Human rights are rules and practices that relate to the fundamental rights of individuals across the globe, protected by numerous regional, national and international laws, documents, and policies.
Human rights lawyers are those individuals whose task it is to defend these rights both in the courtroom and by advising on the content, composition, and application of new human rights related laws.
What are human rights?
Before we look at the law firms human rights lawyers work for, we first need to understand the rights that they work to protect.
Human rights are basic freedoms that human rights activists believe should apply to each and every human on earth. From the moment that we are born, to the moment that we die, universal human rights are entitled to us no matter where we live or travel.
Just some of the human rights enshrined in the UN convention of human rights and written into law in a huge number of different countries across the world include the right to freedom, the right to privacy, the right to equality, and the right to dignity.
Human rights law is often applied to those in extremely difficult situations, such as soldiers captured in conflict zones and protects them from torture and other acts deemed inhumane. Whilst certain documents such as the EU convention of human rights do form the foundations of many individual countries’ human rights laws, there is no one set list of human rights. As we know all too well, certain human rights are recognised in some countries and others are not.
It is down to politicians and human rights lawyers to determine which rights exist and are enforced, although the campaigning of human rights advocates does carry a significant amount of weight in most cultures.
There may well be rights that exist mainly in an attempt to increase equality and reduce discrimination against certain minority groups and allow human rights lawyers to take action on behalf of anyone who is the victim of it. Racism, sexism, homophobia, and transphobia are all offences that a human rights lawyer may represent a victim of, especially if the discrimination in question is institutionalised and reinforced by the Government or major corporations.
Human rights laws are constantly being devised and developed to meet the needs of an ever changing world. For example, laws referring to the right to choose a gender are being debated and introduced across some parts of the world as we speak.
Why is the UN so important in terms of human rights?
The United Nations is the most important global organisation when it comes to human rights. This organisation is made from 193 different member states who agree, through their membership to abide by the Human Rights declarations passed in UN assembly.
The UN was formed in 1945 at the end of the 2nd World War as part of attempted to bring the global community together and prevent rifts that would ever result in a repeat of the devastating events over the previous decade.
In 1948, the first Declaration of Human Rights was passed into UN law. This declaration has subsequently been revised through a number of GA Resolutions which, whilst not enforceable over individual nation’s laws, are usually passed into legislation by most.
Other key documents that have been produced by the UN in regards to human rights over the years include the UN convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989 and the International Covenant of Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights in 1966.
What do human rights lawyers do?
In the UK, human rights lawyers advise those who have been the victim of a human rights violation and collaborate with both Government groups and NGOs to ensure that they meet all of their obligations and don’t fall foul of human rights laws.
Becoming a human rights lawyer is a huge career decision that will require many years of study and commitment. These are people who are regularly put in a position to work on behalf of those subject to extremely stressful and upsetting actions and the upmost professionalism and expertise is required at all times. Experienced human rights lawyers are few and far between and it takes a certain type of individual to thrive in such a role.
