Mobilizing for Human Rights: International Law in Domestic Politics

by Beth A. Simmons

• ISBN13: 9780521712323
• ISBN10: 0521712327
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-08-31
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

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. 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.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Why international law? The development of the international human rights regime in the twentieth century

Theories of commitment

Theories of compliance

Civil rights

Equality for women: education, work, and reproductive rights

Humane treatment: the prevalence and prevention of torture

The protection of innocents: rights of the child

Conclusions

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