Question

All citizens may be granted equal rights but all may not be able to equally exercise them. Explain.

Answer 1

All citizens may be granted equal rights but all may not be able to equally exercise them due to the following factors:

• Socio-economic inequality that prevents equality of opportunity

• Lack of accessibility to legal remedies

• Lack of awareness of rights

• Corruption in the government apparatus that prevents the delivery of services covered under these rights.

The consequences of these factors can be seen in the following examples:

• Every child has the right to education but some children are not sent to school due to gender bias and poverty and therefore are engaged in child labour.

• Many women are not aware that physical and mental torture by their husband comes under domestic violence. Therefore, they are not able to seek legal remedies.