Learner Resource 10

How does conflict affect human rights?

In this activity, you will explore the ways in which human rights violations can be seen as both a cause and consequence of a contemporary conflict.

Use the following websites to supplement your research into this topic:

1. Research the recent history of Syria before the conflict. The regime of Bashar Al Assad, prior to the uprising of 2011, was accused of many human rights abuses. From 1973 to 2012, Syria was a single-party state, with no political opposition. Many political prisoners were held, and continue to be held, because their views did not agree with those of the state. Freedoms such as those of expression, association and assembly were not widely allowed; the media was tightly controlled and dissenters regularly disappeared whilst in the custody of the military of the police (in 2009 some estimates stated that there were more than 3000 political prisoners being held). In 2009, Freedom House rated Syria as one of the least free states in the world:

As you find out more about life in Syria before this conflict, consider the following questions:

  1. Why did the regime restrict human rights, and which were the ones most restricted?
  2. In what ways did this help the regime keep a grip on power?
  3. How far do you believe that the violation of human rights in Syria can be seen as a cause of the current conflict?

2. Download the following document:

Note there are some disturbing images and stories in this report.

Also, visit the following site: and explore the stories of three Syrian refugees.

  1. How far have human rights violations been a consequence of the conflict in Syria?
  2. In what different ways are victims of this conflict experiencing human rights violations, even after they have escaped the conflict?
  3. Should the international community be doing more to prevent these human rights violations?

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Human Rights

3. Draw a table like the one below. Using the timeline at list the attempts by national governments, international organisations and other agencies to intervene in this conflict. For each, evaluate the extent to which their intervention has had an impact on human rights in Syria. An example has been given for you.

Event / Agencies involved and agreements made / Evaluation of impact
October 2013: International inspectors begin destroying Syria’s chemical weapons. In June 2014 the UN announces that the chemical weapons in Syria have been destroyed. / United Nations.
Governments of USA and Russia brokered the initial deal. / This removed the official government stockpile of chemical weapons but the fact that chemical weapons have been implicated in subsequent attacks on civilian and military targets suggests that either there was another supply or that the government did not control all of its’ chemical weapons at the time- some could have fallen into other hands.

Questions for class discussion:

1. To what extent are human rights violations responsible for conflicts such as that occurring in Syria 2011-present day?

2. How are human rights violations used as weapons of war?

3. Are some human rights violations legitimate?

4. Is it practical to expect human rights to be respected during conflict?

5.Evaluate geopolitical attempts to intervene in this conflict and protect human rights.

Version 11© OCR 2016

Human Rights