The Universal Declaration of Human Rights declares that “Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, etc." (quote from a textbook). The right not to be discriminated against on the basis of sex is a very important element of this universal human rights legislation, as it is also highlighted in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR quote) When reading this specific part of these human rights laws, the majority of individuals will think of women's rights. , for much of history, women have not enjoyed all the rights and freedoms set out in universal legislations simply because of their sex, and articles have had to be incorporated into universal legislations on the rights of man to ensure that this form of discrimination does not happen again. . Women's human rights are an extremely important subsection of international human rights. Women have been placed as second-class citizens for much of human history, although they are no longer openly discriminated against in human rights legislation. Women face gender-based violations of their human rights in society, and government agencies often fail to provide women with the justice they deserve for the violations they have faced (article on rape in India). Most of the time, choices are taken away from women and they are easily victimized in society. Every society in the world has faced some form of gender discrimination at some point in human history, and in some countries, violations of women's human rights are ongoing and extreme. It is for this reason that women's human rights are an extremely important subject, as is the struggle to have the woman middle of paper... superior (188). Social systems are built around the common belief that women are inferior, and these ideologies violate women's human right to live their lives without discrimination. Furthermore, the consequences of these discriminatory ideologies are often violence against women, which also violates women's human right to safety and security. Sexual assault violates many of the victim's human rights, such as their right to safety and their right to be free from inhumane treatment. Since women are often victims of sexual assault, it is more likely that they will face numerous human rights violations during their lifetime. In this way, women are systematically and openly disadvantaged, exposing them to more violations of their human rights, due to a social structure that justifies and encourages violence against women..