The European Convention on Human Rights: A Socio-Economic Rights Charter?

The European Court of Human Rights has shown significant weariness in interpreting the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) as protecting socio-economic rights. Issues of political legitimacy, judicial proprietary and resource allocation would play more heavily on an internationalised court than may be the case within domestic court systems. There are increasing signs that the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) is now recognising the interdependent and indivisible nature of civil and political rights and socio-economic rights. This chapter examines the extent to which the ECHR as interpreted by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has led to a more nuanced understanding and interplay between economic and social rights and civil and political rights. Recent substantive socio-economic rights jurisprudence suggests that the impact of the ECHR in this area has yet to be fully realised. This chapter examines the jurisprudence of the ECtHR under Article 2, the right to life, Article 3, protection from inhuman and degrading treatment and Article 8, right to private and family life, of the ECHR in dealing with socio-economic rights