┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ AMERICAN DECLARATION OF THE RIGHTS │
│ AND DUTIES OF MAN │
│ │
│ (Adopted by the Ninth International Conference of American States, │
│ Bogotá, Colombia, 1948) │
│ │
│ WHEREAS: │
│ │
│ The American peoples have acknowledged the dignity of the │
│individual, and their national constitutions recognize that juridical and │
│political institutions, which regulate life in human society, have as their │
│principal aim the protection of the essential rights of man and the creation of │
│circumstances that will permit him to achieve spiritual and material progress │
│and attain happiness; │
│ │
│ The American States have on repeated occasions recognized that the │
│essential rights of man are not derived from the fact that he is a national of │
│a certain state, but are based upon attributes of his human personality; │
│ │
│ The international protection of the rights of man should be the │
│principal guide of an evolving American law; │
│ │
│ The affirmation of essential human rights by the American States │
│together with the guarantees given by the internal regimes of the states │
│establish the initial system of protection considered by the American States as │
│being suited to the present social and juridical conditions, not without a │
│recognition on their part that they should increasingly strengthen that system │
│in the international field as conditions become more favorable, │
│ │
│ The Ninth International Conference of American States │
│ │
│AGREES: │
│ │
│ To adopt the following │
│ │
│ AMERICAN DECLARATION OF THE RIGHTS │
│ AND DUTIES OF MAN │
│ │
│ Preamble │
│ │
│ All men are born free and equal, in dignity and in rights, and, │
│being endowed by nature with reason and conscience, they should conduct │
│themselves as brothers one to another. │
│ │
│ The fulfillment of duty by each individual is a prerequisite to the │
│rights of all. Rights and duties are interrelated in every social and │
│political activity of man. While rights exalt individual liberty, duties │
│express the dignity of that liberty. │
│ │
│ Duties of a juridical nature presuppose others of a moral nature │
│which support them in principle and constitute their basis. │
│ │
│ Inasmuch as spiritual development is the supreme end of human │
│existence and the highest expression thereof, it is the duty of man to serve │
│that end with all his strength and resources. │
│ │
│ Since culture is the highest social and historical expression of │
│that spiritual development, it is the duty of man to preserve, practice and │
│foster culture by every means within his power. │
│ │
│ And, since moral conduct constitutes the noblest flowering of │
│culture, it is the duty of every man always to hold it in high respect. │
│ │
│ CHAPTER ONE │
│ Rights │
│ │
│┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┬───────────────────────┐│
││ Article I. Every human being has the right to │Right to life, liberty ││
││life, liberty and the security of his person. │and personal security. ││
│├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤│
││ Article II. All persons are equal before the │Right to equality ││
││law and have the rights and duties established in this │before law. ││
││Declaration, without distinction as to race, sex, │ ││
││language, creed or any other factor. │ ││
│├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤│
││ Article III. Every person has the right freely │Right to religious ││
││to profess a religious faith, and to manifest and │freedom and worship. ││
││practice it both in public and in private. │ ││
│├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤│
││ Article IV. Every person has the right to │Right to freedom of ││
││freedom of investigation, of opinion, and of the │investigation, opinion,││
││expression and dissemination of ideas, by any medium │expression and ││
││whatsoever. │dissemination. ││
│├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤│
││ Article V. Every person has the right to the │Right to protection of ││
││protection of the law against abusive attacks upon his │honor, personal ││
││honor, his reputation, and his private and family life.│reputation, and private││
││ │and family life. ││
│├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤│
││ Article VI. Every person has the right to │Right to a family and ││
││establish a family, the basic element of society, and │to protection thereof. ││
││to receive protection therefore. │ ││
│├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤│
││ Article VII. All women, during pregnancy and │Right to protection for││
││the nursing period, and all children have the right to │mothers and children. ││
││special protection, care and aid. │ ││
│├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤│
││ Article VIII. Every person has the right to fix│Right to residence and ││
││his residence within the territory of the state of │movement. ││
││which he is a national, to move about freely within │ ││
││such territory, and not to leave it except by his own │ ││
││will. │ ││
│├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤│
││ Article IX. Every person has the right to the │Right to inviolability ││
││inviolability of his home. │of the home. ││
│├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤│
││ Article X. Every person has the right to the │Right to the ││
││inviolability and transmission of his correspondence. │inviolability and ││
││ │transmission of ││
││ │correspondence. ││
│├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤│
││ Article XI. Every person has the right to the │Right to the ││
││preservation of his health through sanitary and social │preservation of health ││
││measures relating to food, clothing, housing and │and to well-being. ││
││medical care, to the extent permitted by public and │ ││
││community resources. │ ││
│├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤│
││ Article XII. Every person has the right to an │Right to education. ││
││education, which should be based on the principles of │ ││
││liberty, morality and human solidarity. │ ││
││ │ ││
││ Likewise every person has the right to an │ ││
││education that will prepare him to attain a decent │ ││
││life, to raise his standard of living, and to be a │ ││
││useful member of society. │ ││
││ │ ││
││ The right to an education includes the right to │ ││
││equality of opportunity in every case, in accordance │ ││
││with natural talents, merit and the desire to utilize │ ││
││the resources that the state or the community is in a │ ││
││position to provide. │ ││
││ │ ││
││ Every person has the right to receive, free, at │ ││
││least a primary education. │ ││
│├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤│
││ Article XIII. Every person has the right to │Right to the benefits ││
││take part in the cultural life of the community, to │of culture. ││
││enjoy the arts, and to participate in the benefits that│ ││
││result from intellectual progress, especially │ ││
││scientific discoveries. │ ││
││ │ ││
││ He likewise has the right to the protection of │ ││
││his moral and material interests as regards his │ ││
││inventions or any literary, scientific or artistic │ ││
││works of which he is the author. │ ││
│├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤│
││ Article XIV. Every person has the right to │Right to work and to ││
││work, under proper conditions, and to follow his │fair ││
││vocation freely, insofar as existing conditions of │remuneration. ││
││employment permit. │ ││
│├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤│
││ Every person who works has the right to receive │ ││
││such remuneration as will, in proportion to his │ ││
││capacity and skill, assure him a standard of living │ ││
││suitable for himself and for his family. │ ││
│├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤│
││ Article XV. Every person has the right to │Right to leisure time ││
││leisure time, to wholesome recreation, and to the │and to the use thereof.││
││opportunity for advantageous use of his free time to │ ││
││his spiritual, cultural and physical benefit. │ ││
│├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤│
││ Article XVI. Every person has the right to │Right to social ││
││social security which will protect him from the │security. ││
││consequences of unemployment, old age, and any │ ││
││disabilities arising from causes beyond his control │ ││
││that make it physically or mentally impossible for him │ ││
││to earn a living. │ ││
│├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤│
││ Article XVII. Every person has the right to be │Right to recognition of││
││recognized everywhere as a person having rights and │juridical personality ││
││obligations, and to enjoy the basic civil rights. │and civil rights. ││
│├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤│
││ Article XVIII. Every person may resort to the │Right to a fair trial. ││
││courts to ensure respect for his legal rights. There │ ││
││should likewise be available to him a simple, brief │ ││
││procedure whereby the courts will protect him from acts│ ││
││of authority that, to his prejudice, violate any │ ││
││fundamental constitutional rights. │ ││
│├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤│
││ Article XIX. Every person has the right to the │Right to nationality. ││
││nationality to which he is entitled by law and to │ ││
││change it, if he so wishes, for the nationality of any │ ││
││other country that is willing to grant it to him. │ ││
│├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤│
││ Article XX. Every person having legal capacity │Right to vote and to ││
││is entitled to participate in the government of his │participate in ││
││country, directly or through his representatives, and │government. ││
││to take part in popular elections, which shall be by │ ││
││secret ballot, and shall be honest, periodic and free. │ ││
│├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤│
││ Article XXI. Every person has the right to │Right of assembly. ││
││assemble peaceably with others in a formal public │ ││
││meeting or an informal gathering, in connection with │ ││
││matters of common interest of any nature. │ ││
│├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤│
││ Article XXII. Every person has the right to │Right of association. ││
││associate with others to promote, exercise and protect │ ││
││his legitimate interests of a political, economic, │ ││
││religious, social, cultural, professional, labor union │ ││
││or other nature. │ ││
│├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤│
││ Article XXIII. Every person has a right to own │Right to property. ││
││such private property as meets the essential needs of │ ││
││decent living and helps to maintain the dignity of the │ ││
││individual and of the home. │ ││
│├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤│
││ Article XXIV. Every person has the right to │Right of petition. ││
││submit respectful petitions to any competent authority,│ ││
││for reasons of either general or private interest, and │ ││
││the right to obtain a prompt decision thereon. │ ││
│├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤│
││ Article XXV. No person may be deprived of his │Right of protection ││
││liberty except in the cases and according to the │from arbitrary arrest. ││
││procedures established by pre-existing law. │ ││
││ │ ││
││ No person may be deprived of liberty for │ ││
││nonfulfillment of obligations of a purely civil │ ││
││character. │ ││
││ │ ││
││ Every individual who has been deprived of his │ ││
││liberty has the right to have the legality of his │ ││
││detention ascertained without delay by a court, and the│ ││
││right to be tried without undue delay or, otherwise, to│ ││
││be released. He also has the right to humane treatment│ ││
││during the time he is in custody. │ ││
│├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤│
││ Article XXVI. Every accused person is presumed│ Right to due process ││
││to be innocent until proved guilty. │of law. ││
││ │ ││
││ Every person accused of an offense has the │ ││
││right to be given an impartial and public hearing, and │ ││
││to be tried by courts previously established in │ ││
││accordance with pre-existing laws, and not to receive │ ││
││cruel, infamous or unusual punishment. │ ││
│├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤│
││ Article XXVII. Every person has the right, in │ Right of asylum. ││
││case of pursuit not resulting from ordinary crimes, to │ ││
││seek and receive asylum in foreign territory, in │ ││
││accordance with the laws of each country and with │ ││
││international agreements. │ ││
│└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┴───────────────────────┘│
│┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┬─────────────┐│
││ Article XXVIII. The rights of man are limited by the │ Scope of the││
││rights of others, by the security of all, and by the just demands│ rights of ││
││of the general welfare and the advancement of democracy. │ man. ││
│└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┴─────────────┘│
│ │
│ CHAPTER TWO │
│ Duties │
│ │
│┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┬──────────────────────┐│
││ Article XXIX. It is the duty of the individual │ Duties to society. ││
││so to conduct himself in relation to others that each │ ││
││and every one may fully form and develop his │ ││
││personality. │ ││
│├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼──────────────────────┤│
││ Article XXX. It is the duty of every person to │ Duties toward ││
││aid, support, educate and protect his minor children, │ children and parents.││
││and it is the duty of children to honor their parents │ ││
││always and to aid, support and protect them when they │ ││
││need it. │ ││
│├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼──────────────────────┤│
││ Article XXXI. It is the duty of every person to│ Duty to receive ││
││acquire at least an elementary education. │ instruction. ││
│├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼──────────────────────┤│
││ Article XXXII. It is the duty of every person │ Duty to vote. ││
││to vote in the popular elections of the country of which│ ││
││he is a national, when he is legally capable of doing │ ││
││so. │ ││
│├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼──────────────────────┤│
││ Article XXXIII. It is the duty of every person│ ││
││to obey the law and other legitimate commands of the │ ││
││authorities of his country and those of the country in │ Duty to obey the law.││
││which he may be. │ ││
│├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼──────────────────────┤│
││ Article XXXIV. It is the duty of every │ Duty to serve the ││
││able-bodied person to render whatever civil and military│ community and the ││
││service his country may require for its defense and │ nation. ││
││preservation, and, in case of public disaster, to render│ ││
││such services as may be in his power. │ ││
││ │ ││
││ It is likewise his duty to hold any public │ ││
││office to which he may be elected by popular vote in the│ ││
││state of which he is a national. │ ││
│├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼──────────────────────┤│
││ Article XXXV. It is the duty of every person │ Duties with respect ││
││to cooperate with the state and the community with │ to social security ││
││respect to social security and welfare, in accordance │ and welfare. ││
││with his ability and with existing circumstances. │ ││
│├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼──────────────────────┤│
││ Article XXXVI. It is the duty of every person │ Duty to pay taxes. ││
││to pay the taxes established by law for the support of │ ││
││public services. │ ││
│├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼──────────────────────┤│
││ Article XXXVII. It is the duty of every person│ Duty to work. ││
││to work, as far as his capacity and possibilities │ ││
││permit, in order to obtain the means of livelihood or to│ ││
││benefit his community. │ ││
│├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼──────────────────────┤│
││ Article XXXVIII. It is the duty of every │ Duty to refrain from ││
││person to refrain from taking part in political │ political activities ││
││activities that, according to law, are reserved │ in a foreign country.││
││exclusively to the citizens of the state in which he is │ ││
││an alien. │ ││
│└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┴──────────────────────┘│
│ │
│ BASIC DOCUMENTS PERTAINING TO HUMAN RIGHTS │
│ IN THE INTER-AMERICAN SYSTEM │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
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