Human Rights Law and Practice
Kannur University · LL.B. Semester 3 · OP 03
Unit I
Foundational Aspects · Meaning and Concept of Human Rights · Notion and Classification of Rights: Natural, Moral and Legal Rights, three Generations of Human Rights (Civil and Political Rights; Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; Collective solidarity Rights) · Theoretical Dimensions · Basis and Sources of Human Rights · Theories of Human Rights · Relevance of ratification by states · Impact of ratifying with reservation · Meaning of Legal Instrument · Binding Nature · Types of Instruments: Convention · Covenant · Charter · Declaration · Treaty · Optional Protocols
- Human Rights: Concept, Definition, Evolution, Characteristics, Need, Limitations, Theories of Development of Natural Rights, Theories of Utilitarianism, Idealism, Socialism and Positivism
- Human Rights in India, the tradition of Human Rights in Indian context: ancient, medieval and modern
- First, Second and Third Generation Human Rights: Their Meaning, Historical
- Universality of Human Rights
- Human Rights in Western tradition, Normative Foundation of International Human Rights
- The American Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights & the French
- The UN Human Rights System and UDHR
Unit II
Evolution of the Concept of Human Rights · Journey from Magna Carta to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Magna Carta; The United States Declaration of Independence; The French Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen; United States Bill of Rights; Geneva Convention of 1864; Provision of Charter of UN; Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948) · International Bill of Rights (Significance of Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and optional Protocols; and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights) · Right to Development
- Human Rights in Western tradition, Normative Foundation of International Human Rights
- The American Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights & the French
- The UN Human Rights System and UDHR
- International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, First Optional Protocol, Second
- UN SDG's, Right to Environment, Role of NGOs in protection of Human Rights
Unit III
The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide · UN Convention Against Torture, Cruel and Degrading Treatment and Punishment · UN Declaration on Duties and Responsibilities of Individuals 1977 · UN agencies to monitor compliance with Human Rights and mechanisms for enforcement · Meaning and Concept of Human Rights Education · Transformation of human rights framework from international to national level with special reference to India · Role of Indian judiciary, Human Rights Commissions · Role of advocacy groups · NGOs, Mass media
Unit IV
Meaning and Concept of Vulnerable and disadvantaged Human Rights of Socially Excluded (Brief idea may be given about each) · Human Rights of Children with special emphasis to Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989 · Human Rights of Indigenous People with special reference to Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People · Human Rights of Disabled with special focus on UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities · United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities
Unit V
Women · Convention on the Nationality of married Women · Convention on Minimum Age, Consent and Registration of Marriage · Importance of Four World Conferences for Women · Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women · Role of Commission on the Status of Women · UN Women · UN Initiatives to Protect Older People · International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families 1990 · Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, 1954 · Brief introduction to International Humanitarian Law