This volume argues that international human rights law has made a positive contribution to the realization of human rights in much of the world. Although governments sometimes ratify human rights treaties, gambling that they will experience little pressure to comply with them, this is not typically the case. Focusing on rights stakeholders rather than the United Nations or state pressure, Beth Simmons demonstrates through a combination of statistical analyses and case studies that the ratification of treaties leads to better rights practices on average. By several measures, civil and political rights, women’s rights, a right not to be tortured in government detention, and children’s rights improve, especially in the very large heterogeneous set of countries that are neither stable autocracies nor stable democracies. Simmons argues that international human rights law should get more practical and rhetorical support from the international community as a supplement to broader efforts to address conflict, development, and democratization.
Mobilizing for Human Rights
International Law in Domestic PoliticsRelated Resources
-
Kazakhstan as a Humanitarian Aid Donor
Insebayeva, Nafissa. 2022. “Kazakhstan as a Humanitarian Aid Donor.” Modernity, Development and Decolonization of Knowledge in Central Asia, 47–64.
- Authors with Diverse Backgrounds
-
From ‘Social Evils’ to ‘Human Beings’: Vietnam’s LGBT Movement and the Politics of Recognition
Phuong, Pham Quynh. 2022. “From ‘Social Evils’ to ‘Human Beings’: Vietnam’s LGBT Movement and the Politics of Recognition.” Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs 41 (3): 422–39.
- Open Source Results
- Authors with Diverse Backgrounds