International Protection of Human Rights: A Textbook

This textbook presents the main universal and regional systems and standards for the international protection of human rights, also taking note of recent changes in procedure together with substantive developments in the field of human rights law. In addition to the United Nations at the universal level, it outlines the existing regional protection systems in Europe, Africa and the Americas as well as bringing for the discussion pertaining to human rights law in Asia and the Arab countries. Moreover, the various means for domestic implementation of human rights law are covered, and attention is drawn to the role of non-governmental organizations in the protection of human rights. This volume is not limited to human rights law in the strict sense, but rather places human rights within a wider context of public international law as well as philosophy. The primary target group for this textbook are Master’s level students in law schools and specialized Master’s programmes in international law or human rights law, but the book may also appeal to more advanced human rights researchers and professors teaching human rights topics.I. The Foundations of Human Rights 1. Philosophical and Historical Foundations of Human Rights (Heiner Bielefeldt) 2. Characteristics of Human Rights Norms (Martin Scheinin) 3. The Status of Human Rights in International Law (Olivier De Schutter) II. United Nations Standards and Mechanisms 4. The United Nations and Human Rights (Hurst Hannum) 5. United Nations Charter-Based Protection of Human Rights (Andrew Clapham) 6. Civil and Political Rights (Sir Nigel Rodley) 7. Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (Eibe Riedel) 8. Torture and Enforced Disappearance (Manfred Nowak) 9. Combating Racial and Related Discrimination (Morten Kjaerum) 10. Combating Discrimination Based on Sex and Gender (Simone Cusack and Rebecca J. Cook) 11. Rights of the Child (Rachel Brett) 12. Disability and Human Rights: A New Field in the United Nations (Gerard Quinn) 13. The Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples (S. James Anaya) 14. Refugees, Asylum-Seekers and Migrant Workers (Jens Vedsted-Hansen) 15. The International Labour Organization and Human Rights (Lee Swepston) 16. Human Rights, Globalization, Trade and Development (Sia Spiliopoulou Åkermark) III. Regional Systems 17. European Systems for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (Krysztof Drzewicki) 18. The European Convention on Human Rights (Rick Lawson) 19. The European Social Charter (Olivier De Schutter) 20. The European Union and Fundamental Rights / Human Rights (Allan Rosas) 21. The Inter-American System for the Protection of Human Rights (Cecilia Medina Quiroga) 22. The African Regional Human Rights System (Frans Viljoen) 23. The Revised Arab Charter on Human Rights (Mervat Rishmawi) 24. Understanding Human Rights in Asia (Yash Ghai) IV. Implementation, Monitoring and Enforcement 25. International Human Rights in National Law (Ineke Boerefijn) 26 International Mechanisms and Procedures for Monitoring (Martin Scheinin) 27. Non-Governmental Organizations and Human Rights (Rachel Brett) 28. International Tribunals (William A. Schabas