The Free Tibet Movement is about Campaigning for Human Rights

Tibetans are currently in a dire state. They are being culturally, economically and politically oppressed by the Chinese government. The Tibetans are prevented from practicing their religion, living their traditional lifestyle, and engaging in politics. As a result, their culture is at risk. Their basic human rights are being violated and they live in a state of fear. The Free Tibet movement was created to bring awareness to the human rights violations and end the Chinese occupation of Tibet.

Prior to 1949, Tibet existed as an ethnically, linguistically, culturally and religiously distinct independent state. This changed in 1949 when the People’s Liberation Army invaded Tibet in a surprising and unprovoked attack. The Chinese government claimed the invasion was to liberate the Tibetans from their current militaristic regime, yet they failed to improve conditions for them. The Tibetans responded to this attack by creating a political movement across the country aimed at receiving autonomy from the Chinese government. The Chinese government responded to this movement with cruelty and violence.

The Chinese government is oppressing the Tibetans and violating their basic human rights. The Tibetans are not allowed access to appropriate education and over half the country is illiterate. They do not have adequate healthcare and the majority of Tibetans currently live in a state of poverty. Their traditional nomadic lifestyle was disrupted when the Chinese government started a relocation program to relocate Tibetan nomads. Not only did this stop the nomads from living their traditional lifestyle, but that lifestyle was the way the nomads provided for themselves and relocation threw many more into poverty.

The Tibetans are prevented from practicing religion, which is an integral part of their culture. Currently, the Chinese government has destroyed over 6,000 monasteries and religious practices, ceremonies and icons are currently illegal. Tibetans are also prevented from any sort of political protest. Violating these rules results in swift and cruel punishment by the Chinese government. They use torture to control the Tibetans and enforce their laws. Prisoners are beaten, submerged in sewage, shocked, and put in labor camps. To date, over 1.2 million Tibetans have been murdered and the United Nations has labeled this killing as a genocide. The Tibetans live in a state of constant fear.

Since the Chinese occupation of Tibet, the Chinese have continually controlled the vast natural resources Tibet has to offer. China is not only controlling the agriculture, but it is also utilizing Tibet’s copper, iron and zinc to fuel its own growing country. They have depleted the forests in Tibet and many indigenous creatures are endangered as a result. China has stated that the increased use of natural resources has strengthened the Tibetan economy and provided many jobs, yet the jobs are given to the Chinese immigrants in order to strengthen China’s economy, and the Tibetans are often left unemployed. The Chinese government is concerned with utilizing the Tibetan land for Chinese colonization, rather than allowing for uses that would benefit the Tibetans. The Tibetans are unable to utilize their own land and resources as a source of economic income and have no say in how these resources are used. This form of oppression has led to poverty, unemployment and stunted economic growth.

The conditions the Tibetans are suffering are deplorable. The Chinese are denying the Tibetans their basic human rights. They are not allowed to live their traditional lifestyle, practice their culture or religion, or make any sort of protest without fear of torture and death. The Free Tibet movement is aimed at bringing an end to these violations by ending the Chinese occupation of Tibet. The movement aims at using peaceful action to allow the Tibetans to gain independence, practice their religion, and embrace their culture freely. At its core, the Free Tibet movement is about peacefully campaigning for the freedom of the Tibetans.

Being a successful human rights activist is hard work. There seems to be a never-ending list of issues that need help right away. Like in every other field, human rights activists wanting to make the biggest difference need to be at the top of their game. This is the reason why exercise is so important to incorporate into the daily lives of these individuals.

A person that wants to be influential in human rights need to have tough skin. This needs to be the case in all aspects of his or her life. To be able to deal with the intense stress involved in fighting for one cause after another, an individual needs to be strong physically, mentally, and emotionally. Exercise is the ideal way to develop and maintain the strength necessary in all of these areas. Along with a healthy diet, exercising daily can ensure that a person is at his peak when dealing with problems associated with human rights.

Why Exercise Is Important As A Human Rights Activist:

1. More Energy. Successful human rights activists are incredibly busy. They need a deep reservoir of energy to propel them through each day. It’s rare to be dealing with one crisis at a time. Normally an activist is deal with several issues at the same time that require varying amounts of time and effort. There’s no room for sedentary life as an activist. There are simply too many causes that require ongoing attention. Exercising helps ensure that human rights activists have the lasting energy levels when they most need it.

2. Better Image. People like to follow a winner, and nothing quite projects a “winning” personality better than being in top physical form. This is not to say that a person needs to be fit to be listened to and influential. However, people who look “fit” are seen as more disciplined and determined by others. When trying to persuade a group of people, every edge counts. Doing exercises helps protesters with losing weight and  getting the body get closer to its ideal form, and subsequently ensures that a greater percentage of people will be swayed by the message being presented. It’s human nature to want to believe in someone who exudes the characteristics of strength and courage. A body that is in shape is one way to subtly bring this viewpoint across.

3. More Confidence. It is a fact that people who feel better about themselves physically have more confidence and a much higher sense of self-esteem. This is especially important to human rights activists who have to hear a flood of rejection before making any progress. A human rights activist that can make a difference needs to have as much inner confidence as possible. This is where an exercise and fitness program can be advantageous. The more physically in shape a person feels about himself, the more confidence he will have. He can then use this confidence in order to more effectively handle his activist responsibilities.

Everyone can benefit from exercise. Human rights activists especially need to include exercise into their lifestyle because of the nature of the work that they are involved in. The levels of emotional stress felt by individuals in this industry can be overwhelming at times. To be at their best, human rights activists need to be in top physical condition. Including a diverse and challenging exercise routine into an activist’s daily activities can result in increased and sustained energy levels, a more positive image, and greater amount of personal confidence. Most people are familiar with the health benefits caused by following a fitness regime. However, there are also the mental and emotional payouts that make a huge difference in the efforts made by a human rights activist.

Human Rights In Your Local Community

In 1947, human rights became an issue of global concern. Partnered with members of various nations, Eleanor Roosevelt pushed for an agreement that would ensure inalienable rights to all people, regardless of gender, creed, nation of origin, race or ability. Based on the idea that all men, women and children are brothers and sisters to one another, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights made strides to break down the restrictions of prejudice and discrimination and promote a conscious sense of relation to each person. The agreement was accepted by the United Nations (UN) in 1948 and was a significant victory for all humanity. Currently, all 192 countries and states belonging to the UN accept The Universal Declaration of Human Rights as international law.

Articles 25 and 26 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms that every person has the right to basic considerations including food, shelter, clothing, medical care, social services and basic education. Most communities have organizations in place to provide these services, through churches, nonprofit organizations and government programs. While individuals have no obligation to uphold the declaration, many people passionately believe in providing these basic human rights to all in their community. Fortunately, there are several opportunities to get involved. It does not take an army to make a positive impact for basic human rights. With a little initiate, you can become a positive influence and role model for your entire local community.

Start a discussion. Enable a community forum online where human rights concerns can be openly discussed. Free forum hosting is provided at phpBBweb.com, so there is no cost involved in alerting those around you about the needs of others in the community. Invite others to your forum through social networking sites such as Facebook or Google+. Place advertising fliers on community notice boards in grocery stores, libraries and community centers.

Volunteer. Donate your time to an established food bank. Offer your aid during housing and emergency relief projects. Get involved with the senior citizens center or youth mentoring and tutoring programs. Many organizations have established programs that need helpful hands to operate efficiently. Check your local blood bank, school district or Red Cross office to see how you might get involved.

Sew a seed of humanity. Partner with a school district or recruit a willing church or business to donate a small piece of land. Grow a community garden. Gather school children and volunteers to aid in tending to the vegetables, and donate the harvest to a food bank. Use this as an opportunity to teach young ones about the value of helping others. You can also use community business sponsors to hold a non-perishable food drive. Some food drives send fliers with a paper grocery bag to houses in the community announcing a later pick-up date. This method is highly effective, because people may participate by simply leaving the bag on their doorstep. Other ways to collect donations are marked shopping carts in grocery stores, and community events.

Collect basic toiletries and clothing items for shelters in your community. Soap, shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste, towels, disposable safety razors, deodorant and are always in demand at these establishments. Used baby clothing and maternity garments are excellent donations for women’s shelters. Contact local churches and community centers to sponsor a donation event. Many people have items that they would be willing to donate, but they may not know about outreach programs in the area.

Human rights are written in laws that protect human beings from being subjected oppression and inhuman kind of treatment. They have been in existence for thousands of years.

The earliest human rights were brought forth by Cyrus the Great of Persia s in 16Bc. He came up with a cylinder containing the rights of slaves and very sensitive religious issues after conquering Babylon.

Another mark in the development of human rights was during the reign of Ashoka the great. He was a ruler of the Indian subcontinent. Initially he was perceived as a harsh ruler but later converted to Buddhism. This is the time that he regretted subjecting his people to suffering. He then ensured that all his servants and men were not deprived off their rights. He even became non violent during the remaining part of his reign.

Caliphate of Islam also made a major contribution to the development of human rights. This reform took place between the years 610-661. The rights of captives, women and children were enforced.

Signing of the Magna Karta by King John was a great step towards the development of human rights. King John was an English Monarch. He accepted to set inscribe into law the rights of everyone. Magna Karta is considered to be the main document that brought forth human rights in the western world.

It is worth mentioning that the actual human right is a new thought. They were initially referred to as the natural right. It embraced the rights of every life not just human beings. However, in the twentieth century, people were mainly concerned with the rights of humanity.

During the French revolution, natural rights were declared as the fundamental rights of man and French citizen. However, the rights of women and slaves were not specified. The document that contained the fundamental rights then spread to other parts of the globe. This took place in the 18th century.

After the Second World War, the United Nations came into existence. It spelled the rights of all mankind regardless of their place of living. The ultimate result was the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In 1948, this declaration was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly.

One of the great thinkers that contributed to the declaration was Mahatma Ghandi. The content of the document included social rights, economic rights, civil rights, cultural rights and political rights. It is important to point out that the declaration is not law. However, majority of countries have signed an agreement with the United Nations Organization to observe them.

In 1966 the United Nations Organization embraced the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The covenant consists of two protocols, the International Covenant on Economic rights and the International Covenant on Social and Cultural rights. This covenant resulted into International Bill of Human rights.

Today, many countries have enacted human rights laws in their constitution. Most of these laws have originated from the human rights covenants and declarations. However, there is still much to be done on human rights.