Human rights were not given but won through a long history of struggle: from the first demands for equality to the abolition of slavery, the right to vote and the formation of the UN in the aftermath of the second World War, today, the issue of man's obligation to his fellow has never been more pertinent. In the last decade we have seen the rise of violence with the war in terror as well as civil wars in the Balkans and Africa, yet the question of human rights also arises on our very doorstep with the slow erosion of civil liberties and the unfinished road to equality. Stephen Bowen tells the story of how the idea of human rights developed and how they are being used in the present world and the challenges that campaigners will face in the 21st century: war, poverty, terrorism and bioethics. Bowen will also interweave the story with his own experience as UN Human Rights Observer in Kosovo, as well looking at the heroes and villains of the age.
