Introduction to International Human Rights Law

316 Pages·2010·1.57 MB·English

An Introduction to International
Human Rights Law

An Introduction to International
Human Rights Law
Edited by
Azizur Rahman Chowdhury
Md. Jahid Hossain Bhuiyan
LEIDEN • BOSTON
2010
Cover illustration: Bugobogobo by Donald M. Mpanda, 1980. Permission by the artist.
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
An introduction to international human rights law / edited by Azizur Rahman Chowdhury,
Jahid Hossain Bhuiyan.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-90-04-17972-1 (hardback : alk. paper)
1. Human rights. I. Chowdhury, Azizur Rahman. II. Bhuiyan, Jahid Hossain.
K3240.I63 2010
341.4’8—dc22
2010013726
ISSN: 1567-6951
ISBN: 978 90 04 17972 1
Copyright 2010 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Hotei Publishing,
IDC Publishers, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers and VSP.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher.
Brill has made all reasonable efforts to trace all right holders to any copyrighted material used
in this work. In cases where these efforts have not been successful the publisher welcomes
communications from copyright holders, so that the appropriate acknowledgements can be
made in future editions, and to settle other permission matters.
Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by
Koninklijke Brill NV provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to
The Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910,
Danvers, MA 01923, USA.
Fees are subject to change.
printed in the netherlands
Contents
Preface ................................................................................................... ix
List of Contributors ............................................................................... xi
Introduction Progressive Nuances in International Human Rights
Paradigm ............................................................................................ xiii
Chapter One The Historical Development of International
Human Rights ................................................................................... 1
Michelo Hansungule
1. Introduction ................................................................................ 1
2. Some Historical Perspectives on Human Rights ......................... 5
3. Universal Rights .......................................................................... 6
4. The European View .................................................................... 7
5. Human Rights as Moral Ideas in Diverse Societies, Religions,
and Cultures ............................................................................... 11
6. Africa .......................................................................................... 13
7. Middle East (Islamic World) ...................................................... 22
8. Asia ............................................................................................. 23
9. Post-War Developments ............................................................. 27
10. Conclusion .................................................................................. 28
Chapter Two Civil and Political Rights .............................................. 31
Joshua Castellino
1. Introduction .................................................................................. 31
2. The Covenant ............................................................................... 33
3. The Rights Package ....................................................................... 36
4. Future Challenges ......................................................................... 46
Chapter Three An Introduction to Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights: Overcoming the Constraints of Categorization through
Implementation ................................................................................. 51
Vinodh Jaichand
1. Introduction .................................................................................. 51
2. Historical Development ................................................................ 52
3. Similarities and Differences in Content of ICCPR and ICESCR 54
4. The Norms and Enforcement ....................................................... 58
vi Contents
5. On Justiciability: An Example of the Protection of ESC
Rights in a Region ........................................................................ 60
6. On Justiciability: Domestic Enforcement ..................................... 61
7. Conclusion .................................................................................... 68
Chapter Four Women’s Rights in International Law ......................... 73
Mmatsie Mooki, Rita Ozoemana, Michelo Hansungule
1. Introduction .................................................................................. 73
2. Recognition of Women’s Rights: United Nations Charter and
the International Bill of Rights ..................................................... 74
3. Women’s Rights in other United Nations Convention ................ 74
4. Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination
against Women ............................................................................. 76
5. United Nations Groundbreaking Conferences ............................. 87
6. Violence Against Women ............................................................. 88
7. Conclusion .................................................................................... 97
Chapter Five Globalization and Human Rights ................................. 101
Heli Askola
1. Introduction .................................................................................. 101
2. Globalization ................................................................................. 101
3. Economic Globalization and Human Rights ................................ 104
4. Political, Social and Cultural Globalization and Human Rights ... 110
5. Conclusion .................................................................................... 114
Chapter Six Role of the UN in the Promotion and Protection of
Human Rights ................................................................................... 119
Elvira Domínguez-Redondo
1. Introduction .................................................................................. 119
2. From Codification to Efficiency: The Different Phases of the
Human Rights Discourse within the United Nations .................. 121
3. Normative Development of the UN System of Protection and
Promotion of Human Rights ....................................................... 127
4. “Charter-based” and “Treaty-based” Monitoring Mechanisms:
Public Special Procedure and the Work of the Committees ........ 134
Chapter Seven Attributes of Successful Human Rights
Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) – Sixty Years After the
1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights .................................. 145
George E. Edwards
1. Introduction .................................................................................. 145
2. NGOs & Human Rights NGOs .................................................. 147
Contents vii
3. Ten Characteristics of Successful Human Rights NGOs ............. 173
4. NGO Self-Regulation Via Codes of Conduct and Ethics ............ 193
5. Conclusion .................................................................................... 208
Chapter Eight Do States have an Obligation under International
Law to Provide Human Rights Education? ....................................... 219
Paula Gerber
1. Introduction .................................................................................. 219
2. Human Rights Education (HRE) in International Law ............... 219
3. Obstacles to the Realization of HRE ............................................ 229
4. Conclusion .................................................................................... 232
Chapter Nine Application of International Standards of Human
Rights Law at Domestic Level ........................................................... 237
Joshua Castellino
1. Introduction .................................................................................. 237
2. The Codification of International Human Rights Standards
as Law ........................................................................................... 238
3. Domestic Implementation of Rights: The ‘Engine Room’ of
Universal Instruments of Human Rights ...................................... 241
4. Conclusion .................................................................................... 252
Chapter Ten Role of Regional Human Rights Instruments in the
Protection and Promotion of Human Rights .................................... 255
Azizur Rahman Chowdhury, V. Seshaiah Shasthri,
Md. Jahid Hossain Bhuiyan
1. Introduction .................................................................................. 255
2. European Human Rights Treaties and Their Implementation ..... 255
3. The Inter-American Convention on Human Rights, 1969 .......... 262
4. The African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, 1981 ......... 275
5. Concluding Remarks .................................................................... 284

Preface
The overwhelming dimension of human rights in the present global concept
demands an elaborate and thorough exposition of the subject. It is undeni-
ably a fact that most of the publications on human rights law are confined to
mere compilation or examination and elucidation of international conventions
or resolutions. As such, a crystallized analysis of the evolutionary aspects and
the issues of contemporary human rights remain more or less unexplained in
the relevant global literature. Recently, the developments in the global con-
cept of human rights, as well as in the domestic arena of each State, have
become so pervasive and overwhelming that one can hardly deny the impor-
tance and necessity of human rights in social development and, especially, law
and justice. The efforts of the United Nations to implement and enforce human
rights as a sine qua non of its determination to cater for world peace have been
prominently emphasized in all United Nations Organization programs. The
fundamental principle of saving mankind from the scourge of war has been
substantiated in recent times on equal footing with projecting the inalienable
rights of mankind. The contribution of a number of luminaries and experts on
human rights law have not only provided the foundation for the contents of
the present book, but also hopefully opened a new vista of human rights law
insight for the readers including students, teachers, lawyers, judges, scholars,
human rights activists, social development planners, politicians, governmental
official, and staff of international and non-governmental organizations. It is
our hope that this book will prove a milestone towards development of human
rights both for the present generation and the posterity.
Azizur Rahman Chowdhury
Md. Jahid Hossain Bhuiyan