Enhancing Access to Human Rights

In recent decades, the worldwide human rights movement has seemed to make progress in attempting to create support for its values. More governments have formally incorporated human rights principles into national law, and many countries have held elections that brought more democratic and pluralist regimes into power. This said, civil liberties and the foundations of multilateral co-operation have been set back by recent events. There is deep concern at the emergence of a more polarised and security-driven political environment since the attacks against the United States in September 2001. The progress of recent years can therefore be considered only partially successful.

At national level, many of those who have struggled to establish support for human rights are disillusioned to find that, even where new and democratically elected governments have been in power for some time, poor or otherwise marginalised communities remain sidelined and powerless, and in some cases appear to be even worse off than before. While their rights may be enshrined in international law and incorporated into new national laws and constitutions, they do not experience benefits from those rights. This has led human rights activists and organisations to ask themselves what else needs to be done, beyond law and legal reform, to ensure that rights and entitlements are available and accessible to all.

This report examines why so many people, sometimes including large groups, do not enjoy rights to which they are entitled, even when those rights are protected in law and when officials do not intentionally violate them.