Minority Rights Essay Research Paper Minority A

Minority Rights Essay, Research Paper

Minority: A racial, religious, or other group regarded as being different from the larger group of which it is part (Webster’s Dictionary). Should the majority, defined only as the larger of the smaller, be given more rights to government concerns than minorities. Should size govern the decisions of the nation. Some individuals believe that the desires of the majority are more important than the protection of minority rights. Others believe that minority rights must be protected at all costs to ensure the views of every citizen are not ignored. A majority individual may wonder why this is such an important issue when, never having been part of the minority, has never faced the challenges of class distinction. The protection of minority rights is a pressing concern because potential social conflict can arise through repression of those rights. Currently in East Central Europe, numerous minorities are at risk and several regions could see ethnic tensions rising to produce yet more conflicts if nothing is done to protect the rights of these minorities. It is esstential that government protection is in place throughout the world to ease the civil unrest. However, minorities should not be granted profuse protection that could lead to the violation of majority rights. If possible, a median must be attained so that the rights of all citizens, majority and minority, are expressed and cared for. Respect for human rights and for the fundamental freedoms of everyone, regardless of their race, sex, or religion, is of basic importance for both individuals and groups. Therefore, governments should protect minority rights to such an extent that the minorities cannot negatively affect the well being of others. It is the governments responsibility to form a society in which minorities have equal access to participate in social, economic, political, and cultural affairs. It is true that Canada is an equal opportunity country for both minority and majority individuals, but it has not always been so liberal. Although our future is moving closer to a country that protects minority groups, our past is full of hardships and discrimination towards those very same minority individuals. Women were once considered a minority without the same rights we enjoy today. After decades of struggle and sexist attitudes, women could claim progress in property rights, divorce and child custody laws, employment and educational opportunities, and increased social freedoms. However, it was not until 1918 that women were giving the same right to vote as men through the success and awareness of the Women’s Suffrage Movement. Those of Japanese ancestry were also considered a minority and, although born in Canada, had very little government protection for their rights. In Canada’s worst systemic discrimination, Japanese Canadians watched as their civil and human rights were abolished by the same government in place to protect them during and after World War II. Their homes and businesses were taken away from them as they were sent to concentration camps for false pretenses. Moreover, it was not until 1949 that Canadians of Japanese ancestry were enfranchised. Other suppressed racial minority groups in Canada’s past include Aboriginal Canadians, Chinese, South Asian, and African Americans. Undoubtedly our past is full of discrimination against minorities, nevertheless our future is moving towards prosperity and protection for all. It is the duty of the federal government to protect the rights of each of these people whether they are black, white, Asian, Native American, conservative, liberal, or socialist. Persons belonging to minorities have the right to participate effectively in decisions concerning the minority to which they belong or the regions in which they live. The federal government needs to help ensure that each person is given a chance to lead a life comparable to that of a member of the majority.Compared to its past, Canada’s present appears to be rid of minority discrimination. Even though minority rights have improved due to the efforts of lobbyists and awareness groups, Canada must not stop there. Even in this day of freedoms of speech, expression, religion, and thought, minority rights still beg the protection of governments as new issues arise. Minority can also be defined as “the state or period of being under legal age” (Webster’s Dictionary). Therefore, the rights of children fall into a minority grouping. Some people may argue that children should be placed under the sole care of their parent or guardian and it is these persons who should determine their protection and rights. Other individuals will dispute that children have the same moral rights as any other person and in turn demand protection against any harm that may befall them under the care of these individuals or otherwise. Child abuse, sexual abuse and child pornography are just a few examples of the crimes against children in our modern society. The Protective Service, the Child Abuse Legislation and the Sexual Exploitation of Children Act are examples of government protection that have proven to be extremely helpful to the rights of those minority individuals it defends. There is also too much discrimination against such minorities as homosexuals in our world

today. They are denied the same rights as majority heterosexual couples such as the rights to a legal marriage, tax rebates and spousal benefi