Cecilia Tellis, Law LibrarianBrian Dickson Law Library

CML 3319 : Advanced Legal Research Methodology Winter 2011

Human Rights

Alan Fleichman, Brian Dickson Law Library

Outline What are human rights

– DefinitionInternational law of human rights

– Treaty law - International human rights instruments• Primary sources

- HR Instruments, treaties resolutions, declarations etc.– Human rights protection mechanisms

• Human rights monitoring- Primary sources

- Documentary sources - Case law

- Primary sources - UN– Secondary sources

- Handbooks, Encyclopedias – Journal articles, reports, Current awareness

Outline For more details on international & regional human rights

please refer to the following LibGuides:

Human Rights Human Rights in Canada International Criminal Law International Humanitarian Law (IHL)

What are human rights

Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status. We are all equally entitled to our human rights without discrimination. (OHCHR)

What are human rights

Principles:UniversalityEqualityNon-discrimination

International human rights are considered to be all : interrelated, interdependent and indivisible.(OHCHR)

What are human rights

Conflicts:

ex. Universality v. Cultural relativism

International law of human rights

Universal human rights are often expressed and guaranteed by law, in the forms of treaties, customary international law , general principles and other sources of international law.

International law of human rights

The United Nations General Assembly adopted of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) on 10 December 1948. The UDHR, together with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and its two Optional Protocols, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, form the so - called International Bill of Human Rights.

International law of human rights

A series of international human rights treaties and other instruments adopted since 1945 have conferred legal form on inherent human rights and developed the body of international human rights.

While international treaties and customary law form the backbone of international human rights law other instruments, such as declarations, guidelines and principles adopted at the international level contribute to its understanding, implementation and development.

International law of human rights

Through ratification of international human rights treaties governments undertake to put into place domestic measures and legislation compatible with their treaty obligations and duties. Where domestic legal proceedings fail to address human rights abuses, mechanisms and procedures for individual complaints or communications are available at the regional and international levels to help ensure that international human rights standards are indeed respected, implemented, and enforced at the local level.

International law of human rights

Most States have also adopted constitutions and other laws which formally protect basic human rights.

International law of human rightsSources:(OHCHR). Human Rights Instruments

-CHARTER OF THE UNITED NATIONS

-THE 9 CORE INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS INSTRUMENTS and their monitoring bodies -The UNIVERSAL HUMAN RIGHTS INSTRUMENTS -Conventions, Declarations and Other Instruments Found in General Assembly Resolutions (since 1946)

International law of human rightsOfficial treaty source United Nations Treaty Collection / Nations Unies Collection des

TraitésOfficial multilateral and bilateral treatiesU.N.T.S. citationStatus of Ratification, Derogations

International human rights protection mechanisms The United Nations system for the promotion and protection

of human rights is comprised of 2 main bodies :

UN Charter-based bodies including the Human Rights Council

Treaty-based bodiescreated under the core international human rights treaties and made up of independent experts mandated to monitor state parties' compliance with their treaty obligations.

IHRPM – Treaty-based bodiesTreaty-based bodies are created under the core international human rights treaties and made up of independent experts mandated to monitor State parties' compliance with their treaty obligations.

There are eight human rights treaty bodies that monitor implementation of the core international human rights treaties.

IHRPM – Treaty-based bodiesThe treaty bodies perform a number of functions in accordance with the provisions of the treaties that created them. These include:

Consideration of State parties' reports;Consideration of individual complaints or communications

IHRPM – Treaty-based bodies Consideration of state reports

When a country ratifies one of these treaties, it assumes a legal obligation to implement the rights recognized in that treaty. The country incurs an additional obligation to submit regular reports to the monitoring committee set up under that treaty on how the rights are being implemented. This system of human rights monitoring is common to most of the UN human rights treaties.

Consideration of individual complaints or communications some of the treaty bodies may perform additional monitoring functions through three other mechanisms: the inquiry procedure, the examination of inter-state complaints and the examination of individual complaints. Four of the Committees (CCPR, CERD, CAT and CEDAW) can, under certain conditions, receive petitions from individuals who claim that their rights under the treaties have been violated

IHRPM – Treaty-based bodies General comments

The Treaty bodies also publish general comments on the treaties and organize discussions on related themes

IHRPM – Treaty-based bodies tools

Tools to locate State Reports and Concluding Observations Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Ri

ghts - Human Rights by Country UN Treaty Body Database Bayefsky.com - The UN Human Rights Treaties Universal Human Rights Index University of Minnesota Human Rights Library

IHRPM – Charter based bodies Human Rights Council

The Human Rights Council examines, monitors, advises and publicly reports on human rights situations in specific countries (country mandates), or on major phenomena of human rights violations worldwide (thematic mandates).

Special Procedures of the Human Rights Councilmechanisms assumed by the Human Rights Council to address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all partsof the world.

UPR-Info.orgStarted in April 2008, the Universal Periodic Review is a process which involves a review of the human rights records of all 192 UN Member States once every four years.

IHRPM – Charter-based bodies monitoring tools Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Ri

ghts (OHCHR). Human Rights Bodies OHCHR. Country by Country OHCHR. Charter based bodies document search - database Universal Human Rights Index Universal Periodic Review. OHCHR. Documents by Country UPR Watch (Universal Periodic Review) Special Procedures. Country Mandates Special Procedures. Thematic mandates

Human Rights Monitoring – Non UN sourcesShadow reportsA shadow report is a document written by NGOs evaluating

government efforts to meet the obligations of a human rights treaty. Examples are :

Children's Rights Information Network (CRIN). Alternative reports

World Organisation Against Torture / Organisation Mondiale Contre la Torture

International Women's Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific. CEDAW Shadow Reports

CEDAW NGO Statements

Human Rights Monitoring – Non UN sourcesHuman Rights Violations reports Examples are : Amnesty International On-line FIDH-International Federation of Human Rights/Fédération Int

ernationale des Ligues des Droits de l'Homme Freedom House Human Rights Watch International Commission of Jurists U.S. Department of State, Human Rights Reports World Organisation Against Torture / Organisation Mondiale C

ontre la Torture

Regional Human Rights ProtectionInternational human rights instruments can be divided further

into regional instruments, which are restricted to states in a particular region of the world.See:

European Human Rights System Inter-American Human Rights System African Human Rights System ASEAN Human Rights System (emerging)

Case LawKey Print Reporters and Digests International Court of Justice Reports of judgments, advisory

opinions and orders = Recueil des arrets, avis consultatifs et ordonnances. ( Leyden , A.W. Sijthoff [1947- ]. GEN/KZ 214 .I57I.C.J. Reports (ONLINE AT ICJ)

The International criminal law reports / edited by Helen Malcolm & Rodney Dixon. Publisher London, UK : Cameron May, 2000- FTX Reserve K 5014.53 .I57

International Law Reports (London: Butterworth, 1950-). FTX General KZ 64 .A65 I.L.R.

Case LawKey Print Reporters and Digests International Legal Materials

PER./K 202 I573I.L.M.(ONLINE AT WESTLAW CANADA, HEINONLINE)

Case LawKey Print Reporters and Digests Other Jurisdictions European Human Rights Reports / Cour Européenne des

droits de l'hommeGEN/KJC 5132 .A52 E94 ; E.H.R.R.Eur. H.R. Rep. (Online at HUDOC http://cmiskp.echr.coe.int/tkp197/search.asp?skin=hudoc-en

Decisions and Reports-European Commission of Human Rights GEN/K 3236.2 .E962 Eur. Comm. H. R. / D. R.

Case Law - Online Butterworths Human Rights Cases (uOttawa Law School account required)

Butterworths Human Rights Cases reports landmark and interesting human rights decisions from international and national courts and tribunals that make a significant contribution to the way in which a particular right or freedom is interpreted or applied.

Netherlands Institute of Human Rights (SIM) Case Law These four databases CCPR, CAT, CERD, CEDAWcontain the case law of the United Nations human rights treaty monitoring bodies that provide for an individual complaints procedure. Oxford Reports of International Law (uOttawa resource)Oxford Reports on International Law is intended to be a single point of reference for all international law jurisprudence. Includes International Law in Domestic Courts, International Human Rights Law and decisions are linked to the Oxford Law Citator.

Case Law - Online International Court of Justice  

University of Minnesota Human Rights Library Search

UPR. Database of UPR recommendations

WorldLII. International Courts & Tribunals Library

International Labour OrganizationInternational Labour Organization (ILO)

Key UN specialized agency which seeks the promotion of social justice and internationally recognized human and labour rights.

International Labour Organization (ILO)Key databases: APPLISa database on the application of international labour

standards ILOLEXdatabase of International Labour Standards and

recommendations (including ratification information) LibSyndCommittee on Freedom of Association database NATLEXdatabase of national labour, social security and related

human rights legislation Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. An

nual Review database

Main UN databases AccessUN Internet version of the Readex Index to United

Nations Documents and Publications, which also contains some documents and links to sites for resources available on the United Nations Web site.

UN-I-QUE Designed to provide quick access to document symbols/sales numbers for UN materials (1946 onwards).

UNBISnet Official catalogue of the United Nations. United Nations Treaty Collection / Collection des traités

des Nations Unies Official UN multilateral and bilateral treaty site.

Main UN databasesUNBISnet Official catalogue of the United Nations.

Catalogue of United Nations(UN) documents and publications indexed by the UN Dag Hammarskjöld Library and the Library of the UN Office at Geneva. coverage 1979 -

full text resources in the six official languages of the UN (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish), including resolutions adopted by the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and the Security Council from 1946 -; treaties, declarations, decisions, state-party reports, concluding observations, NGO statements etc..

Notes - When applicable provides document source info – “official records”

Multiple indexes, Excellent subject access

Main UN databasesUNBISnet Official catalogue of the United Nations.

Voting records for all resolutions by the General Assembly 1st session (1946-) and the Security Council beginning with its 1st year (1946-).

Index to SpeechesCitations to speeches made in the General Assembly - 38th session (1983-), the Security Council - 38th year (1983-), the Economic and Social Council – (1983-) and the Trusteeship Council - 15th special session (1982-).

Main UN databases United Nations. Official Document System ODS ODS covers all types of

official United Nations documentation, beginning in 1993. Older UN documents are, however, added to the system on a daily basis. ODS also provides access to the resolutions of the General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council and the Trusteeship Council from 1946 onwards.

UN Member States on the Record. / Les États membres des Nations Unies Provides direct access to official documents reflecting the views of United Nations Member States.

United Nations Office of Legal Affairs. Audiovisual Library of International Law

Other UN Human Rights Reports databases

The UN Secretary General's Database on Violence against Women

United Nations. High Commissioner for Refugees. REFWORLD

NGO Human Rights Reports databases

Amnesty International Business & Human Rights Resource Centre CRIN. Children's Rights Law & Policy ESCR-Net Human Rights Watch Human Rights Impact Resource Centre - Resource Database IOM OIM International Organization for Migration. Migration Law Databa

se / Organisation internationale pour les migrations. Base de données du Droit international de la migration. / Organización internacional para las migraciones. Base de datosrelativa

Minority rights law. Minority Rights International University of Minnesota Human Rights Library

Key Journal Article databases

Foreign & International Law Resources Database (uOttawa resource) Harvard Research in International Law (uOttawa resource) HeinOnline(uOttawa resource)

Digital archives of legal information consisting of several full-text collections: The Law Journal Library - over 400 legal scholarly journals from inception.

Human Rights Catalogue (HRB) (-2010//) Indexes books, articles, reports, gov. docs, conferences, theses, on Canadian and international human rights & social justice. Comprehensive bibliography on the Canadian Charter & human rights legislation, law & policy. Full-text links to licensed and public access materials.

Key Journal Article databases

Index to Legal Periodicals FullText (uOttawa resource)Bibliographic database that cites articles written since 1982 from more than 600 legal periodicals, and indexes some 2000 law books per year. Full text of over 200 select periodicals, as far back as 1994.

Jurisquare (max users: 5) (uOttawa resource) Law Journal Library (uOttawa resource) Legal Scholarship Network(uOttawa resource)

Scholarly information related to law for legal, economics and business scholars and practitioners throughout the world. Max. 10 users.

Legaltrac(uOttawa resource) indexes about 800 major legal publications (from the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Ireland, Australia and New Zealand) such as law reviews,legal newspapers, bar association journals, and international legal journals.

Related Journal Article databases

Dissertations and Theses (Proquest) (uOttawa resource) Genderwatch (max users: 2) (uOttawa resource)

Scholarly articles, newspaper and magazine stories, government reports, etc., focusing on gender issues across a broad spectrum of subject areas, including education, health sciences, history, public policy, sociology and contemporary culture, gender and women's studies.

Labordoc Scholars Portal (uOttawa resource)

access to more than 7 000 individual journal titles with browsable tables of content SCOPUS(uOttawa resource) Siyanda (uOttawa resource) Slavery, abolition and social justice, 1490-2007 (uOttawa resource) Women's Studies International (max users: 5) (uOttawa resource) World News Digest ( Facts on file ) (uOttawa resource) PAIS International @ Scholars Portal (uOttawa resource) International Political Science Abstracts (IPSA) (max users: 4) (uOttawa resource)

Handbooks, Encyclopedias Handbooks Guide to international human rights practice. 4th ed. - Hannum

, Hurst (ed.).Excellent overview of international and regional complaints mechanisms

Research handbook on international human rights law - Joseph, Sarah ; McBeth, Adam (eds.).

Encyclopedias International human rights lexicon

- Marks, Susan (Susan R ) ; Clapham, Andrew Call Number: FTX Reserve K 3240 .M265 2005

Encyclopedia of human rights [electronic resource] - Forsythe, David P

Encyclopedia of genocide and crimes against humanity [electronic resource] - Shelton, Dinah

Online Guides Online Guides

ASIL. EISIL - Electronic Information System for International Law - Human Rights

ASIL Guide to Electronic Resources for International Law ASIL Guide to ASIL Guide to Electronic Resources for International Law. Int

ernational Human Rights University of Minnesota - Human Rights Library United Nations Dag Hammarskjöld Library. Human Rights Guide.

Key current awareness tools Human Rights Brief

http://www.wcl.american.edu/hrbrief/17/174.cfmDevelopments in international human rights and humanitarian law. Concise legal analysis of cutting edge human rights issues. Includes updates from the: International and Internationalized Criminal Courts, Regional Human Rights Systems, United Nations and NGOs.

Key current awareness tools International Human Rights Committee E-brief: Human Rights Watch (HRW) News War Crimes Prosecution Watch International Law In Brief ASIL Insights .

Key current awareness tools Blog PhD studies in human rights - William Schabas Website