by Asher Dewey
One “human right” that I disagree with is Article 17m which is the “right to own things.” It states: “Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.”
First I want to make a distinction between personal property and private property. Personal property is defined as property owned by a person that is not real estate, chattels or movable goods. Personal property includes items intended for personal use, i.e., one’s toothbrush, clothes, etc. Private property is defined as property to which individuals or corporations have certain exclusive property rights, but do not necessarily possess. Private property may include animals, artifacts, factories, mines, dams, infrastructure, natural vegetation, natural resources like water or fossil fuels, mountains, deserts and seas, all of which generate wealth or income for the owner without the owner necessarily having to perform any physical labor. That is the purpose of private property.
The right to own private property could also include owning slaves. I believe that the right of corporations or individuals to own private property contradicts the core elements of nearly all other human rights.
The existence of private property creates an unequal class society which violates UN Human Rights Article 1: “I am born free and equal and all human beings should be treated in the same way." To have private property means that you must first have the money to buy private property, which most people do not have. Private property is used for the pursuit of further wealth, often by means that can and have violated other human rights. The pursuit of wealth creates inequality and unequal treatment, as all profits made from private property go only to the owners of the property and not to the people who don’t own private property. It creates a class society in which some people (property owners) have far more rights than everyone else. It means that your rights are violated if you are of a non-property-owning class.
Whether we discuss slavery, the debate over civil rights, women’s rights, disability rights, gay and trans rights, or other people's rights, it is always about wanting to achieve a higher and more dignified class status, as no individual or group wants to be an oppressed people in a state of social and economic class inequality. I believe that to truly end all inequalities, we must abolish private property.