"International human rights law (IHRL) is the body of international law designed to promote human rights on social, regional, and domestic levels."
This covers the international legal framework for the protection of human rights, including treaties and international courts that specialize in human rights issues.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights: This document defines fundamental human rights and is considered the cornerstone of international human rights law.
International Conventions and Treaties: International treaties, like the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights set out rights for individuals and establish an accountability framework for states to uphold these rights.
International Mechanisms for Human Rights Protection: The United Nations, Council of Europe, and Inter-American Commission on Human Rights are examples of institutions that have been created to promote and enforce human rights globally.
Human Rights Abuses and Violations: Understanding how human rights violations occur and the impact they have is a fundamental aspect of human rights education. Topics include police brutality, torture, gender discrimination, and persecution of minorities.
Human Rights Advocacy and Activism: It is essential to learn about strategies and techniques for advocating for human rights effectively, such as using social media, building coalitions, and campaigning.
Human Rights Education: Learning about human rights is critical, and human rights education is an important aspect of fostering awareness and respect for human rights.
The Role of Civil Society: Civil society, including non-governmental organizations, activists, and advocates, play an essential role in advancing human rights.
Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights: These are rights that protect people's quality of life, including access to food, water, shelter, and health care.
Political and Civil Rights: These cover rights that are considered essential for democratic societies, such as freedom of speech, assembly, and expression.
Human Rights and Development: Human rights and development are interconnected issues as economic and social progress can lead to significant human rights improvements, while human rights violations can hinder development prospects.
Human Trafficking: A significant human rights issue that warrants urgent attention, human trafficking involves the recruitment, transfer, and exploitation of individuals.
Refugees and Asylum Seekers: The rights and status of refugees and asylum seekers also fall under the umbrella of human rights law. Understanding international refugee law and the importance of humanitarian response mechanisms during humanitarian crises is an essential topic.
Discrimination: Discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and other characteristics is at the root of many human rights violations.
Humanitarian Law: Humanitarian law, also known as the law of war or international humanitarian law, is a set of rules that regulate the conduct of armed conflict and the protection of civilians during war.
Human Rights and Business: With businesses increasingly conducting operations in various countries of the world, it has become essential for companies to respect human rights in their operations, and this topic considers how businesses can play their role in promoting human rights and avoid complicity in human rights abuses.
Civil and Political Rights: These are rights that pertain to personal freedom, liberty, and security like the right to vote, freedom of speech, religion, and assembly, right to life, and freedom from arbitrary arrest.
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: These rights relate to economic and social security, such as the right to work, education, health care, and housing.
Universal Rights: These are the rights that are applicable to everyone, regardless of race, nationality, gender, or age, and include rights such as the right to equal treatment under the law, freedom from discrimination, and the right to privacy.
Children’s Rights: These are human rights that apply specifically to children, such as the right to education, protection from abuse, and the right to a family environment.
Women’s Rights: These rights are focused on addressing issues of gender-based discrimination, violence against women, reproductive rights, and the right to equal opportunities.
Indigenous Peoples’ Rights: These rights are specific to indigenous peoples, such as the right to self-determination, rights to lands and resources, and the right to maintain their cultural traditions.
Torture and Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CIDTP): These rights focus on protecting individuals from cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment, as well as torture.
Refugee Rights: These are the rights of refugees, including the right to seek asylum, the right to work, the right to education, and the right to freedom of movement.
Minority Rights: These rights are aimed at protecting the cultural rights of minority groups, including their language, religion, and customs.
Right to Development: This right focuses on ensuring that everyone has the ability to participate in economic, social, cultural and political development.
LGBT Rights: These are the rights that relate to sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, such as the right to equal treatment, protection from discrimination and violence, and the right to form a family.
Right to Food: This right focuses on ensuring that everyone has access to nutritious and adequate food.
Environmental Rights: These rights protect individuals’ access to clean water, air and soil, and the right to a healthy environment.
Right to Peace: This right focuses on promoting peace, preventing conflict, and protecting individuals from violence and war.
Right to Information: This right focuses on ensuring that individuals have access to information that affects them and their communities.
"International human rights law is primarily made up of treaties, agreements between sovereign states intended to have binding legal effect between the parties that have agreed to them; and customary international law."
"Other international human rights instruments, while not legally binding, contribute to the implementation, understanding and development of international human rights law and have been recognized as a source of political obligation."
"International human rights law, which governs the conduct of a state towards its people in peacetime, is traditionally seen as distinct from international humanitarian law which governs the conduct of a state during armed conflict."
"Although the two branches of law are complementary and in some ways overlap."
"A more systemic perspective explains that international humanitarian law represents a function of international human rights law."
"It includes general norms that apply to everyone at all time as well as specialized norms which apply to certain situations such as armed conflict."
"Specialized norms apply to certain groups of people including refugees (e.g., the 1951 Refugee Convention), children (the Convention on the Rights of the Child), and prisoners of war (the 1949 Third Geneva Convention)."
"The body of international law designed to promote human rights on social, regional, and domestic levels."
"Agreements between sovereign states intended to have binding legal effect between the parties that have agreed to them."
"Customary international law is a component of international human rights law."
"International human rights instruments contribute to the implementation, understanding, and development of international human rights law."
"Customary international law refers to the practices and beliefs that are considered legally binding for states, even if they are not explicitly stated in treaties."
"Treaties are agreements between sovereign states intended to have binding legal effect between the parties that have agreed to them."
"While not legally binding, other international human rights instruments contribute to the implementation, understanding, and development of international human rights law."
"Examples of international human rights instruments include treaties, agreements between sovereign states, and specialized conventions."
"While international human rights law governs the conduct of a state towards its people in peacetime, international humanitarian law governs the conduct of a state during armed conflict."
"Other international human rights instruments have been recognized as a source of political obligation."
"The two branches of law are complementary and, in some ways, overlap with each other."
"International humanitarian law includes norms that apply to certain situations such as armed conflict, state military occupation, and the treatment of prisoners of war."