Journals and Archives, Bibliography, Human Rights Web Sites
"The anti-abortionists scream about human rights of the
unborn, but don't the unborn have the human right to remain unborn" - vpr
A world in which human beings will enjoy freedom of speech and belief
and freedom from fear and want was proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common
people by the United Nations General Assembly on December 10, 1948. But, disregard and
contempt for human rights has only persisted and increased.
Universal Declaration on Human Rights
Following the Second World War and the horrific experiences of that struggle,
many nations set to creating the United Nations. The original Charter of the United
Nations contained a general statement on human rights.
The need for a more detailed and substantial statement on human rights was seen
and a Commission was established to create such a document. This commission wrote the
Universal Declaration on Human Rights which was adopted by General Assembly of the United
Nation on December 10, 1948.
This document was described as humanity's response to the death camps of the
Nazis, the countless refugees and the tortured prisoners-of-war.
In 1966 the United Nations adopted two further documents on human rights: the
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural
These covenants contain many of the rights asserted in the Universal Declaration
but they differ in that they are legally binding on those nations signing the
The first of these covenants declares that everyone has the right to: life;
freedom of thought; equal treatment in the courts; freedom of assembly; and no one shall
be subject to torture, slavery or forced labour.
The second declares that everyone has the right to: the enjoyment of just and
favorable work conditions; to form trade unions; an adequate standard of living;
education; and to take part in cultural life and enjoy the progress of science.
In 1989 a third covenant was added, the Convention of the Rights of the Child.
These four documents together comprise what is call the International Bill of Rights.
"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World
War IV will be fought with sticks and stones." - Albert Einstein
Some important dates in the evolution of human rights:
In 1215, the charter of English personal and political liberty was obtained from
King John which was called the Magna Carta.
In 1776, most of the British colonies in North America proclaimed their
independence from the British Empire in a document which still stirs feelings, and debate,
the U.S. Declaration of Independence. "We hold these truths to be self-evident; that
all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable
rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
In 1789, the people of France overthrew their monarchy and established the first French
Republic. Out of the revolution came the "Declaration of the Rights of Man."
In 1961, a group of lawyers, journalists, writers, and others, offended and
frustrated by the sentencing of two Portugese college students to twenty years in prison
for having raised their glasses in a toast to "freedom" in a bar, formed Appeal
for Amnesty, 1961. The appeal told the stories of six "prisoners of conscience"
from different countries and of different political and religious backgrounds, all jailed
for peacefully expressing their political or religious beliefs, and called on governments
everywhere to free such prisoners. The appeal set forth a simple plan of action, calling
for strictly impartial, non-partisan appeals to be made on behalf of these prisoners and
any who, like them, had been imprisoned for peacefully expressed beliefs. This appeal gave
birth to Amnesty International and the modern human rights movement.
In 1977, Amnesty International was awarded the Nobel Peace prize for its work.
In 1978, the Human Rights Watch was formed.
In Germany, the Nazis first came for the communists, and I did not
speak up, because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak
up, because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak
up, because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I did not
speak up, because I was not a Catholic. Then they came for me... and by that time, there
was no one to speak up for anyone. - Martin Niemoeller, Pastor
Early proponents of human rights were:
- English philosopher John Stuart Mill, his essay on Liberty,
- American political theorist Thomas Paine, his essay, The Rights of Man,
- American essayist and poet, Henry David Thoreau. His essay on civil disobedience
(1849), which argued the right of the individual to refuse to pay taxes when conscience
dictates, influenced Mahatma Gandhi's policy of passive resistance.
Journals and Archives
Amnesty: the journal of the British section of Amnesty International
Amnesty International newsletter
Butterworths human rights cases
Commonwealth human rights law digest
The international journal of childrens rights
International journal on minority and group rights
European human rights law review
European human rights reports
Human rights case digest
Human rights law journal
Human rights quarterly
International human rights reports
International journal of human rights
Journal of human rights law and practice
Rights and humanity: the journal of rights and humanity
Study series, United Nations. Centre for Human Rights
Update: Human Rights Watch
99-119 Rosebery Avenue, London EC1R 4RG
Tel: 020 7814 6200 - Email: firstname.lastname@example.org
Amnesty information for the period 1961-1993
Marylebone Information Service
109-117 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5PF
British Institute of Human Rights
Kings College London, Strand, London WC2R 2LS
Tel: 020 7 873 2352, Email: email@example.com, - bihr.org/
International Law Association
Charles Clore House, 17 Russell Square, London WC1B 5DR, Tel: 020 7323 2978
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights: Chronology of Events
UN site giving a detailed chronology of human rights events with hot links to the texts of
fundamental human rights documents.
Project Diana - Online human rights archive at Yale Law School.
Newsletter of the World Conference against Racism
Newsletter of the World Conference against Racism, which briefs member States, NGOs,
national institutions, UN bodies and civil society about the preparations for the
conference taking place in Durban, South Africa, from 31 August to 7 September 2001.
Amnesty International - amnesty.org/
Anti-slavery - antislavery.org/
Association for the Prevention of Torture - apt.ch/
EarthRights International - earthrights.org/
The Global Alliance against Traffic in Women - inet.co.th/org/gaatw
Human Rights Watch - hrw.org/
Commission on Human Rights - unhchr.ch/html/menu2/2/chr.htm
Committee Against Torture - unhchr.ch/html/menu2/6/cat.htm
Committee on Economic, Social & Cultural Rights - unhchr.ch/html/menu2/6/cescr.htm
Committee on Elimination of Discrimination against Women -
Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination - unhchr.ch/html/menu2/6/cerd.htm
Committee on the Rights of the Child - unhchr.ch/html/menu2/6/crc.htm
Council of Europe Human Rights Web - humanrights.coe.int/
Directorate General of Human Rights (DGII) - coe.int/T/E/Human_rights/
European Court of Human Rights - echr.coe.int/
Human Rights Committee - unhchr.ch/html/menu2/6/hrc.htm
International Court of Justice - icj-cij.org/
Property and Human Rights: A Paradox by Willem Grosheide - Gathering together essays by leading commentators, Professor
Willem Grosheide's timely book offers an excellent overview of the many significant
questions of social and legal policy that emerge at interface between intellectual
property and human rights. The relationship between intellectual property and human rights
is, or should be, central to the thinking of everyone concerned with some of the most
profound problems with which individual nations and the international community must now
contend - including scientific, technological, and cultural development, public health,
access to culture, education, freedom of expression, rights of indigenous peoples and the
rights of creative workers. Providing a range of views on the human rights implications of
intellectual property law and policy, this collection makes a valuable contribution to
current debates on these critically important issues.' - Graeme Austin, University of
Arizona, US In the modern era where the rise of the knowledge economy is accompanied, if
not facilitated, by an ever-expanding use of intellectual property rights, this timely
book provides a much needed explanation to the relationship between intellectual property
law and human rights law. The contributors promote the view that this relationship should
be central to the analysis of many of the profound problems that nation states and the
international community encounter today, be they scientific, technological or cultural.
The book is divided into sections covering the law and its trends, IP rights as human
rights and human rights as restrictions to IP rights. This stimulating book will appeal to
academics, postgraduate students, national and international public authorities and those
involved with international organisations in the fields of intellectual property law and
human rights law.
Woodiwiss, A. Globalization, human rights and labour law in Pacific Asia
Cambridge University Press, 1998. Described as "the first substantive contribution to
a sociology of human rights", this book looks at cultural values in opposition to
human rights, and sets these in the context of transnationalism. Pacific Asia serves as a
model, with specific reference to the Philippines, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore.
Indexed and with bibliography.
Richards, D.A.J. Identity and the case for gay rights: race, gender, religion as analogies
University of Chicago Press, 1999. Sociological analysis exploring the issue of gay
identity in the context of precedents involving race, gender and religious toleration.
Argues for the adoption of antisexist principles and free moral personality.
Poulter, S. Ethnicity, law and human rights
Clarendon, 1998. Ethnically heterogeneous character of modern nations ensures that
minority rights form an increasingly important item on the political agenda. Situation in
the UK from religious, legal and cultural perspectives, citing the experiences of
groups such as Gypsies and Sikhs. Indexed and with a bibliography.
Ghandhi, P.R. (ed) Blackstones international human rights documents
Blackstone Press, 2000. Texts of the principal human rights documents.
Kaushal, R. Women and human rights in India
Kaveri Books, 2000. Study which addresses the plight of large numbers of Indian women,
detailing the human rights violations suffered by them despite existing constitutional
provisions and guarantees. Includes the texts of relevant legislation. Indexed and with a
Iyer, S. The struggle to be human: womens human rights 2000
Books for Change, 1999. Human rights violations against women in India.
Alfredsson, G. and Eide, A. (eds) The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: a common
standard of achievement
Kluwer, 1999. Explaining its origins and looking at each article. Contains an extensive
Dunne, T. and Wheeler, N.J. Human rights in global politics
CUP, 1999. Seeks to address the dichotomy between the global acceptance of human rights in
theory, and the denial of those rights in practice. Theories of universal human rights and
the issue of human rights in relation to such groups as women, refugees and the media.
Savic, O. The politics of human rights
Verso,1999. Essays written by influential thinkers, which seek to define human rights as a
universal concept, but with particular emphasis on the Yugoslavian experience. A view of
human rights from the standpoint of political philosophy.
Shelton, D. Remedies in international human rights law
OUP, 1999. The development of international human rights law and institutions and the
procedures used to achieve remedies and redress. Indexed, and with a bibliography.
Johnson, M.G. and Symonides, J. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: a history of
its creation and implementation
1948-1998, UNESCO, 1998. Looks at the personalities and the work involved in its drafting,
and its eventual impact, with special emphasis on the contribution of UNESCO. A
bibliography of relevant publications.
Gorman, R.F. and Mihalkanin, E.S. Historical dictionary of human rights and humanitarian
Scarecrow, 1997. A concise listing of human rights and humanitarian organizations
private and governmental, national and international including grassroots
activists and mainstream institutions. Has a useful introduction which traces the concept
of human rights back to its roots, providing a good starting point for new researchers.
Includes a detailed bibliography.
Robertson, D. A dictionary of human rights
Europa, 1997. A collection of texts of the major human rights documents from Magna Carta,
1215 to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989. For a quick grasp of basic issues
in human rights discourse".
Lawson, E. [compiled by ] Encyclopedia of human rights
Taylor & Francis, 1996 2nd ed. Provides short bibliographies at the end of each
significant entry. Two appendices list international instruments concerned with human
rights, and give the status of international human rights conventions.
Gibson, J.S. Dictionary of international human rights law
Scarecrow, 1996. Sources, definitions, landmarks and cross references for 64 rights in
international treaties and four "declared" rights. A brief historical
account of each right is also given. Includes a bibliography.
Henkin, L. The age of rights
Columbia University Press, 1990. Human rights has won universal acceptance. However,
individual societies may have different concepts of what such rights entail. Looks at
human rights theory in three contexts: on the international scene, in the United States;
and "here and there". The impact of competing ideologies is also explored.
Indexed and with bibliographical notes.
Friedman, J.R. and Sherman, M.I. (eds) Human rights: an international and comparative law
Greenwood, 1985. A multilingual bibliography providing 4,306 citations from world-wide
sources in the fields of human rights, international law and comparative law. Organised in
two sections: rights and institutions, the bibliography aims to
encompass both substantive and procedural aspects of the international law of
human rights and to provide a wide-ranging comparative perspective. There are author and
Hannom, H. (ed) Guide to international human rights practice, Macmillan, 1984.
A practical guide to international human rights practice, this publication
consists of a series of essays which attempt a broad overview of aspects of human rights
law such as protection through the UN system.
Brownlie, I. Basic documents on human rights
Clarendon Press, 1981. Texts of the fundamental human rights documents created by the
United Nations and other international organizations. Bibliographies and explanatory notes
provide references for further research. Indexed.
Childrens rights: reality or rhetoric
International Save the Children Alliance, 2000.
The subject of childrens rights, setting out the history of the UN Convention on the
Rights of the Child, and looking in detail at particular issues such as child soldiers and
child labour. Analysis of a number of countries is also made, with an eye to ascertaining
progress over the last ten years.
Detrick, S. A commentary on the UN convention on the rights of the child
Nijhoff, 1999 Notes on its drafting history. Indexed and with a bibliography
Kilkelly, U. The child and the European convention on human rights
Dartmouth, 1999. Detailed thematic examination of the European convention as it relates to
children, with examples from case law which are of particular use to legal practitioners.
Indexed and with a bibliography.
Convention on the Rights of the Child: 2nd report by the United Kingdom
Stationery Office, 1999. Government action undertaken by the United Kingdom in fulfilment
of the provisions of the Convention to which it is a signatory.
Douglas, G. and Sebba, L. (eds) Childrens rights and traditional values
Ashgate, 1998. Essays dealing with the conflict inherent in traditional versus
international concepts of childrens rights in several cultures, viewed from the
legal perspective. Has bibliographical notes.
Van Bueren, G. (ed) International documents on children
Nijhoff, 1998. Series of significant texts on children, organised by subject. Protocols,
Treaties, Recommendations and Resolutions adopted by international organizations with
other relevant material such as non-binding Declarations.
Mower, A.G. Jr. The Convention on the Rights of the Child: international law support for
Greenwood, 1997. The background to the drawing up of the Convention on the Rights of the
Child and comments on its substance and the way in which its provisions have been
implemented. Indexed and with a bibliography.
Freeman, M. (ed) Childrens rights: a comparative perspective
Dartmouth, 1996. Essays, discusses the implications of the United Nations Convention on
the Rights of the Child in relation to a number of different countries including England,
Japan, Russia and Mozambique.
John, M. (ed) Children in our charge: the childs right to resources
Jessica Kingsley, 1996. Dedicated to childrens rights, deals with the issues
including those of education, health, and new technology and in the context of various
political systems. Indexed, and with bibliographical references.
Verhellen, E. (ed) Monitoring childrens rights
Nijhoff, 1996. Childrens rights progress from every perspective. The dichotomy
between the attention paid to childrens rights legislation and the widespread
violation of those rights in practice is identified, and a case made for careful
monitoring of the
situation at international, regional and sub-national level. Indexed.
LeBlanc, L.L. The convention on the rights of the child: UN lawmaking on human rights
University of Nebraska Press, 1995. The UN Convention, describing its origins and
background and offering an account of its drafting and ratification. Definitions of
childrens rights as well as details of the Committee on the Rights of the Child and
workings. Indexed and with a bibliography.
Van Bueren, G. The international law on the rights of the child
Nijhoff, 1995. The rights of the child including definitions, childrens rights in
particular circumstances such as juvenile justice, disablement, armed conflict and
education, and traces the history of childrens rights through a number of human
rights instruments. Indexed and with bibliographical notes.
Rogers, W.S. and Roche, J. Childrens welfare and childrens rights: a practical
guide to the law
Hodder, 1994 UK. How the legal system operates in the wake of the Children Act. Indexed
and with a bibliography.
Roulstone, A. Enabling technology: disabled people, work and new technology 1998
Open University Press, 1998. Disabled people and their experiences with new technology.
Technology policy should be seen alongside other access issues as a fundamental human
Degener, T. and Koster-Dreese, Y. (eds) Human rights and disabled persons: essays and
relevant human rights instruments
Nijhoff, 1995. Essays addressing the legal framework which supports the human rights of
disabled persons, and presenting all the relevant covenants, rules and instruments.
Doyle, B. Disability, discrimination and equal opportunities: comparative study of the
employment rights of disabled persons
Mansel, 1995. Disabled persons employment rights in Britain, the European Community,
the US, Canada and Australia and assesses the way in which disability discrimination
operates. A debate upon how the existing law can be enforced and new laws
promulgated. Indexed and with a bibliography.
Implementation of the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons: report of the
United Nations, 1994. Implementation of the programme and the formulation of a long-term
strategy for disabled persons.
Despouy, L. Human rights and disabled persons
United Nations, 1993. The legal issues respecting disabled people and the particular
problems that face them. National and international responses are scrutinised, and ways to
improve the situation and to educate.
Driedger, D. The last civil rights movement: Disabled Peoples International
Hurst, 1989. The fight of disabled people for recognition of their rights in the post-war
period, and in particular of their attempts at organization on both the national and
international level. Contains notes and a bibliography.
Howse, R. and Matua, M. Protecting human rights in a global economy: challenges for the
World Trade Organization
Rights & Democracy, 2000. Evaluation of how trade liberalisation may affect human
rights in the context of the burgeoning global economy and the efforts of the WTO to
Addo, M.K. Human rights standards and the responsibility of transnational corporations
Kluwer, 1999. An investigation of the transnational corporation and its human rights
obligations, focusing on codes of ethics in the fields of arms export, tourism and other
social issues, the legal status of large companies and how to regulate them. Case studies
provide examples of the potential conflict between commercial activity and human rights.
With bibliographical notes.
Liberty (ed) Liberating cyberspace: civil liberties, human rights and the Internet 1999
Pluto Press, 1999. Essays which debate the question of free speech and censorship on the
Meyer, W. H. Human rights and international political economy in Third World Companies:
multinational corporations, foreign aid and repression
Praeger, 1998. Whether corporations violate the rights of people living in the Third
World, and how they do so. Foreign investment, and the roles of foreign and multinational
corporations. Indexed and with a bibliography.
Weeramantry, C.G. Justice without frontiers: protecting human rights in the age of
technology Vol 2
Kluwer, 1998. The increasing tension between scientific power and human rights, with
particular emphasis on computers, nuclear weapons and energy, genetic engineering and
medicine. Scrutinises the efficacy of codes of professional ethics as safeguards,
and looks towards the hope of a more humanistic science. With bibliographical
Falk, R. On humane governance: towards a new global politics
Polity Press,1995. Postulates a movement towards geogovernance and questions
how this trend can be rendered more humane and people-centred. Indexed, and with
Mahoney, K.E. and Mahoney, P. Human rights in the 21st century: a global challenge
Nijhoff, 1993. Human rights topics including mass communications, development and
womens issues. It stresses the "interdependence of legal, social, economic and
environmental problems which transcend national and international boundaries."
Indexed and with some bibliographical notes.
Weeramantry, C.G. (ed) The impact of technology on human rights: global case-studies
UN University Press, 1993. Essays which look at the impact upon society of recent advances
in technology and their implications for human rights in a number of countries, including
Ethiopia, Thailand and Poland. Contains bibliographical notes.
Defending the earth: abuses of human rights and the environment
Human Rights Watch, 1992. Of abuses of the environment and the rights of those peoples
attempting to draw attention to them.
Weeramantry, C.G. (ed) Human rights and scientific and technological development
United Nations University, 1990. Essays commissioned by the United Nations University
which look at the potential threats to human rights caused by scientific and technological
advance such as, for example, medical experimentation, electronic intrusion into privacy
and destruction of the environment.
Cherry, M.J. (ed) Persons and their bodies: rights, responsibilities, relationships
Kluwer, 1999. Essays which view the body from a philosophical standpoint, and which seek
to establish rights and responsibilities in the context of bioethics. Indexed, with notes
McLean, S. Old law, new medicine: medical ethics and human rights
Rivers Oram, 1999. Human rights in relation to reproduction and abortion; and also with
such issues as infant disablement and treatment of the dying. Indexed, and with
Alfredsson, G. and Tomasevski, K. (eds) A thematic guide to documents on health and human
Nijhoff, 1998. Human rights health standards, grouped according to subject and covering
such issues as public health, HIV/AIDS, protection against health hazards, and access to
Gostin, L.O. and Lazzarini, Z. Human rights and public health in the AIDS pandemic
Oxford University Press, 1997. Looks at the threat posed to affected persons by measures
taken in the name of public health, and investigates the vulnerability to infection of
groups such as women and children in circumstances where their basic human rights are
inadequately protected. A number of case studies illustrate potential dilemmas. Indexed
and with a bibliography.
Brody, E. Biomedical technology and human rights
Dartmouth, 1993. Health and its relationship to international human rights. Aspects of
reproductive technology, gene manipulation, euthanasia and transplantation. Attitudes to
human rights in the culture of science and technology.
Sieghart, P. AIDS and human rights: a UK perspective
British Medical Association Foundation for AIDS, 1989. Introduction to the issues involved
in the conflict of interest between halting the spread of AIDS, and human rights. Indexed,
and with bibliographical notes.
Flood, P.J. The effectiveness of UN human rights institutions
Praeger, 1998. UN human rights institutions and their activities, their strengths and
weaknesses. Explores the ways in which UN mechanisms operate, and conclusions are drawn as
to their effectiveness. With bibliographical notes.
Havemann, P. (ed) Indigenous peoples rights in Australia, Canada & New Zealand
OUP, 1999. Essays which examine many aspects of indigenous rights in these countries,
including the setting up and administering of mechanisms to achieve the desired changes,
the history of such attempts and the politicising of injustices.
Guiraudon, V. International human rights norms and their incorporation: the
protection of aliens in Europe - European University Institute, European Forum, 1998 (EUI
working paper EUF. no.98/4)
Miller, D.H. Freedom to differ: the shaping of the gay and lesbian struggle for civil
New York University Press, 1998. Events in the US political arena which demonstrate the
difficulties experienced by gay men and lesbians in achieving civil rights. The author
identifies the complex prejudices underlying discrimination and challenges the exclusion
of such groups from the ordinary rights of citizenship. Indexed and with a bibliography
Pritchard, S. (ed) Indigenous peoples, the United Nations and human rights
Zed Books, 1998. UNs human rights system and its relevance to the needs of
indigenous peoples. Indexed and with a bibliography.
Akermark, A.S. Justifications of minority protection in international law
Kluwer Law International, 1997. Theoretical framework from the origins of minority rights
in the League of Nations to its development under the UN, the Council of Europe and the
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. With a bibliography.
Cholewinski, R. Migrant workers in international human rights law
Clarendon, 1997. How migrant workers have traditionally received less protection from the
international community than refugees. Provides a case study which looks at migrant
workers and their families in Europe. With bibliography.
de Villiers, B. (ed) The rights of indigenous peoples: a quest for coexistence
HSRC, 1997. The rights of indigenous peoples in Canada, Australia and in a number of
African states. The contributors are all natives of the countries discussed, enabling them
to speak with "inside" authority.
Shapiro, I. and Kymlicka, W. Ethnicity and group rights
New York University Press, 1997. Exploring ethnicity and group rights, the idea of
toleration and the dynamics of inclusion and exclusion are then described in a selection
of countries, and also in the context of gay politics.
de Varennes, F. Language, minorities and human rights
Nijhoff, 1996. Looks at state and international approaches to language and freedom of
expression and demonstrates how these can result in human rights infringements.
Opalski, M. and Dutkiewicz, P. (eds) Ethnic minority rights in Central Eastern Europe
Canadian Human Rights Foundation, 1996. Surveying the ethnic minorities in the countries
of the region concerned, giving a brief demographic and historical account of their
situation, and evaluating their existing rights.
Esman, M.J. and Telhami, S. International organizations and ethnic conflict
Cornell University Press, 1995. The role of international organizations after the second
world war, specifically with regard to their interventions in Lebanon and Yugoslavia. The
way in which the prevailing norm of the inviolability of state sovereignty conflicts with
the needs of ethnic minorities. Indexed and with a bibliography
Rupesinghe, K. Ethnic conflict and human rights
UN University, 1994. Papers from an international seminar focusing on ethnic conflict and
its impact on human rights and conflict resolution. Northern Ireland, South Africa,
Nicaragua and Sri Lanka are the principal areas discussed.
Deng, F.M. Protecting the dispossessed: a challenge for the international community
Brookings Institution, 1993. The plight of internally displaced persons. Looks in detail
at the situations in Yugoslavia, Russia, Somalia, The Sudan, El Salvador and Cambodia and
considers the appropriateness of the international response.
Rupesinghe, K. and Verstappen, B. Ethnic conflict and human rights in Sri Lanka: an
annotated bibliography Volume 1
Zell, for the International Peace Research Institute, 1989. Annotated bibliography which
tackles all aspects of human rights in the region, including the effects of Sinhala and
Tamil nationalism, freedom of the person and speech, legislation and collective violence.
Rupesinghe, K., Verstappen, B. and Philip, A.S . Volume 2: 1989-1992, Zell, 1993
Crawford, J. (ed) The rights of peoples
Clarendon, 1992. Makes a distinction between the rights of groups and those of individuals
and questions how far the needs of both reinforce or are incompatible with each other.
Topics covered are the rights of indigenous peoples, cultural rights, and the
status of group rights in international law.
Thornberry, Dr.P. Minorities and human rights law
Minority Rights Group, 1991. An useful introduction to the topic of minority rights, set
in the context of human rights law.
Korey, W. NGOs and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Macmillan, 1998. The role of nongovernmental organizations and their involvement in human
Power, J. Amnesty International: the human rights story
McGraw-Hill, 1981. The creation of Amnesty International and its attempts to counter human
rights abuses in a number of countries, including Tanzania and the USSR.
Gustafson, C. and Juviler, P. (eds) Religion and human rights: competing claims?
Sharpe, 1999. Essays which investigate the compatibility of human rights and religious
systems in the light of religion's ambiguous relationship to the rights of
women, the protection of the environment, and the imposition of criminal justice.
Mayer, A.E. Islam and human rights: tradition and politics
Westview, 1999. Islamic human rights schemes and their relationship to women,
non-Muslims, and others, emphasising the complexity of religious tradition in the Islamic
world. Indexed and with bibliographical notes.
Price, D.E.Islamic political culture, democracy and human rights
Praeger, 1999. The political culture of a wide cross-section of Muslim states and the
effect of Islam upon democracy and human rights. The results tend to contradict
traditional assumptions. Indexed and with a bibliography.
de Bary, W.T. Asian values and human rights: a Confucian communitarian perspective
Harvard University Press, 1998. Study of Chinese human rights issues which seeks to
reconcile Confucianism with libertarian concepts of the individual, and suggests ways in
which Confucian values and programmes can help authoritarian regimes to evolve into more
liberal forms of government.
de Bary, W.T. and Weiming, T. (eds) Confucianism and human rights
Columbia University Press, 1998. Essays focusing on the Chinese philosophical tradition
and its relationship to the concept of human rights, seen from the perspective of the
Cultural revolution as well as other historical epochs.
John, J. (ed) Human rights and the churches
World Council of Churches, 1998. Texts issued by the ecumenical movement.
Keown, D.V. et al (ed) Buddhism and human rights
Curzon, 1998. Papers originally presented at a conference sponsored by the Journal of
Buddhist Ethics, this book questions the appropriateness of the term human
rights in the context of Buddhism. The authors look at Buddhist tradition and
philosophy, particularly in the light of the political situation in Tibet. Contains
Plantak, Z. The silent church: human rights and Adventist social ethics
Macmillan, 1998. Seventh-day Adventist history, ethics and religious beliefs in an attempt
to explain inconsistencies in the churchs attitude to human rights.
Silvennoinen, S. and Suksi, M.(eds) Human rights and religion: the case of the Sudan
Institute for Human Rights, 1997. Human rights abuses in the Sudan, and looks at the
potential conflict between certain interpretations of Islam and human rights discourse.
Bloom, I. et al (eds) Religious diversity and human rights
Columbia University Press, 1996. Essays covering the relationship between a variety of
religions and the human rights of particular groups. Exploring the philosophical and
cultural aspects of the debate, questioning the ways in which the individual is
conceptualised in different belief systems. Indexed and with bibliographical notes.
Witte, J. and van der Vyver, J.D. (eds) Religious human rights in a global perspective
M. Nijhoff, c1996. Human rights from the religious perspective. This encompasses both
religious human rights and the attitudes of particular faiths to the human rights issue
Breslauer, S.D. Judaism and human rights in contemporary thought: a bibliographical survey
Greenwood Press, 1993. Summarises the subject of Judaism and human rights theory. A
classified listing follows which investigates, among other topics, human rights and the
Holy writings, and the attitude of Judaism to both general and specific human rights
Formicola, J.R. The Catholic Church and human rights: its role in the formulation of US
Garland, 1988. The influence of the Catholic church in the United States in the formative
post-war years, and of its attitude to international human rights. With a bibliography.
Fenster, T. (ed) Gender, planning and human rights
Routledge, 1999. Looks at human rights from an unusual perspective, arguing that
violations of womens rights stem from their lack of freedom to "move in
space" due to physical and emotional imprisonment within the home. Case studies
in the developed and the developing world, and focus upon how the planning process is
crucial to womens progress.
Fox, D. and Hasci, N. (eds) The challenges of womens activism and human rights in
Edwin Mellen, 1999. Examine the cultural background of womens rights, and the
recognition of those rights as human rights issues per se. A look at the challenges faced
by womens rights organizations in a number of African countries, including Morocco,
South Africa and Uganda.
Petchesky, R.P. and Judd, K. (eds) Negotiating reproductive rights: womens
perspectives across countries and cultures
Zed, 1998. Essays look at a number of communities in the developing countries,
investigating such issues as patriarchal attitudes and traditions, and the impact on
womens reproductive choices of modernisation and sexual taboos.
Afkhami, M. (ed) Faith and freedom: womens human rights in the Muslim world
Tauris, 1995. Essays which scrutinise aspects of womens human rights experience in a
number of Muslim states and which discuss and document the politics of gender in these
societies and the efforts of womens groups to gain a voice.
Alfredsson, G. and Tomasevski, K. (eds) A thematic guide to documents on the human rights
Nijhoff, 1995. Legal texts grouped together according to subject-matter.
Cook, R.J. Womens health and human rights
World Health Organization, 1994. This is a lawyers view of womens
health rather than that of a medical practitioner. The book takes a close look at
international human rights treaties, with an eye to their implications for womens
health in those countries which have signed up to them. Has bibliographical notes.
Universal Declaration on Human Rights and General Assembly