Chapter-1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Preamble Human rights are the natural rights of human beings. No scholar, thinker or religion till now has defined or explained human rights in a way acceptable to all. However, contrary to what its critics say, it is certainly not some kind of imaginary right or abstract longing. It is also not a panacea or a solution to the problems and the follies prevalent in society. Human rights is another name for the inalienable rights that humans are born with and can utilize without any hindrance. From embryo to birth and from birth to death, a human being has the right to enjoy fundamental rights without any obstructions and without any fear or threat from anyone: this is the premise of "human rights." These natural and inalienable rights, acquired by humans on the very basis of their birth on this earth, can be broader and more extensive than the constitutional limits of a country. Hence, human rights are taken as rights that are universal, indivisible and inalienable and bound up with human existence. The concept of human rights is not the outcome of any one particular age. It is a compendium of natural, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, that are the creation of the human mind and are the embodiment of the history of human civilizations. There is no doubt that there is no artificial division between all these rights and that they are complementary to each other. New dimensions have been added to the concepts of human rights with the development of human civilization, and with every stage of civilization the feelings towards these rights have extended and undergone changes. Human rights are universally applicable to human beings all over the world. Looking at the definition of human rights in national laws, they have been taken as a group of rights mentioned in a particular document. The Human Rights Commission Act of 1997 has defined human rights as "the rights relating to life, liberty, equality and dignity of the individual guaranteed by the constitution and other prevailing laws as well as the rights embodied in international treaties related to human rights to which Nepal is a State party." Although the prevalent concept of human rights seems to be highly influenced by the religious, social, political and intellectual traditions of western countries, it is nonetheless not an outcome of a particular period, society, culture, religion, territory and political value and system. There are plenty of references to human rights in oriental mythologies. In ancient times the political system and all other matters were governed by religion. Since religion also included the law, human rights and issues related to duty were guided by religion. Although human rights may be defined in various ways, one has to say that human rights in essence means that, keeping human values and human dignity as its centre point, it is the right necessary for living in accordance with such dignity. The history of the development process of human rights is a compendium of the experiences of the ages, contributions of various scholars, and national and international efforts in this regard. The history of continuous resistance, rebellion and movement against injustice, cruelty, repression and exploitation from ancient times is also the history of the human rights movement.