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Clarity Press, Inc. is dedicated to
assisting in the creation of a human rights culture—a "lived awareness" of
human rights principles. We envision a global society where the basic human
rights of every person—everywhere, regardless of ethnicity, religion, class,
gender, disability, age, belief or other status—are guaranteed not only by
the laws of society, but through common agreement that human dignity demands
nothing less.
These rights are civil and
political—freedoms of speech, the press, and assembly; economic, social, and
cultural—rights to health care, shelter, meaningful and gainful employment,
social protections for the family, and children, and security in old age;
and rights of solidarity—rights to a clean environment, to
self-determination, development, peace and international distributive
justice.
These rights can be found in the United
Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the authoritative definition
of human rights standards, a document increasingly referred to as customary
international law and other major human rights documents, progeny of the
Universal Declaration, such as the Covenant on Economic, Social, and
Cultural Rights, the Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Elimination
of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and other documents listed below.
Recognizing the interdependency and
indivisibility of rights, that every right has a corresponding duty, and
that the creation of a just society is a struggle—w e seek to expand
consciousness about human rights principles among the global populace. Thus,
freedom of speech (a civil right) is meaningless if a person is homeless (an
economic rights violation) and lives in a world at war (a solidarity right
violation). Similarly, while working to help the homeless, a symptom of an
unjust social order, we must also work to alter the unjust economic and
social structures and practices that lead to homelessness.
Such an expansion of consciousness would
entail moving from a mere "cognitive" awareness of human rights among
people, to the "feeling" level, the level of the heart. This will both
require and promote a profound spiritual transformation in the broadest
sense, resulting in policies in accordance with social justice.
The following instruments have been
ratified by most of the world’s states. This in itself has been a momentous
human achievement—one whose import has yet to be fully realized and
utilized.
This grid of international human rights
law exists not simply as moral principles, but as positive law, providing
criteria for assessing state policies and behavior, and lending tools and
universal legitimacy to the struggle to build a better, happier, more
equitable world.
International Human Rights Instruments
Charter of the United Nations
International Bill of Human Rights (Fact
Sheet 2, Rev.1)
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights *
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights *
Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights*
Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights,
aiming at the abolition of the death penalty *
Human Rights Defenders
Declaration on the Right and Responsibility
of Individuals, Groups and Organs of
Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and
Fundamental
Freedoms: A/RES/53/144
Proclamation of Teheran
Proclamation of Teheran
Right of self-determination
Declaration on the Granting of Independence
to Colonial Countries and Peoples General Assembly resolution 1803 (XVII) of
14 December 1962, "Permanent sovereignty over natural resources"
Prevention of discrimination
United Nations Declaration on the Elimination
of All Forms of Racial Discrimination International Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination*
International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of
Apartheid*
International Convention against Apartheid in Sports *
Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention **
Convention against Discrimination in Education
Protocol Instituting a Conciliation and Good Offices Commission to be
responsible for seeking a settlement of any disputes which may arise between
States Parties to the
Convention against Discrimination in Education
Equal Remuneration Convention **
Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of
Discrimination based on Religion or Belief
Declaration on Fundamental Principles concerning the Contribution to the
Mass Media to Strengthening Peace and International Understanding, to the
Promotion of Human
Rights and to Countering Racialism, Apartheid and Incitement to War
Declaration on Race and Racial Prejudice
Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic,
Religious and Linguistic Minorities
Rights of women
Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms
of Discrimination against Women
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women *
Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women
Convention on the Politicial Rights of Women *
Declaration on the Protection of Women and Children in Emergency and Armed
Conflict
Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination
against Women*
Rights of the child
Declaration on the Rights of the Child
Convention on the Rights of the Child *
Optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the
involvement of children in armed conflict *
Optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale
of children, child prostitution and child pornography *
Declaration on Social and Legal Principles relating to the Protection and
Welfare of
Children, with Special Reference to Foster Placement and Adoption Nationally
and Internationally
Slavery, servitude, forced labour and similar
institutions and practices
Slavery Convention*
Protocol amending the Slavery Convention *
Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade, and
Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery *
Forced Labour Convention **
Abolition of Forced Labour Convention **
Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the
Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others*
Human rights in the administration of justice
Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of
Prisoners
Basic Principles for the Treatment of Prisoners
Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of
Detention or Imprisonment
United Nations Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of the Liberty
Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Being Subjected to Torture
and Other
Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment
or Punishment *
Principles on the Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture and
Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
Principles of Medical Ethics relevant to the Role of Health Personnel,
particularly Physicians, in the Protection of Prisoners and Detainees
against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or
Punishment
Safeguards guaranteeing protection of the rights of those facing the death
penalty
Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials
Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement
Officials
Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers
Guidelines on the Role of Prosecutors
United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for Non-custodial Measures (The Tokyo
Rules)
United Nations Guidelines for the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency (The
Riyadh Guidelines)
United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile
Justice ("The Beijing Rules")
Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of
Power
Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary
Model Treaty on the Transfer of Proceedings in Criminal Matters
Model Treaty on the Transfer of Supervision of Offenders Conditionally
Sentenced or Conditionally Released
Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances
Principles on the Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extra-legal,
Arbitrary and Summary Executions
Freedom of information
Convention on the International Right of
Correction *
Freedom of association
Freedom of Association and Protection of the
Right to Organize Convention **
Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining Convention **
Workers' Representatives Convention **
Labour Relations (Public Service) Convention **
Employment
Employment Policy Convention **
Convention (No. 154) concerning the Promotion of Collective Bargaining **
Convention (No. 168) concerning Employment Promotion and Protection against
Unemployment**
Convention (No. 169) concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent
Countries**
Marriage, Family and Youth
Convention on Consent to Marriage, Minimum
Age for Marriage and Registration of Marriages*
Recommendation on Consent to Marriage, Minimum Age for Marriage and
Registration of Marriages
Declaration on the Promotion among Youth of the Ideals of Peace, Mutual
Respect and Understanding between Peoples
Social welfare, progress and development
Declaration on Social Progress and
Development
Declaration on the Rights of Mentally Retarded Persons
Principles for the protection of persons with mental illness and the
improvement of mental health care
Universal Declaration on the Eradication of Hunger and Malnutrition
Declaration on the Use of Scientific and Technological Progress in the
Interests of
Peace and for the Benefit of Mankind
Guidelines for the Regulation of Computerized Personal Data Files
Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons
Declaration on the Right of Peoples to Peace
Declaration on the Right to Development
International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant
Workers and Members of Their Families *
Universal Declaration on the Human Genome and Human Rights (UNESCO)
Right to enjoy culture, international
cultural development and co-operation
Declaration of the Principles of
International Cultural Co-operation
Recommendation concerning Education for International Understanding,
Co-operation and Peace and Education relating to Human Rights and
Fundamental Freedoms
Nationality, statelessness, asylum and
refugees
Convention on the Nationality of Married
Women *
Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness *
Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons *
Convention relating to the Status of Refugees *
Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees *
Statute of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Declaration on Territorial Asylum
Declaration on the Human Rights of Individuals Who are not Nationals of the
Country in which They Live
War crimes and crimes against humanity,
including genocide
Convention on the Prevention and Punishment
of the Crime of Genocide *
Convention on the Non-Applicability of Statutory Limitations to War Crimes
and Crimes against Humanity *
Principles of international co-operation in the detection, arrest,
extradition and punishment of persons guilty of war crimes and crimes
against humanity
Humanitarian law
Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the
Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field
Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded, Sick and
Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea
Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War
Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of
War
Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and
relating to the
Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol I)
Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and
relating to the
Protection of Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts (Protocol II)
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