Strategies for the Selection and Pursuit of International Human Rights Objectives

Abstract

Nongovernmental organizations or lawyers concerned with improving the observance of internationally recognized human rights are faced with the basic question: "Where do we begin?" During the past twenty-five years, an important evolution in human rights law has taken place. An internationally accepted body of human rights principles has been developed, and international procedures have been created for implementing those norms. The basic problem for the human rights advocate today is how to use the present norms and procedures to achieve concrete improvement in actual conditions. This Comment considers how this herculean effort might be approached by examining the experience of domestic and international human rights organizations. It proposes a strategy that might be useful to nongovernmental organizations, lawyers, and activists concerned with human rights.