Disability in International Human Rights Law

Human Rights Law ◽

Legal Subject ◽

Human Rights Treaties ◽

International Human ◽

International Instruments

This book examines what international human rights law has gained from the new elements in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons (CRPD). It explores how the CRPD is intricately bound up with other international instruments by studying the relationship between the Convention rights and those protected by other human rights treaties as well as the overall objectives of the UN. Using a social model lens on disability, the book shows how the Convention sheds new light on the very notion of human rights. In order to so, the book provides a theoretical framework which explicitly integrates disability into international human rights law. It explains how the CRPD challenges the legal subject by drawing attention to distinct forms of embodiment, before introducing the idea of the ‘dis-abled subject’ stemming from a recognition that all individuals encounter disability-related issues in the course of their lives. The book also examines how to apply this theoretical framework to a number of rights and highlights the consequences for the implementation of human rights treaties as a whole. It not only builds upon available literature straddling different fields, which include disability studies and legal and political theory, but also draws upon the recommendations of treaty bodies and reports of UN agencies as well as disabled people’s organisations. The book provides an agenda-setting analysis for all human rights experts by inviting them to appreciate the benefits of placing disabled people at the heart of international human rights law.

The Idea of International Human Rights Law

10.1093/oso/9780198749844.001.0001 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Steven Wheatley

Keyword(s):

Human Rights ◽

International Law ◽

Human Rights Law ◽

Fragmentation Of International Law

Moral Concept ◽

Customary International Law ◽

Human Rights Treaties ◽

International Human ◽

International Human Rights Law has emerged as an academic subject in its own right, separate from, but still related to, International Law. This book explains the distinctive nature of the new discipline by examining the influence of the moral concept of human rights on general international law. Rather than make use of moral philosophy or political theory, the work explains the term ‘human rights’ by examining its usage in international law practice, on the understanding that words are given meaning through their use. Relying on complexity theory to make sense of the legal practice in the United Nations, the core human rights treaties, and customary international law, The Idea of International Human Rights Law shows how a moral concept of human rights emerged, and then influenced the international law doctrine and practice on human rights, a fact that explains the fragmentation of international law and the special nature of International Human Rights Law.

The Fallacy of Effective Human Rights Protection under Relevant Treaty Law when Armed Groups Commit Violations

10.1093/oso/9780198821946.003.0007 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Tilman Rodenhäuser

Keyword(s):

Human Rights ◽

Human Rights Violations ◽

Human Rights Law ◽

Armed Groups ◽

Human Rights Protection ◽

Rights Protection ◽

Human Rights Treaties ◽

Chapter 5 adds to the contemporary discourse on human rights obligations of non-state armed groups by showing that in many situations, there is a clear legal need for these obligations. This chapter first engages in the debate on whether and to what extent certain human rights treaties address armed groups directly. Second, it shows that under the law of state responsibility, states are generally not responsible for human rights violations committed by non-state entities. Third, it recalls that under international human rights law, states have an obligation to protect human rights against violations committed by armed groups. However, it argues that because this cannot be a strict obligation but is one that depends on states’ capacities and the particular circumstances, often this framework cannot adequately protect individuals against human rights violations by armed groups. The result is a legal and practical need for human rights obligations of non-state armed groups.

The Holy See and Children’s Rights: International Human Rights Law and Its Ghosts

Nordic Journal of International Law ◽

10.1163/15718107-08401003 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 84 (1) ◽

pp. 59-88

Author(s):

Ntina Tzouvala

Keyword(s):

Human Rights ◽

Child Abuse ◽

Human Rights Law ◽

Legal Subject ◽

Holy See ◽

Rights Of The Child ◽

Vatican City ◽

The revelation of a series of child abuse incidents committed by Catholic priests and other members of religious orders has given rise to the question of establishing the responsibility of the Holy See for these acts under international human rights law. This article focuses on the report issued in 2014 by the Committee on the Rights of the Child, the monitoring body of the Convention of the Rights of the Child (crc). It is argued that in order to fulfil this task we need to take three steps: first, to establish the relationship between the Vatican City state and the Hole See, a distinct and peculiar international legal subject. To do so, a historical account of the Holy See and its position within the fabric of international law is considered necessary. Secondly, this article argues that the crc was ratified by the Holy See both in its capacity as the government of the Vatican City and as a non-territorial legal subject. Hence, the application of the crc is not confined within the limited territory of the Vatican City, but ‘follows’ the authority of the Holy See irrespective of state borders. Thirdly, it is argued that the vertical, hierarchical structure of the Holy See is homologous to that of the modern state and, therefore, attribution rules can be applied by analogy in this case. The final conclusion is that it is possible to hold the Holy See responsible under the crc for acts of child abuse that occurred under its authority around the globe.

Part III Structural Principles, Ch.14 Human Dignity

The Oxford Handbook of International Human Rights Law ◽

10.1093/law/9780199640133.003.0015 ◽

2013 ◽

Author(s):

Carozza Paolo G

Keyword(s):

Human Rights ◽

Human Dignity ◽

Universal Declaration ◽

Human Rights Law ◽

Structural Principles ◽

International Human ◽

The Right ◽

International Instruments

This article examines the issue of human dignity in relation to human rights. It analyses the functions and principle of human dignity and its use in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international instruments. It suggests that human dignity seems to help justify expansive interpretations of human rights and strengthens the centrality and importance of the right in question and limiting possible exceptions or limitations to that right. This article also contends that the difficulty of reaching greater consensus on the meaning and implications of human dignity in international human rights law may be attributed to the fact that it refers to both a foundational premise of human rights and to a principle that affect interpretation and application of specific human rights.

International Human Rights Law and the Response to the covid-19 Pandemic

Journal of International Humanitarian Legal Studies ◽

10.1163/18781527-bja10004 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 249-269

Author(s):

Sarah Joseph

Keyword(s):

Human Rights ◽

Political Rights ◽

Human Rights Law ◽

Cultural Rights ◽

Human Rights Treaties ◽

International Human ◽

Civil And Political Rights ◽

Do So

Abstract States have duties under Article 12(2)(c) of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to prevent, control and treat covid-19. Implementation of these three obligations is analysed, taking account of countervailing human rights considerations. Regarding prevention, lockdowns designed to stop the spread of the virus are examined. Control measures are then discussed, namely transparency measures, quarantine, testing and tracing. The human rights compatibility of treatment measures, namely the provision of adequate medical and hospital care (or the failure to do so), are then examined. Finally, derogations from human rights treaties in times of pubic emergency are discussed.

Theory and Evidence Regarding the Effectiveness of Human Rights Treaties

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics ◽

10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.013.544 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Daniel W. Hill, Jr.

Keyword(s):

Human Rights ◽

International Law ◽

Good Evidence ◽

Human Rights Law ◽

International Treaties ◽

Human Rights Treaties ◽

Sources Of Variation ◽

The adoption by the United Nations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 marked the beginning of the modern international human rights regime. Since then the number of international treaties that protect human rights, as well as the number of internationally recognized rights, has greatly increased. The increasing number and scope of international treaties attests to the fact that advocates for human rights view treaties, which are legally binding in principle, as useful tools for promoting respect for the various rights identified in international law. Only recently have scholars begun to collect and systematically examine evidence concerning the effectiveness of human rights treaties. This new body of research is motivated by a question that has obvious normative import and policy relevance: do we have good evidence that the widespread adoption of international human rights law has had any meaningful impact on the level of respect that states exhibit for the rights articulated in international law? To date, this literature suggests three sources of variation in the effectiveness of human rights treaties: (1) variation in the domestic political and legal institutions that facilitate enforcement and compliance, (2) variation in the nature of the rights protected by different treaties and the nature of violations, and (3) variation in the strength of governments’ commitments to the UN treaty regime. All three sources of variation point to opportunities to advance our understanding of the conditions under which international human rights law can achieve its goals.

Domestic Human Rights Adjudication in the Shadow of International Law: The Status of Human Rights Conventions in Israel

Israel Law Review ◽

10.1017/s0021223717000164 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 50 (3) ◽

pp. 331-388 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Barak Medina

Keyword(s):

Human Rights ◽

International Law ◽

Democratic Legitimacy ◽

Human Rights Law ◽

Quarter Century ◽

Human Rights Treaties ◽

International Human ◽

The Government

The quarter-century anniversary of Israel's ratification of the major United Nations (UN) human rights treaties is an opportunity to revisit the formal and informal interaction between domestic and international Bills of Rights in Israel. This study reveals that the human rights conventions lack almost entirely a formal domestic legal status. The study identifies a minor shift in the scope of the Israeli Supreme Court's reference to international law, as the Court now cites international human rights law to justify decisions that a state action is unlawful, and not only to support findings that an action is valid. This shift may be the result of other reasons, for instance, a ‘radiation’ of the Court's relatively extensive use of international humanitarian law in reviewing state actions taken in the Occupied Territories. However, it may also reflect a perception of enhanced legitimacy of referring to international human rights law as a point of reference in human rights adjudication following ratification of the treaties.At the same time, the Court continues to avoid acknowledging incompatibility between domestic law and international law. It refers to the latter only to support its interpretation of Israeli constitutional law, as it did before the ratification. This article critically evaluates this practice. While international human rights law should not be binding at the domestic level, because of its lack of sufficient democratic legitimacy in Israel, it should serve as an essential benchmark. The Court may legitimise a human rights infringement that is unjustified according to international law, but such incompatibility requires an explicit justification. The Court, together with the legislature and the government, are required to engage critically with the non-binding norms set by the ratified UN human rights treaties.

Normative Background: The Dis-abled Subject in International Human Rights Law

10.1093/oso/9780198824503.003.0005 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 64-88

Author(s):

Gauthier de Beco

Keyword(s):

Human Rights ◽

Human Rights Law ◽

Real Dimension ◽

Legal Subject ◽

International Human ◽

Vulnerability Theory

This chapter considers how the legal subject has been construed in the field of international human rights law. It argues that the notion of human rights has come to give priority to the able-bodied individual. It then suggests that the CRPD has given this notion a more real dimension through its consideration for distinct forms of embodiment. The chapter goes on to argue that disability can help broaden the range of human variety considered in the concept of human rights. It subsequently analyses Fineman’s vulnerability theory and how it actually fits with the concept of disability, as well as its usefulness in providing a broader approach to dealing with disability. It finally introduces the idea of the dis-abled subject, which allows both the universality of human rights to be strengthened and the Convention’s significance for the whole field of international human rights law to be revealed.

Why Do National Court Judges Refer to Human Rights Treaties? A Comparative International Law Analysis of CEDAW

The American Journal of International Law ◽

10.5305/amerjintelaw.109.3.0534 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 109 (3) ◽

pp. 534-550 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Christopher McCrudden

Keyword(s):

Human Rights ◽

International Law ◽

National Court ◽

Human Rights Law ◽

Human Rights Treaties ◽

Similarities And Differences ◽

International Human ◽

Domestic Level

Comparative international law promises to bring fresh attention to the similarities and differences in how international law is understood and approached at the domestic level. Comparative international human rights law applies this focus to similarities and differences in the ways that international human rights law is, for example, interpreted at the domestic level by courts.

Human Rights Theory and Comparative International Law Scholarship

10.1093/oso/9780198786627.003.0019 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Christopher McCrudden

Keyword(s):

Human Rights ◽

International Law ◽

Human Dignity ◽

Human Rights Law ◽

Human Rights Treaties ◽

Domestic Courts ◽

Domestic Use ◽

An account of what we know about the use by domestic courts of international human rights law is identified, based on the findings in this volume and earlier work on the use of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). From that, three aspects of the domestic functions of international human rights treaties are tentatively identified as particularly significant: international human rights law is only partly internationally-directed; domestic courts very seldom appear to be acting as ‘agents’ of international human rights law; and ‘human dignity’ (sometimes by itself, sometimes alongside ‘autonomy’ and ‘equality’) acts as an important meta-principle in the domestic use of international human rights law. The implications these functions have for normative theorising about human rights, in particular practice-dependent theories of human rights, is considered, and a theory of human rights law consistent with this practice is identified.