human rights 101 key concepts and history oklahoma city, oklahoma october 19, 2012 co-hosted by...
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Human Rights 101Key Concepts and History
Oklahoma City, OklahomaOctober 19, 2012
Co-Hosted by USHRN Member, IITC
What are Human Rights?
A Set of Values: Protections, freedoms, and social benefits needed to live in dignity and to our fullest potential
A Set of Tools needed to promote and protect human dignity
The Spectrum of Rights
Development RightsEnvironmental RightsCultural RightsSocial Rights Economic RightsPolitical RightsCivil Rights
Key ConceptsWho enjoys human rights?
Rights are Universal
When do you get them and how long do you enjoy them?Rights are Inalienable
What types of rights are there?Civil, Political, Social, Economic, Cultural, Environment,
Development
Which are more important? Indivisible and Interdependent
Human Rights: A Common Language
The essence of human rights is the inherent ability to live in dignity.
Human rights include economic, social, and cultural rights.
Human rights applies to all humans, irrespective of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, or immigration status, and recognizes our intersectional identities.
International Human rights law often provides a higher standard of protection than provided by U.S. law.
Human rights create state obligations to respect, protect and fulfill
Human Rights: A Common Language
• Human Rights are Transformative - proceeds from the position that the struggle for human rights and dignity must move societies toward the establishment of social institutions, structures and social relationships that reflect a real commitment to human dignity and social justice.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
A vision statement
Covers all Rights
Declaration of Principles
Non-binding (although it is considered international customary law)
The Human Rights Frameworko Treaties articulate specific human rights
o Treaties are legally binding once they are ratified by governments
o Each treaty has an oversight body called a treaty committee (i.e. the committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination)
o Countries are required to submit reports and make oral presentations to the committee every couple of years
o Shadow reporting parallels this reporting process, undertaken by civil society (social justice groups)
o Some treaty committees also allow individuals to submit individual complaints
o Treaty committees issue general recommendations to clarify the meaning of different rights and make recommendations on how to protect peoples rights
• Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)• International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)• International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)• International Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial
Discrimination (CERD)• International Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination
Against Women (CEDAW)• International Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)• International Convention Against Torture and other cruel, Inhuman or
degrading treatment or punishment (CAT)• Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)• International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of all Migrant
Workers and Members of their Families • United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Key Human Rights Treaties
Value of Using TreatiesRatified Treaties create affirmative obligations
The state is forced to acknowledge and remedy the problem
Ratification creates a process by which periodically we can review progress
With ratification we can call for implementation at national and local levels
Human Rights Tools and Mechanisms
• Shadow Reporting
• Human Rights Documentation
• Early Warning Measures and Urgent Procedures
• Independent Experts on specific rights (Special Rapporteurs)• Special Reports• Tribunals
• The Inter-American Commission and Court on Human Rights
•Although human rights are universally accepted and are the primary responsibility of governments, individuals have the obligation to monitor and put pressure on governments to protect and fulfill those rights.
•There is no one way to realize human rights, it takes innovation and collective strategies to build systemic change and we hope that our discussions today will put us on that path.
Civil Society In Action
THANK YOU