Library: Philosophy at Webster University Library: Human Rights

Definition

"Human rights are a special sort of inalienable moral entitlement. They attach to all persons equally, simply by virtue of their humanity, irrespective of race, nationality, or membership of any particular social group. They specify minimum conditions for human dignity and a tolerable life." (The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics)

Keywords

Human Rights
Civil Rights
Women's Rights
Apartheid
Genocide
Gay rights

Human Rights Documents

United Nations Documents
Effective 1 January 2005, all the United Nations documents are available online free of charge in six official languages via the Official Document System of the United Nations.
How to cite UN documents
Here is an online guide to citing UN documents from Readex. This is only a guide; the final format depends on what style guide you are using.

Related Research Guides

Human Rights Research Guide

Web sites

Amnesty International Library Page
Contains news, features, actions, video and audio, information about countries, campaigns and issues. Amnesty International also produces hundreds of reports, press releases, appeals for action and newsletters each year and these are available in the Library.
Homeland Security Digital Library
Provides access to important U.S. policy documents, presidential directives, and national strategy documents as well as specialized resources such as theses and research reports from various universities, organizations and local and state agencies on topics related to homeland security policy and strategy.
Human Rights Internet
Hosts the Human Rights Organizations Database, the most comprehensive listing of institutions working in the field of human rights. These historical documents may be unvalidated but the majority of the more recent material is updated regularly. The Human Rights Organizations Database currently holds over 10,000 records. Its tables can be searched by name, type, issues addressed, countries the organization works in."
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch researchers conduct fact-finding investigations into human rights abuses in all regions of the world and provides extensive coverage in local and international media.
Universal Human Rights Index
The Universal Human Rights Index is designed primarily to facilitate access to human rights documents issued by the UN human rights treaty bodies and the special procedures of the Human Rights Council.