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Guides
index
INCORE guide to
Internet sources on Human Rights
Compiled by Niall Whelehan (December
2004)
Contents
An abundance of material is available on the internet relating to the rapidly expanding field of Human Rights. INCORE has chosen a number of sites that provide substantive information; that is, sources that provide actual information rather than comment and analysis. However, the latter are not always excluded. Our list of prime sources is essentially a list of sources with the greatest substantive content. INCORE does not intend to provide an extensive catalogue of links to all the material currently available, rather a number of particular sites have been chosen. This list does not imply an endorsement by INCORE of the views expressed in any of these sources.
Primary sources
Human Rights and Ireland
News Sources and Secondary Information
Newsgroups
Research Centres, Academic Institutes, and Educational Programmes
Non Governmental Organisations
This is a short list of internet sources which have a lot of content relating directly to
Human Rights. This list does not imply a recommendation of the
sources or an endorsement of the views expressed in any of these sources. It is a select
list drawn from the other categories in this document.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
This site provides invaluable and extensive material on human rights and international law.
http://www.ohchr.org/
The content is exhaustive and can be overwhelming to sift through; however, a lot of the primary documents are essential to those in the field. Of notable interest are:
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action
Resolutions of the Commission on Human Rights
Report of the World Conference on Human Rights
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of discrimination against Women
International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination
Slavery Convention: status of ratifications, reservations and declarations
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
Convention relating to the Status of Refugees
Other areas of interest can be found under:
Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
Human Rights Issues
Commission on Human Rights
Thematic and Country Reports
International Human Rights Instruments
Treaty Bodies Database
Country Mandates
International Courts and Tribunals
European Court of Human Rights
International Criminal Court
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
International Court of Justice
Inter-American Court of Human Rights
The Special Court for Sierra Leone
UNCHR Fact Sheets
These documents are designed to complement the UN’s ongoing work in the field and to answer the common questions that arise concerning their work. Some of the most notable inclusions are The International Bill of Human Rights Fact Sheet (http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu6/2/fs2.htm) and Advisory Services and Technical Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights Fact Sheet (http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu6/2/fs3.htm).
http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu2/2/chr.htm
United Nations Human Rights Treaty System
This site provides access to documents and information from the UN human rights treaty system and clearly categorises documents and materials by state, by category, and by theme or subject matter.
www.bayefsky.com
Draft Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union
The General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Arab Charter on Human Rights
Universal Islamic Declaration of Human Rights
The Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam
African Charter on Human and People’s Rights
The Khartoum Declaration on Africa’s Refugee Crisis
International Labour Organisation
The website of the ILO offers significant information and documents for the human rights researcher. It gives background information on international labour standards and the ILO conventions on fundamental human rights.
http://www.ilo.org/
Of particular note is the International Labour Standards and Human Rights page.
European Human Rights Internet Site EHRIS
EHRIS offers direct access to basic human rights materials on a number of selected European countries. Northern Ireland and Turkey are currently included in the project. Both national and international documents are included.
http://www.law.qub.ac.uk/humanrts/ehris/ehrishome.html
States of Emergency Database
Hosted by the HRC at Queen’s in Belfast, the States of Emergency Database is a legal database which contains legislative texts and other relevant information on states of emergency in Northern Ireland, China, El Slavadore, India, Malaysia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Turkey and East Timor.
http://www.law.qub.ac.uk/humanrts/emergency/emerghome.html
LEXIS/NEXIS
LEXIS is a commercial site that offers boolean and ‘natural language’ searching of several libraries and files that contain the full-text versions of United Nations instruments and documents.
http://www.lexis.com/xchange/.
Council of Europe, Human Rights Web
The Human Rights Web of the COE gives direct links to important documents and activities related to human rights in French and English. This resource also contains information about the treaties of the Council of Europe http://conventions.coe.int. In addition to human rights treaties, the site contains treaties related to social matters, bioethics, penal, public and international law and other subject areas.
http://www.coe.int/T/E/Human_rights/
African Human Rights Resource Center
This site contains the full-text of many important documents promulgated by the Organisation of African Unity or related to human rights in Africa. One important document related to human rights is the African Banjul Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/instree/z1afchar.htm.
http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/africa/index.html
Organization of American States
This site contains a great deal of information about the OAS, its charter, resolutions, annual report of the Secretary General, treaties and conventions, speeches and statements and press releases. The homepage provides a search engine and access to several documents in areas such as human rights. Available in English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish.
http://www.oas.org/
Human Rights Databank.
Founded in the US in 1976, Human Rights Internet is a centre for the exchange of information within the worldwide human rights community. HRI has its headquarters in Ottawa, Canada and provides the Human Rights Databank: a collection of documents, some of which are unavailable elsewhere on the web. Organised by theme and by country, the HRD is a useful instrument for locating documents.
http://www.hri.ca/doccentre/
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
This site contains links to many primary documents as well as commission publications.
http://www.cidh.oas.org/
Electronic Information System for International Law - EISIL.
This expanding EISIL site is organised into twenty-one categories and provides a comprehensive, detailed and easily navigable guide to primary documents and web resources for researching various human rights related topics as well as the different regional systems. The EISIL homepage http://www.eisil.org/ offers a similarly comprehensive database on broader themes of general international law, international organisations, criminal law, environmental law, and economic law.
http://www.eisil.org/index.php?sid=902082441&t=sub_pages&cat=185
The American Society of International Law – ASIL
A guide to electronic resources on international human rights law. The site is organised according to primary sources and secondary sources, bibliographic locations, and catalogues available for the use of researchers. Numerous important documents relating to the field of human rights may be found here, while research methodologies and academic literature are also provided.
http://asil.org/resource/humrts1.htm
University of Minnesota Human Rights Library.
The electronic library of the University of Minnesota is an important resource for researchers working in the field of human rights. Available in Arabic, French, Spanish, Russian, and Japanese, this site provides access to over 18,000 documents relating to UN HR documents, treaties and other instruments for international law, regional materials, bibliographies, topic guides, resources on refugee and asylum seekers. The site also contains links to over 4,000 other sites. The Human Rights Resource Center http://www.hrusa.org/ offers an introduction to HR education materials and a guide to training workshops on the implementation and administration of human rights law. http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/
Abo Akademi University – Institute for Human Rights – Library.
The library of the Institute holds a large collection of human rights literature. The library database FINDOC contains over 33,000 entries and is available on the internet, free of charge.
http://trip.abo.fi/aadb/findoc/welcomee.htm
Netherlands Institute of Human Rights SIM Database
This site provides a significant collection of primary treaties from several human rights bodies, including the U N.
http://www.uu.nl/uupublish/homerechtsgeleer/onderzoek/onderzoekscholen/sim/english/instruments/22884main.html
Amnesty Ireland
Irish office of the well known international human rights NGO.
http://www.amnesty.ie/
British–Irish Human Rights Centres’ Network.
The network was established in light of the incorporation of the European Convention on Human Rights in both states and in light of devolution. It comprises of Human Rights Centres from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Its objectives are the exchange of information and the encouragement of inter-disciplinary research on human rights and related themes in each of the jurisdictions. The network is also concerned with research and information at the European and international levels.
The network is open to all third level Human Rights bodies on the two islands.
http://www.law.qub.ac.uk/humanrts/network/index.htm
Committee on the Administration of Justice
The Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ was established in 1981 and is an independent non-governmental organisation affiliated to the International Federation of Human Rights. The Committee seeks to secure the highest standards in the administration of justice in Northern Ireland by ensuring that the government complies with its responsibilities in international human rights law.
http://www.caj.org.uk/
British Irish Rights Watch
Established in 1992, the BIRW is a NGO that monitors the human rights dimension of the conflict in Northern Ireland. It aims to generate an awareness of human rights law and issues through the distribution of articles and reports and the organisation of seminars and lectures. The BIRW is based in London.
http://www.birw.org/
Equality Authority of Ireland
The Equality Authority is an independent body set up in 1998 that investigates discrimination in employment, vocational training, advertising, collective agreements, the provision of goods and services and other opportunities to which the public generally have access on grounds of gender; marital status; family status; age; disability; race; sexual orientation; religious belief; and membership of the Traveller Community.
http://www.equality.ie/
Equality Commission for Northern Ireland
The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland is an independent public body established under the Northern Ireland Act 1998. The Commission's general duties include working towards the elimination of discrimination; promoting equality of opportunity and encouraging good practice; promoting affirmative / positive action; promoting good relations between people of different racial groups; overseeing the implementation and effectiveness of the statutory duty on public authorities; keeping the relevant legislation under review.
http://www.equalityni.org/.
Equality Tribunal
The Equality Tribunal is the impartial forum to hear or mediate complaints of alleged discrimination under equality legislation. It is independent and quasi-judicial and its decisions and mediated settlements are legally binding. The equality legislation prohibits discrimination on 9 grounds - gender, marital status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race and membership of the Traveller community.
http://www.equalitytribunal.ie/
Irish Anti-Racism Campaign
The Anti Racism Campaign (ARC) is an open and democratic alliance of people who came together to combat the anti-refugee and anti-immigrant hysteria initiated and encouraged by many politicians and sections of the media. Unaffiliated with any political party, ARC supports equal rights for Travellers, refugees and immigrants and welcomes the advent of greater ethnic diversity as a positive development for Irish society.
http://flag.blackened.net/revolt/arc.html
Irish Centre for Human Rights, Galway.
Founded in 2000 the ICHR is the only centre of its kind in the Republic of Ireland. Whilst the Centre is autonomous in both its physical location and day-to-day operations, its academic staff are members of the Faculty of Law at the National University of Ireland, Galway, with whom the Centre is linked. While the ICHR is mainly an academic body that offers postgraduate courses, summer schools, and research publications, it does engage in advocacy projects outside of Ireland. Some of these include the EU-China Project, the Refugee and Asylum Legal Support Unit, the Model Transitional Codes for Post Conflict Criminal Justice Project and the Reasonable Accommodation Project.
http://www.nuigalway.ie/human_rights/
Irish Council for Civil Liberties
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (An Chomhairle um Chearta Daonna) is an independent non-governmental organisation that works to promote and defend human rights and civil liberties. It was founded in 1976 by, among others, Mary Robinson, Kader Asmal and Donal Barrington.
http://www.iccl.ie/
Irish Human Rights Commission
The Human Rights Commission was established in July 2001. It was set up as a direct result of the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 and under the Human Rights Commission Acts 2000 and 2001, which set out the powers and functions of the Commission.
Under the Good Friday Agreement, the IHRC, along with the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, is charged with promoting and protecting human rights in its respective jurisdiction and working together with the NIHRC to improve the protection of human rights on the island of Ireland.
www.ihrc.ie
Irish Law Site
Resource guide to Irish Law hosted by the Law Faculty in University College, Cork.
http://www.ucc.ie/ucc/depts/law/irishlaw/index.shtml
Irish Refugee Council
Based in Dublin and Ennis, the Irish Refugee Council (IRC) is an independent non-governmental organisation (NGO) which was set up in 1992. It aims in to ensure that all aspects of Ireland's asylum and refugee policy and practice (legal, social, economic and cultural) fully respect international law and the human rights of asylum-seekers and refugees, and to promote public awareness and understanding of asylum and refugee issues.
http://www.irishrefugeecouncil.ie/
Irish Traveller Movement (ITM)
ITM was established in 1990 and now has over eighty Traveller organisations from all parts of Ireland in its membership. ITM consists of a partnership between Travellers and settled people committed to seeking full equality for Travellers in Irish society. ITM was formed to be a national platform, through which Travellers and their organisations are enabled to highlight the issues faced by Travellers and to press for real solutions; to debate ideas and formulate and promote culturally appropriate initiatives; to provide those active at a local level with support and solidarity; to develop alliances at national level; and, to challenge the many forms of individual, structural and institutional racism with which Travellers have to deal.
http://www.itmtrav.com/
Human Rights Consortium
The Human Rights Consortium was established in 2000 to encourage widespread community participation in the consultation process on the proposed Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland. It holds a membership of over 100 NGOs, community groups and trade unions.
http://www.billofrightsni.org/
Human Rights for Change
HRfC is a NGO comprised of human rights activists and international legal scholars who seek to promote the protection of human rights through reporting and documenting human rights issues, increasing awareness through the dissemination of information, advocacy and lobbying, creative action, education, monitoring the media and by providing legal assistance, in particular to NGOs in the developing world. This group believes that global inequalities and imbalances can be redressed through the protection and promotion of universal human rights.
www.humanrightsforchange.org
Human Rights Unit, Irish Dept. of Foreign Affairs
Human rights section in the Dept. of Foreign Affairs. The site contains some useful primary documents relevant to the field.
http://foreignaffairs.gov.ie/policy/hr/default.asp?m=p
National Network of Refugee, Asylum & Immigrant Support Groups
Integrating Ireland is an independent network of community and voluntary groups working in mutual solidarity to promote and realise the human rights, equality and full integration in Irish society of asylum seekers, refugees and immigrants. Established in 2000, the membership-based network currently comprises of over 160 organisations from all over Ireland, North and South.
http://www.integratingireland.ie/
Northern Ireland Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders
NIACRO is a voluntary organisation that aims to reduce crime and its effects on communities while respecting the rights of offenders. The association engages in community work among young offenders and families of offenders and strives to influence policy makers and effect public change.
http://www.niacro.co.uk/
Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children’s Rights
NI Commission to safeguard and promote the rights and best interests of children and young persons under the principles set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
http://www.niccy.org/
Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission
The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission came into existence on 1 March 1999. It was created by section 68 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, in compliance with a commitment made by the British Government in the Good Friday Agreement. The Commission has a full-time Chief Commissioner (Brice Dickson) and five part-time Commissioners. Its role is to promote awareness of the importance of human rights in Northern Ireland, to review existing law and practice and to advise the Secretary of State and the Executive Committee of the Northern Ireland Assembly on what steps need to be taken to fully protect human rights in Northern Ireland.
http://www.nihrc.org/
Online Network of Irish Non-profit Organisations
Activelink works with non-profit organisations to develop online communications in the public interest and to promote action and participation.
http://www.activelink.ie/
Pat Finucane Centre for Human Rights and Social Change
The PFC is named in memory of Pat Finucane, a human rights lawyer from Belfast who was murdered on 12 February 1989 by the pro-British UDA. Pat had successfully challenged the British Government over several important human rights cases. One of those involved in his murder, Brian Nelson, was working for the Force Research Unit, an undercover unit of British Military Intelligence. The PFC provides information on HR issues relating to Northern Ireland, reports, and a news service.
http://www.serve.com/pfc/
Pavee Point
Pavee Point is a partnership of Irish Travellers and settled people working together to improve the lives of Irish Travellers through working towards social justice, solidarity, socio-economic development and human rights. This site provides information on Travellers’ rights and needs under Irish legislation while also giving a bibliography of literature relating to Travellers’ history and culture.
http://www.paveepoint.ie/pav_home_a.html
Queen’s University Belfast, Human Rights Centre.
Queen’s University hosts a variety of academic courses, public lectures, training workshops and seminars in the field of human rights. The HRC supports regular conferences in collaboration with other universities, institutions, and NGO’s. This site also provides a database of the status of human rights conventions regarding the UK and Ireland.
http://www.law.qub.ac.uk/humanrts/
Transitional Justice Institute, University of Ulster
The recent establishment of the Transitional Justice Institute at the University of Ulster, Northern Ireland provides a physical base from which to develop and attract international scholars and liaise with policy makers in local and international institutions. It also plays a key role in taking legal research in Northern Ireland to the centre of international stages.
http://www.transitionaljustice.ulster.ac.uk/
Reports relating to Human Rights in Ireland.
Report on the Situation of Fundamental Rights in Ireland (Jan 2004)
Under the auspices of the E.U. Network of Independent Experts on Fundamental Rights, this report monitors the situation of fundamental rights in Ireland on the basis of the Charter of Fundamental Rights. Compiled by Donncha O’Connell and David Keane, this report assesses Irish performance in the areas of civil freedoms and rights, justice, equality, solidarity and human dignity.
http://www.cpdr.ucl.ac.be/cridho/RapportsEnvoy%E9sCOM2003PDF/RapportsEnvoy%E9sCOM2003PDF/CFR-CDF.repIrland.2003.pdf
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
Concluding Observations of the Human Rights Committee on Irelands First National Report under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
Concluding Observations of the Human Rights Committee on Irelands Second National Report under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
First National Report under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Concluding Observations of the Economic and Social Council on Ireland's First National Report under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Second National Report under International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Concluding Observations of the Economic and Social Council on Ireland's Second National Report under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
News Sources and Secondary Information
Derechos: Human Rights News and Actions.
Weekly summaries of the most important and perhaps less reported human rights news, as reported by wire services, newspapers and human rights organisations. To join write to hrb@derechos.org with a message saying 'subscribe briefs'.
http://www.derechos.org/news/
One-World News Service.
This is a UK-based news service in partnership with numerous NGOs, and has a number of recent reports, which are based around the theme of Human Rights.
http://www.oneworld.net/section/current
Amnesty International Press Releases
News reports of one of the better known human rights organisations.
http://www.amnesty.org/news/
Media Alerts.
The latest press releases from Human Rights First, formerly the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights. Up to date commentaries on both international and domestic US issues are provided in regular bulletins.
http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/media/media_room.htm.
Rights Wire.
Human Rights First's free electronic newsletter, published bi-weekly, Rights Wire provides analysis of timely human rights issues and opportunities to take action on them.
http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/rights_wire/rightswire.htm
Asylum Protection News.
Human Rights First's updates on issues related to refugees and asylum-seekers.
http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/asylum/torchlight/newsletter/prot_news.htm
Human Rights Watch
HRW is a NGO that strives to prevent discrimination, to uphold political freedom, to protect people from inhumane conduct in wartime, and to bring offenders to justice. It investigates and exposes human rights violations and holds abusers accountable.
The HRW site contains regularly updated news releases.
http://www.hrw.org/
Human Rights Brief
The Human Rights Brief is an official publication of the Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law at Washington College of Law, American University. The current issue and all back dated issues are available on-line.
http://www.wcl.american.edu/pub/humright/brief/index.htm
Flashpoint
A Human Rights magazine from the Human Rights Interactive Network, with articles and extracts taken from a wide range of publications and press releases.
http://www.webcom.com/hrin/magazine.html
Freedom of Expression News
Regional and international news reports from the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX).
http://www.ifex.org/
IRIN News.
Human Rights news reports from the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, with a focus on specific regions in Africa and Asia.
http://www.irinnews.org/
ICRC News
Humanitarian news updates from the International Committee for the Red Cross.
http://www.icrc.org/eng/news
International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights Appeals and Statements
Valuable reports and statements on recent events related to human rights from the IHF.
http://www.ihf-hr.org/welcome.php
Digital Freedom Network: News Articles and Press Releases
Digital Freedom Network (DFN) is a non-profit group that seeks to promote human rights for all countries. This site contains regular reports and commentaries on contemporary human rights issues.
http://www.dfn.org/
La Agencia de Información Fray Tito para América Latina (Adital)
Adital strive to bring up to date reports and commentaries on humanitarian issues and popular movements in Latin and South America.
http://www.adital.com.br/site/index.asp?lang=ES
Puentes
Reports and comment on human rights in Argentina.
http://www.puentes.8k.com/
La Insignia -Derechos Humanos
Spanish website aimed at giving updated reports on human rights abuses world wide.
http://www.lainsignia.org/ddhh.html
Human Rights Tribune.
A Quarterly magazine aimed at the Human Rights Community. Although essentially a subscription based magazine, it does offer a number of on-line features articles of both current and back editions.
www.hri.ca/tribune/issueSearch.asp
Human Rights Media: News Info.
HRM is an informational forum that deals with news related to human rights and provides investigations, reports, dossiers, and opinion on human rights issues. HRM does not provide up to date reporting; rather, it reviews and gives comment on significant events and situations presented in the media.http://www.rightsmedia.org/
US Dept. of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor.
The US State Department’s annual reports on human rights, organised by country, are available on the Dept. website. These reports are extremely detailed and in some cases quite lengthy. They are a valuable resource, particularly for countries which normally receive little press coverage.
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2003
Note: Other sources described in this guide which are not primarily news sources also provide news.
Newsgroups and discussion groups
Usenet newsgroups;
soc.rights.human
Discussion on human rights & activism.
clari.news.issues.human_rights
Discussions relating to freedom, civil rights, human rights.
fido7.su.human.rights
Human rights based topics.
fj.soc.human-rights
Discussion about human rights, bioethics and discrimination.
Abo Akademi University: Institute for Human Rights
Founded in Helsinki in 1985, this institute has established a range of courses to those working in the field of Human Rights. On offer are two and three week courses throughout the year on international law and humanitarian issues and the institute participates in the European Master's Programme in Human Rights and Democratisation with the Abo Law department. Since 2002 the Institute is coordinating a Finnish Graduate School in Human Rights Research with five four-year doctoral positions.
www.abo.fi/institut/imr/
British Institute of Human Rights, King’s College, London.
BIHR conducts research relating to human rights, with a particular focus on marginalised and vulnerable communities and the development of a human rights culture. Their activities include a public education programme, HR workshops, conference sessions and forms of specialised education for both the public and voluntary sector. Through their international law programme they strive to reform current legislation. The BIHR does not offer academic courses.
http://www.bihr.org/
Centre de recherches et d'études sur les droits de l'Homme et le droit humanitaire.
Based between the Universities of Rouen and Paris sud, CREDHO adopts an interdisciplinary approach to human rights research and works in partnership with several professional and public bodies in the area of HR law, penal law, and international law. This site also provides a comprehensive list of study opportunities in the human rights field in France.
http://www.credho.org/
Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
Pretoria offers a Master’s Degree in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa which focuses specifically on human rights within an African framework. The one year course is divided into two semesters. The first semester is taught while during the second semester students are expected to undertake a dissertation or accredited courses at a partner university.
http://www.chr.up.ac.za/academic_pro/llm1/llm1.html
Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Washington DC.
Based at the Washington College of Law, American University, this centre is host to a number of training programs and conferences. The centre offers an International Legal Studies Master’s Program, training courses in gender and indigenous rights and workshops on contemporary crisis. The Human Rights Brief is also published by the centre.
http://www.wcl.american.edu/humright/center/
Columbia University: Center for the Study of Human Rights
This centre fosters an interdisciplinary approach that involves staff and students from a variety of backgrounds. Training initiatives such as the Human Rights Advocates Training Program provide instruction for ten activists each year while both undergrad and postgrad courses are offered in collaboration with a variety of departments on human rights, civil rights, constitutional challenges, freedom of religion, and social justice.
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/humanrights
European Masters Degree in Human Rights and Democratisation, Venice.
This Master’s Degree Programme is divided into two semesters. During the first semester students are taught together in Venice, by lecturers from the participating universities, and practitioners from IGOs and NGOs. At the end of the first semester, within a training period of three weeks with regard to human rights in field operations, a one-week field trip is organised. In the second semester, students undertake supervised research at one of the participating universities. This research is undertaken in a country other than the student’s own. A “mobility grant” is provided to all students in order to facilitate this exchange.
http://www.emahumanrights.org/template.asp?idlink=212
Instituto de Derechos Humanos Pedro Arrupe, Bilbao.
Based at the Universidad de Deusto, the IDHPA is a non-profit institution that maintains a focus on the challenges facing the Basque country. They offer two postgraduate programmes in the HR field: Master’s in International Humanitarian Action and a European Master’s in Human Rights and Democratization.
http://www.idh.deusto.es/
Inter-American Institute for Human Rights, Costa Rica.
On offer are two one-year taught master’s programmes: Master of Arts in International Law and the Settlement of Disputes and Master of Arts in International Law and Human Rights. These programmes are offered in collaboration with the RWI in Sweden and the Max Planck Institute in Heidelberg, Germany.
http://www.iidh.ed.cr/
International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development
A Canadian centre which encourages and supports the promotion, development and strengthening of democratic and human rights institutions and programmes.
http://www.ichrdd.ca/
Irish Centre for Human Rights, National University of Ireland, Galway.
Founded in 2000 the ICHR is the only centre of its kind in the Republic of Ireland. The Centre presently offers LL.M. programmes in International Human Rights Law and International Peace Support Operations and has a Cross-Border Programme in Human Rights Law (LL.M.) and Human Rights and Criminal Justice (MSSc/LL.M.), in conjunction with Queens University of Belfast. Students may also undertake a PhD programme at the ICHR which may be funded by the centre’s fellowships.
Institute of Peace & Conflict Studies,
The Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies (IPCS) was established in August 1996 in New Delhi as an independent think tank devoted to studying security issues relating to South Asia. Over the years leading strategic thinkers, academicians, former members of the Civil Services, Foreign Services, Armed Forces, Police Forces, Paramilitary Forces and media persons (print and electronic) have been associated with the Institute in its endeavour to chalk out a comprehensive framework for security studies - one which can cater to the changing demands of national, regional and global security.
www.ipcs.org/
Mediterranean Master’s Programme in Human Rights and Democratisation, Malta.
This is a one year multi-disciplinary programme is coordinated by the University of Malta on behalf of a partnership of Universities and Human Rights institutions from both sides of the Mediterranean, and is funded by the European Commission. The master’s is divided into a taught semester with daily lectures and a research semester during which students undertake a supervised dissertation at a partner institution or in Malta.
http://home.um.edu.mt/laws/entrance/index.html
Netherlands Institute of Human Rights, Utrecht
Established in 1981, the Netherlands Institute of Human Rights (SIM) is based at the University of Utrecht. They offer training workshops, summer schools and a PhD programme in the HR field. This site also contains some useful resources for researching documentation.
http://www.uu.nl/uupublish/homerechtsgeleer/onderzoek/onderzoekscholen/sim/english/18199main.html
Office of Human Rights Studies and Social Development, Mahidol University, Bangkok.
The OHRSD offer the International Master’s of Human Rights and Social Development, the only graduate degree in human rights in South East Asia. The programme consists of two semesters of coursework followed by a semester of individual research.
http://www.humanrights-mu.org/study.php
Peking University Law School: Research Centre for Human Rights.
In 2002, PULS Research Centre for Human Rights, which is the first academic institution on human rights in China, developed a human rights programme for master students which is implemented in cooperation with the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights in Lund Sweden. Within the current Master of International Law programme at the university there is a human rights component in Research Direction.
http://www.hrol.org/hrmp/english.php
Queen’s University Belfast, Human Rights Centre.
Queen’s University hosts a variety of courses in the field of human rights, both academic and professional development. The centre offers a Master’s programmes in Human Rights Law and Human Rights and Criminal Justice, both of which can be undertaken as cross border projects with the Irish Centre for Human Rights in Galway. Training workshops and seminars in HR are also managed by the centre.
http://www.law.qub.ac.uk/humanrts/
Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Lund, Sweden.
The RWI was founded in 1984 and is a leading institution in Human Rights research while Lund also houses a one of the largest research libraries for HR studies in Europe. The institute has developed two master’s programmes in the field: Master’s in International Human Rights Law and Master’s in International and Human Rights and Intellectual Property Rights. Furthermore, the RWI acts in the capacity of partner-institution to several international universities.
http://www.ldc.lu.se/raoul/
Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa.
The Scuola Superiore di Studi Universitari e di Perfezionamento, at Sant’Anna, in Pisa, offers a one year master’s programme in Human Rights and Conflict Resolution. The programme consists of an intensive six month semester of lectures and workshops (Feb-July) after which the student is required to begin an internship with a relevant international organization (Sept-Dec).
http://www.sssup.it/sssup/jsp/section.jsp?sec_id1=503&sec_id2=64442&lang=it
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
SIPRI conducts research on questions of conflict and cooperation of importance for international peace and security, with the aim of contributing to an understanding of the conditions for peaceful solutions of international conflicts and for a stable peace. The Institute produces an annual yearbook and several other publications, while issuing reports and data pertinent to the HR field.
www.sipri.org/
Transnational Foundation for Peace on Future Research
Based in Lund, Sweden, the TFF is a think-tank for transnational peace. They are involved in peace research, conflict-mitigation and education and their website offers analyses, commentaries, ideas and debates. TFF does field work in the Balkans, Iraq, Burundi and elsewhere while providing lectures, training and courses. It publishes books and reports.
www.transnational.org/
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Agir Ensemble pour les Droits de l’Homme
AEDH is an international NGO created in 1989 and based in France. It aims to defend and promote human rights and create effective means for democratic development internationally.
http://www.aedh.org/
Albanian Centre for Human Rights
This NGO promotes knowledge and education in HR in Albania and provides training programmes and seminars. ACHR also regularly issues publications relevant to the field.
http://www.achr.org/en/index.html
Al-Haq
Established in 1979 by a group of Palestinian lawyers, Al-Haq works in the investigation and reporting of human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian territories.
http://asp.alhaq.org/zalhaq/site/home.aspx?ln=en
Amnesty International
Well known international NGO, which hosts extensive material on the issue of Human Rights, as well as ongoing international campaigns.
http://www.amnesty.org
Arab Association for Human Rights
NGO that works primarily with the Palestinian Arab communities in Israel. Their activities involve reporting human rights issues, weekly press reviews, and educational projects.
http://www.arabhra.org/
Arab Organisation for Human Rights
HR organisation based in Egypt that engages in field missions to release political prisoners and offer legal assistance. It is also involved with the Arab Institute for Human Rights.
http://aohr.org/
Asociacion pro Derechos Humanos de Espana, APDHE
Madrid based NGO that works to investigate and report human rights abuses on national and international levels.
http://www.eurosur.org/apdhe/principal.html
Association of Citizens for Human Rights Protection, Mostar, ZGP.
Association ''ZGP'' Mostar is a non-political, non-partisan local NGO. It is also a multiethnic organisation the work of which includes members of all three constituent peoples (Bosnians, Croats and Serbs). The geographical area of their work is Herzegovina-Neretva Canton and the Central Bosnia Canton.
http://www.progressive-bih.com/zgp/eindex.htm
Association for Civil Rights in Israel.
ACRI was founded in 1972 as a non-political and independent body, with the goal of protecting human and civil rights in Israel and in the territories under Israeli control. It aims to address human violations among all communities and religions in Israel and the occupied territories.
http://www.acri.org.il/english-acri/engine/index.asp
Associazione Diritti Umani – Sviluppo Umano.
Padova based organisation that works in the areas of local democracy, immigration, social marginalization and education relating to HR. Connected to the Human Rights Centre at the University of Padova.
http://www.centrodirittiumani.unipd.it/adusu/
Croatian Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, Zagreb .
Established in 1993 the CHC aims to protect and promote human rights in Croatia. Their activities include working with and receiving of individuals whose rights have been abused and publishing facts and reports through their bulletin and other publications.
http://www.open.hr/com/hho/english/homhrv.htm
Cyprus Human Rights and Education Network
NGO that promotes HR education at a local level and promotes intercultural understanding for all communities in Cyprus.
http://www.humanrights-edu-cy.org/
Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights
Founded in 1985 in Cairo, this organisation monitors both governmental and non-governmental violations of human rights in Egypt. EOHR seeks the reform of legislation, social justice, an end to discrimination and works in co-operation with the UN and other international bodies.
http://www.eohr.org/
Foundation for Human and Humanitarian Rights Lebanon
Inter-party and inter-ethnic forum of activists concerned with the rights and freedoms on local, regional and international levels.
http://www.fhhrl.org.lb/
Human Rights Consortium, NI
The Human Rights Consortium was established in 2000 to encourage widespread community participation in the consultation process on the proposed Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland.
http://www.billofrightsni.org/
Human Rights for Change
HRfC is a group of human rights activists and international legal scholars who seek to promote the protection of human rights through reporting and documenting human rights issues, increasing awareness through the dissemination of information, advocacy and lobbying.
www.humanrightsforchange.org/
Human Rights First
HRW is a US based NGO that supports the work of human rights activists and strives to create accountability in the US and abroad in terms of international law.
http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/
Human Rights Foundation of Turkey
HRFT was mainly established to provide medical and psychological assistance to survivors of torture and to document human rights violations in Turkey. The HRFT has established five treatment and rehabilitation centres for torture survivors in the provinces of Ankara, Istanbul, Adana and Diyarbakir. In these centres, teams consisting of physicians, psychiatrists, social workers and medical secretaries offer medical services to torture survivors.
http://www.tihv.org.tr/eindex.html
Human Rights Internet
International NGO, documentation centre, and publishing house.
http://www.hri.ca
Human Rights Watch
One of the more well-known international non-governmental organisations working in the field, the United States based HRW investigates violations of human rights and strives to uphold international law. Its work includes the production of the annual HRW World Report and also reports on the state of human rights by country and by theme. Furthermore, HRW provides updated articles and commentaries on specific case-studies and contemporary issues.
http://www.hrw.org/
Institut de Drets Humans de Catalunya
Humans Rights institute based in Barcelona that promotes human rights through conferences, seminars and dissemination of information.
http://www.idhc.org/
International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights
With its base in Vienna, the IHFHR is a vast network of NGOs that that act to protect human rights throughout Europe, North America and Central Asia.
http://www.ihf-hr.org/
International Human Rights Observer Pakistan
The IHRO aim to promote Human Rights Education and create consciousness in respect of right and liabilities among individuals and work for the rectification and implementation by Pakistan of Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other related chartered covenant and protocols.
http://ihro.org.pk/
Kurdish Human Rights Project
Active NGO that promotes human rights throughout the Kurdish regions of Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey and the former Soviet Union.
http://www.khrp.org/
Liberty
Liberty is a UK based human rights and civil liberties organisations. It was founded as the National Council for Civil Liberties in 1934 and has continued to promote equal rights for 70 years. Liberty provides legal assistance and bring cases to the UK courts and the European Court of Human Rights.
http://www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk/
Ligue Algerienne pour la Defense des Droits de L’Homme LADDH
Algiers based NGO dedicated to the documentation and report of human rights violations in Algeria, with respect to the 1989 constitution, and internationally. This site contains some reports and analysis of relevant contemporary events.
http://www.fidh.org/dz2003/laddh/
One-World Service
This is a UK-based news service in partnership with numerous NGOs. This site provides a comprehensive directory to NGO’s involved in the field.
http://www.oneworld.net/section/partners/
Organisation Marocaine des Droits Humains
Based in Rabat, this NGO works principally with human rights issues in Morocco and closely cooperates with La Federation Internationale des Droits de l’Homme in Paris.
http://www.omdh.org/
Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group
PHRMG was established in 1996 as a response to the state of democracy and human rights under the Palestinian Authority. PHRMG aims to document human rights violations committed against Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, regardless of who is responsible.
http://www.phrmg.org/
Statewatch
Based in London, Statewatch is an NGO that monitors the state of social justice and civil rights in Europe.
http://www.statewatch.org/
Sudan Human Rights Association SHRA
NGO with the main objective of ensuring that the rights of the Sudanese people, especially refugees, displaced persons, and prisoners of war are recognized and protected.
http://www.ned.org/grantees/shra/index.html
Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy
Based in Dharamsala, India, TCHRD’s objective is to highlight the human rights situation in Tibet and to promote principles of democracy in Tibetan community.
http://www.tchrd.org/
Torturaren Aurkako Taldea
Non Governmental Organisation based in the Basque region, whose principal objective is the eradication of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading punishments or treatment.
http://www.stoptortura.com/quienI.php
Uganda Human Rights Network
NGO that strives to create the recognition, respect and defence of human rights, the rule of law and democratic governance for the attainment of freedom, peace and sustainable development at a national and regional level.
http://www.hurinet.or.ug/
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