Human Rights: Foundations, Global Realities & Unequal Protections

About this episode

The episode explores the foundations and current state of human rights, focusing on their protection for vulnerable groups in a changing world.

In the first episode of our two-part series on human rights, we explore the foundations of human rights, their historical development, and their current state in a rapidly changing world. What do human rights mean today, and how effectively do existing systems protect those most vulnerable to discrimination, exclusion, and injustice? The podcast brings together Professor Reetta Toivanen , Professor of Sustainability Science at the Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS), and Postdoctoral Researcher Tuija Kasa from the Faculty of Education at the University of Helsinki, whose work engages deeply with human rights from legal, educational, and societal perspectives. Together, they reflect on the origins of human rights, assess global developments and setbacks, and examine how well current frameworks respond to the realities faced by migrants, minorities, and other marginalized groups. The discussion addresses the uneven protection of human rights across contexts, the gaps between legal commitments and lived realities, and the pressures human rights face amid growing inequality and democratic backsliding. The episode also considers whether existing human rights…

People in this episode

Host: Max Tallberg

Guests: Reetta Toivanen, Tuija Kasa

Topics covered

• human rights
• discrimination
• marginalized groups
• global developments
• inequality
• democratic backsliding

Keywords

• human rights
• vulnerable groups
• discrimination
• inequality
• legal frameworks
• migrants
• minorities
• structural injustices

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science, University of Helsinki

Places: Helsinki, Finland

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