Understanding Human Rights and Social Policy

Abstract

In this chapter, social issues are recast from charity-based and needs-based approaches that have dominated our thinking to understanding social issues based on human rights instruments. Rights-based framing reveals the roots of social issues and problems as interdependent and exposes the inequities within societies. Understanding social issues from this perspective calls for the synergistic efforts of diverse stakeholders including governments to resolve these issues. The use of basic international, regional, and national human rights instruments is reviewed as well as the international customary law, general comments, and mechanisms to monitor the implementation of human rights by the United Nations and the self-monitoring of countries. Using child marriage as an example, the chapter then illustrates how to apply the basic rights-based principles of participation, accountability, nondiscrimination, and transparency toward the understanding of social issues. A discussion of the challenges that arise follows as well as the types of analyses that may be used. The chapter ends with a suggested exercise of reframing homelessness in the United States from a human rights approach.