against the issue. Too much money and business deals are tied up with authoritarian regimes to give the concept of human rights a second thought. Is there anything that can be done to restore a sense of dignity back to humanity?

There has to be a better command in leadership that is moral in character and possesses principles that uphold the virtues of freedom. The international community needs leadership that is not corrupted by money or afraid to confront human rights abusers and impose swift punishments for their violations such as: demanding that all dictator’s step down from power and allow for a smooth transition to presidential elections and constitutional reforms. If any dictator fails to adhere to these demands then move ahead with denials of visas and asset freezes in coordination with other governments targeting the dictator their family and political associates.