But what are they?

但它是什麼呢？

Well, first of all, they're an idea.

好，首先，它是一種理念。

The idea that we are all born with the same rights and freedoms as human beings.

這個概念是，身為人類，我們所有人生來都有同樣的權利和自由。

The idea was written down and published by the UN in 1948 in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,

這個概念在 1948 年時，被聯合國寫下並於《世界人權宣言》中出版，

which all sounds good.

這聽起來都不錯。

But what does it mean?

但這意味著什麼呢？

In reality, it means human rights are protected by international law, and some states have integrated them into their constitution.

在現實中，它表示人權受到國際法的保護，而一些國家也已將其納入憲法。

But human rights are still often ignored or abused across the world.

但在世界各地，人權仍經常被忽視或濫用。

That's because it's hard to enforce these rights or to punish those who abuse them.

那是因為這些權利很難執行，或者是要懲罰那些濫用權利的人很困難。

And not all states share the same values.

並不是所有國家都共享價值觀。

When states don't protect people's rights, pressure from the international community and NGOs can help.

當國家不保護人民的權利時，來自國際和非政府組織的壓力會有所幫助。

And some cases do end up in international courts.

有些案件最終會由國際法院審理。

So, where does that leave you?

那麼，你有什麼選擇呢？

Knowing your rights is the first step to defending them.

了解自身權利的第一步是捍衛它們。