Wikimedia Foundation/Legal/Community Resilience and Sustainability/Human Rights/Glossary
Human Rights
Glossary
Digital Safety
[edit]Digital safety means being careful about online threats when you're on the internet. This includes protecting your personal information, keeping your identity private, and making sure your online conversations are secure.
Dignity
[edit]Human dignity means believing that every person has value. In human rights law, dignity is the foundation of all other rights and freedoms. It’s not a right by itself, but it’s what makes all other rights possible.
Disadvantaged groups
[edit]Some groups of people face economic, social, political or cultural challenges because of things like their race, gender, sex, age, disability, religion, or where they come from. These groups often face unfair treatment over a long period of time, and this unfairness can become a “normal” part of society (systematic discrimination).
Equity
[edit]Equity is about giving people resources based on what they need in their specific circumstance. Equality, on the other hand, means giving everyone the same amount of resources, no matter what their situation is.
Human Rights
[edit]Human rights (also called “fundamental rights” or “universal rights”) are basic freedoms and protections meant to respect the dignity of every person. These rights belong to everyone, no matter their race, gender, nationality, language, religion, or other characteristics. Human rights include things like the right to life, freedom from slavery and torture, the right to speak freely, the right to work, and the right to education. These rights are part of laws in countries worldwide and International Human Rights Law. They are supported and fought for by many human rights defenders and advocates across regions and disciplines.
Knowledge equity
[edit]In the past, access to knowledge has been unfairly distributed, with certain groups being left out because of power imbalances. The Wikimedia Movement works to change this by helping everyone access the resources they need to create and share information.
Freedom of expression
[edit]Freedom of expression (or freedom of speech) means you can hold and share your opinions without interference from the government and other entities. This also includes the right to seek, receive, and share information in any form, regardless of country borders. However, freedom of expression is a “qualified right,” meaning it can be limited if it threatens public safety or other people’s rights (for example, if it promotes violence).
Good faith
[edit]When someone contributes to Wikimedia projects in good faith, it means they are doing so with honest and positive intentions, without wanting to cause harm.
Persecution
[edit]This is when someone is targeted or treated badly or unfairly because of who they are, what they do, or what they believe. It can include things like physical harm, mental abuse, or unfair legal actions. (Don’t mix it up with "prosecution," which is just the process of taking someone to court.)
Risk/risk mitigation
[edit]Risk means the chance that something bad might happen. Risk mitigation is about figuring out what the risks are and taking actions to prevent or lessen their impact.
Self-censorship
[edit]This is when someone purposely hides or changes what they say or do because they’re afraid of negative consequences. They might do this out of pressure or fear, even if they don’t want to.
Threat
[edit]A threat is when someone says or implies they will harm you, either physically or morally, or damage your property.
Vulnerability
[edit]Vulnerabilities are things that make it more likely you could be hurt or that could increase the damage you experience. These can be due to being part of a group that’s often targeted (like indigenous people, LGBTQ+ people or human rights activists), or because of your personal situation (like having a medical condition, being elderly, or living alone in a remote area).
