Why You Should Study Human Rights in Ireland

What is Human Rights in General and as a Field of Study 

Human rights basically refer to people’s inherent rights as human beings. This refers to the rights not granted by the state, such as the right to life, food, education, work, health, and liberty. 

As a field of study, it is interdisciplinary and covers a broad range of topics and issues. Oftentimes, those topics are related to the protection and improvement of people’s basic freedom. In today’s globalized world, human rights can both be tackled domestically and internationally. 

Since human rights are interdisciplinary, students can choose to study the following subjects such as history, political science, law, anthropology, sociology, and even religion. Human rights is a major to some and an elective to others. 

Those who want to specialize in human rights can do so by taking degree programs. Some popular degree programs on human rights include: 

• International Human Rights Law
• Human Rights and Social Justice
• International Criminal Justice
• International Migration 
• Refugee Law and Protection 

Why You Should Study Human Rights in Ireland

If you want to create positive change and create a huge impact in the world, then studying human rights is probably the right one for you. But you may be wondering, why choose Ireland to pursue human rights study? 

The Irish Tops the UDHR 

The Irish tops the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) when it comes to the number of people supporting it. During the 50th anniversary of the UDHR, in the ‘90s, Ireland was able to amass more than 60,000 citizens to support the declaration during its campaign in the west Dublin area alone. Overall, Ireland has gotten more than 300,000 thumbprints from its citizens, and over a hundred thousand signatures. 

Moreover, it seems that the Irish, especially its government, knows how to walk the talk. Decades after this, and fast forward to 2020, Ireland topped the UN’s Human Development Index (HDI) Ranking. It measures indicators that are important in human development, such as life expectancy, education, and per capita income indicators. 

Ireland is One of the Most Tolerant Countries in the World

Where else should you study human rights but in one of the most tolerant countries in the world? In the 2020 Global Peace Index, which measures a country’s ability to maintain peace, Ireland ranked very high. To be specific, it ranked 12th among 163 countries. A place that is higher than other European countries such as Finland, Sweden, Norway, and the Netherlands. 

A Lot of Opportunities to Work in Ireland 

Last but not least, human rights students, after they graduate, can expect a lot of career opportunities in Ireland. The country is home to many human rights organizations such as Amnesty International, the Irish Refugee Council, the Irish Red Cross, the Killarney Asylum Seekers Initiatives (KASI), to name a few. 

Want to study human rights in Ireland but not yet sure how to start or finance your studies? Check out MSM Unify’s article on the Top Scholarships in Ireland for International Students to begin.