Human rights are, if we take the term literally, the rights that one has simply because one is human. This deceptively simple notion has profound implications.
"Right" in English has two principal (moral and political) senses: "rectitude" and "entitlement." In the most general sense of rectitude, we speak of something being the right thing to do, indicating conformity with a standard of action. Entitlement is a narrowet sense of "right." When one has a right, she is entitled to something and therefore armed with claims that have a special force. The focus is on the relationship between right-holder and duty-bearer, rather than duty-bearer and standard of rectitude.
If Anne has a right to X with respect to Bob, it is not simply desirable, good, or even merely right that Anne enjoy X. She is entitled to it. Should Bob fail to discharge his obligations, beyond acting improperly and harming Anne he violates her rights. This makes him subject to special claims and sanctions that she controls.