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177 Human Rights Research Topics: Bright Ideas List 2023

Do you have a college research project or thesis on human rights and have been wondering how to prepare a good paper? You need a number of things, such as good research, analytical, and writing skills. However, the first step is getting the right topic. This is very challenging for most students, but we are here to help. This post provides a 177 human rights topics list that you can count on for the best grade. We will also tell you how to craft a great university human rights dissertation.

A Brief about Human Rights

Human rights are the basic freedoms and rights that belong to all persons in the globe, starting from birth to death. These rights apply irrespective of where you are, personal beliefs, or the way you decide to live your life. They cannot be taken away but can be restricted in some cases, such as if you break the law.

The basic rights are anchored on shared values, such as dignity, fairness, equality, independence, and respect. They are all protected by law. Because of their wide applications in areas such as the justice system and employment-related topics, you can expect to get many related school assignments and projects on it.

How to Write a Good Human Rights Thesis or Dissertation

Before we can look at the best human rights thesis topics, let’s look at the best process of writing it. This can be divided into six main steps:

Identify the study topic in line with your class teacher/professor’s recommendations. You can use our list of basic human rights topics that comes shortly after this guide.
Research the topic well to ensure it has ample resources. Then, identify the main points that will be covered during the study. It will be good to think about the entire dissertation right from the start because all parts are interconnected.
Develop a thesis statement. This is very important because it will be tested after analyzing the results.
Develop a good structure for the thesis. This is the outline that will guide you on what to include at what point. Carefully look at the current recommendation from your school. One of the best outlines you might want to consider include:

Introduction Literature review Methodology Results Analysis and discussion Conclusion Bibliography

Prepare the first draft.
Write the final draft by redefining the first draft. At this point, it will be a good idea to consider editing services from experts.

Next, we will highlight the main topics that you should consider in human rights. However, we’d like to remind that you can only pay for thesis and not waste your time over a tone of assignments.

Argumentative Human Rights Topics

Is violation of human rights allowed during times of war?
Circumcision of infants: Does it violate their human rights?
Should women and men have varying rights?
What is the link between human rights and traditions?
Capital punishment: Should it be considered a violation of human rights?
Right for freedom to education: Should it be made available for all?
Social media networking services: Should they guarantee privacy for all the clients.
Is the US policy on immigration discriminatory?
Interest of states: Should it take precedence over an individual’s human rights?
Developed countries have a duty to promote human rights in the developing states.
Pet ownership should be considered a universal human right.
Childhood concept differs from one culture to another: Should the notion of child labor also vary?
What are inappropriate ways of fighting for human rights?
Development of a country: Does it depend on the country’s defense of human rights?
From a human rights perspective, which is the most important amendment to the US constitution?
Comparing Apartheid and Holocaust: Has justice been done for the victims.
Human rights in the 21 st century: Is the globe doing enough to address the crisis in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia and Afghanistan?
What are the most important lessons on human rights from World War II?
Human rights violations in West Bank: Has the globe done enough?

International Human Rights Topics

What does the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines tell us about human rights internationally?
A review of cases of human rights in the United States between the 1950 and 2000.
Analyze the impacts of discrimination based on color and race.
A thematic review of modern human rights movements.
Trace the evolution of human rights starting from the ancient times to the age of globalization.
What is the relationship between human rights and peace in a country? A case study of the Netherlands.
Disability in the UK is under attack: Discuss.
Who should people running away from human rights violations turn to?
Is it appropriate to deny human rights on the basis of religion and gender?
Violation of human rights in North Korea: How is the developed world preparing to tackle it?
Violation of human rights in Venezuela: Should the United States get involved?
The right to stay silent in a court of law: How is this likely to affect the accused person?
What are the best remedies for addressing violations of women’s rights in the Middle East?
Will the world ever get to a point where people will live without worrying about human rights violations?
What makes it so difficult to introduce gun control in the United States?
Who should be held responsible for cases of mass shootings in schools?

Controversial Human Rights Topics

What are the similarities and differences between human and civil rights?
Evaluate the violation of human rights in Syria in the 21 st century.
Police-related human rights violation: How can we prevent it?
Should prisoners have a right to vote?
Assisted euthanasia is a violation of human rights: Discuss.
Should persons who try to take their own lives be charged in a court of law?
What is the best way to punish states for violating human rights?
Countries arming themselves with nuclear weapons are readying to violate human rights.
How effective are laws on domestic violence in the UK?
All cases of human abuses in history should be tried and concluded.
Is the UN doing enough to protect human rights?
Holocaust: Is it possible for the world to heal completely?
Do you think that the Rwanda Genocide could have been avoided?
It is time to act: How do you think the global community should handle the problem of immigrants trying to cross from Africa into Europe?
The hidden danger of not addressing bullying in school.
Is disciplining a child a violation of human rights?
Are correctional facilities doing enough to correct the behavior of inmates?
Is imprisonment enough to punish murder criminals?
Making a case for life imprisonment and the death penalty for murder criminals.
Is abortion a violation of human rights?

Human Rights Discussion Topics

What is your view on the famous revolt of the Cockroach People?
Discuss the outcomes of the LGBT movements in the 20 th century.
A deeper look into civil rights movements from Malcolm X point of view.
Interaction between Japan and China during WWII: How did it impact human rights issues in the two states?
Discuss the biggest human rights violations in South Africa after Apartheid.
UN Refugee program: How does it help enhance refugees’ welfare across the globe?
French Revolution and human rights: A thematic review.
Human rights in medieval Europe.
Human Rights Act in New Zealand in 1993: What is its significance?
Which human rights did women across the globe find hard to access in the 20 th century?
Police brutality in Brazil: Are the efforts taken by the government enough?
Discuss transgender rights in Europe.
A review of transgender human rights issues in the United States.
Disability rights in the UK.
Comparing disability policies in the US and India.
Racial profiling by police.
What are the roots of racism in the United States?
Review the Trail of Broken Treaties.
A deeper look at the Chattel Slavery in the Colonial America.
Review the African-American male experience.
Reviewing the history of the Bill of Rights in the United States.
Analyzing the American Indian Movement: How does it compare with other human rights movements?
Human rights in modern cinema: How are whites and people of color-treated?

Interesting Civil Rights Topics

Black Power Movement: How did it impact the Black Lives Matter in 2020 and 2021?
Are the 20 th Century civil rights movements sustainable?
Comparing women rights movements in 2020 and the 20 th century.
How did Martin Luther influence the civil rights approaches that came after him?
Comparing the scientific Revolution, Reformation and Renaissance movements’ impacts on western thought.
Protestant Reformation: Discuss how Catholic Church’s corruption and crusaders of war contributed towards its formation.
A closer look at the human rights movements during the Industrial Revolution of between 1760 and 1840.
How did the teachings of the American Revolution help the secession movement and Civil War?
How did Teddy Roosevelt impact the progressive movement?
The impact of communism impacts world history.
The location of a civil movement is the most important thing in its success: Discuss.
What made people start nationalist movement in Prussia?
Discuss the results of anti-nationalist movements in New York.
Female and Islam oppression on the globe.
Reinventing a revolution: A closer look at the Zapatista Movement.
What is the link between music, protest, and justice?
Confederate Flag: Is it a symbol of oppression?
Review the voting rights of 1965.
The West Memphis Three.

Special Human Rights Debate Topics

Women rights in the first half and second half 20 th century.
Legalization of same sex marriage and its impact on global fights for human rights.
Human rights movements in the US and their impact on federal policies.
International human rights movements: How has it influenced the UK judicial policies?
Responsibility to protect: How is it related to the issue of human rights?
Suffrage rights in ancient Greek: A holistic review.
Human rights presentation in the philosophy of enlightenment.
Human rights violations during the First World War.
What are lessons did we learn from Hitler and Holocaust during WWII.
These five reasons are the main causes of human rights violations in the 21 st century.
The main causes of gender disparity in the US.
Comparing the state of human rights in the UK and Qatar.
Do you think the bible violates human rights?
Environmental racism: What are the main effects?
The importance of the judiciary in protecting human rights.
Women rights in the Roman Empire.
Segregation is a violation of human rights.
Discussing critical human rights issues in India.

Unique Human Rights Topics for Research

The collapse of the Soviet Union and Rise of Communism in Russia.
Comparing the Pan-African movement to the 20 th -century cultural nationalism of Latin America.
A review of the Hong Kong Umbrella Movement’s goals and methods.
Abolition of death penalty: Why it is a major human rights issue.
Popularity of social media and its impact on human rights. A closer review of Arab countries in North Africa.
International Calvinism: What was the impact on European Culture?
Why do other countries not intervene in North Korea where massive abuses of human rights have been reported?
A statistical review of human trafficking in the 20 th century.
How can a person as an individual help to promote human rights?
Utilitarianism contravenes human rights.
Human rights institutions and their efforts in protecting human rights in Africa.
Military actions to protect human rights: Does it make sense?
Black Lives Matter Movement protests: What does the movement say about human rights today?
Does the UK constitution comprehensively cover the issue of human rights?
Global manufacturing: How has it impacted the rights of workers?
Has the International Labor Organization done enough to protect the plight of workers on the globe?
How does poverty impact human rights in developing countries?

PhD Topics in Human Rights

A review of the parts of the globe with the worst cases of human rights violation.
How does the internet promote human trafficking? A thematic review.
A comprehensive review of factors that impact the outcome of different trials in a court of law.
Legitimate forms of the death penalty.
What factors prevent people from getting justice? A literature review.
A comprehensive review of the impacts of legalizing drug use.
What factors prevent equal representation of women in top leadership roles in the developing world?
What are the major problems faced by LGBT couples? Propose possible solutions.
Racial profiling by police: A case study of Mexico.
A comparative review of human rights policies of three countries of your choice in Europe.

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Assignments on Human Rights

Just about scenario of Human rights violations

Related Papers

Luis Eslava

LLM Subject - 2021 - Kent Law School. Feel free to use it with due acknowledgment. About the Subject: Human rights occupy an extremely important place in contemporary discussions about law, justice and politics at both the domestic and the international level. Across all spheres of government, bodies of law and, pretty much, in every single social mobilization, human rights are invoked and debated. Just pay attention to the legal arguments underpinning or being mobilized in the news tonight. From access to drinking water and the protection of environmental resources in developed and developing countries, to contestations about the importance of more direct forms of citizens’ participation in the running of national and international affairs, to the challenging of gender stereotypes across the world, to battles around how to create a less unequal world, human rights have become an important language to advance all sorts of agendas. In doing so, human rights have become the horizon of what’s desirable and, at the same time, of what seems possible today. As such, human rights are giving a particular shape to our individual and collectives lives. This module approaches this key place occupied by human rights in the contemporary world from an international perspective. In placing our focus at the international level, the module aims to link the international human rights norms and human rights systems, with the actual practice and operation of human rights across the globe. Particular attention is paid in the module to the value, as well as the limits of human rights when they approach, or try to address the problems and the aspirations of six important ‘subjects’ – ‘subjects’ (human and non-human) which human rights have themselves helped to constitute in their current form: the Citizen, the Corporation, the Refugee, the Woman, the Non-Human Entity, and the Poor. The module is organized around lectures and seminars delivered by the convenor, as well as lectures given by invited guest speaker. Guest speakers are Kent Law School and external scholars with expertise in different areas of human rights. They will explore in their lectures how they have approached in their research and practice the six ‘subjects’ mentioned above (i.e. the Citizen, the Corporation, the Refugee, the Woman, the Non-Human Entity, and the Poor). The objective of inviting guest speakers to the module is to give you the opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge of different areas of human rights (in particular in terms of how human rights come to deal with the needs of specific subjects), and to familiarize you with different ways to think, theorize and use human rights today.

Kaveri Bhattacharyya

Alhelí Alvarado

John Reynolds

Adam A Blackler

Ignacio L Prieto Leon

Valentina Azarova

The SAGE Encyclopedia of War Social Science Perspectives

Salvador Santino Regilme

Since the end of the Cold War, the human rights agenda has been playing a significant role in shaping the foreign policies of powerful states, such as the United States and western European countries; the domestic political behavior of ruling elites in the Global South; and the agenda of global governance institutions, such as the United Nations. Despite the growing importance of human rights, incidents of violent conflict persist, especially within many states in the developing world. In most of these incidents—civil war, riots, violent protests, and so on—human rights abuses were being perpetrated by either state agents or nonstate armed actors. What explains the emergence of human rights violations? Why do states comply with human rights norms? This entry provides an analytical summary of contemporary social science research on the causes of human rights violations and outlines various important pathways and tools in which stronger human rights protection can be achieved.

Kathryn Libal

Grietje (River) Baars

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For more information:

Mike McClintock, who has worked in the human rights field for more than 30 years at organizations like Human Rights First, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, describes the core tenants of human rights research methodology in his narrative, The Standard Approach to Human Rights Research .

International Standards and Guidelines (from IGOs and NGOs)

United Nations, “ Istanbul Protocol: Manual on the Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment ,” 1999.
Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Training Manual on Human Rights Monitoring, Professional Training . Series No. 7, 2001. (Note: Provides practical guidance principally for the conduct of human rights monitoring in United Nations field operations.)
International Bar Association: Human Rights Institute, Guidelines on International Human Rights Fact-Finding Visits and Reports (“Lund-London Guidelines”), 1 June 2009. (Note: The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute in conjunction with the Raoul Wallenberg Institute , launched this set of human rights fact-finding guidelines during a conference at the British Institute of International and Comparative Law, London, on 1 June 2009. The guidelines are the result of several years’ work and wide consultation. They arose out of concern that, despite there being no agreed international standards for human rights fact-finding reporting, such reports are frequently referred to by courts and tribunals as evidence of the facts alleged in them, as well as by governments, NGOs and other interested people. The guidelines aim to fill this gap by setting an agreed international standard of good practice in the conduct of fact-finding visits and in the compilation of reports. More information is available on the website http://www.factfindingguidelines.org .)
International Commission of Jurists, Trial Observation Manual-Practitioners’ Guide No. 5 , 2009. (Note: Intended as a practical tool for ICJ trial observers. The manual incorporates insights from similar guides developed by the UN and other NGOs and specifically addresses instances where the independence or impartiality of judges and lawyers is threatened or fair standards are not guaranteed. It includes analysis of international standards on the right to remedy of victims of human rights violations and combating impunity.)
International Law Association. “The Belgrade International Rules of Procedure for International Human Rights Fact-Finding Missions,” in American Journal of International Law 75, No. 1 (1981): 163-165.
Human Rights Watch. “ Our Research Methodology .”

Scholarship

On human rights research and reporting, generally.

Franck, Thomas M. and H. Scott Fairley. “Procedural Due Process in Human Rights Fact-Finding by International Agencies.” The American Journal of International Law 74, no. 2 (1980): 308-345.
Groome, Dermot. The Handbook of Human Rights Investigation . Human Rights Press, 2000.
Larson, Egon. A Flame in Barbed Wire: The Story of Amnesty International . New York: F. Mueller, 1978. (Note: Includes description of research missions carried out in AI’s early years.)
McClintock, Michael. “Establishing Accountability for State Violence.” In Human Rights in the Twenty-First Century: A Global Challenge , edited by Kathleen Mahoney. Martinus Nijhoff, 1993.
McClintock, Michael. “ Tensions Between Assistance and Protection: A Human Rights Perspective .” In Humanitarian Action: A Transatlantic Agenda for Operations and Research , edited by Larry Minear and Thomas G. Weiss. Occasional Paper #39, Watson Institute, Brown University, 2000.
Orentlicher, Diane F. “Bearing Witness: The Art and Science of Human Rights Fact-Finding.” Harvard Human Rights Journal 3 (1990): 83-135.
Weissbrodt, David and James McCarthy. “Fact-finding by International Non-governmental Human Rights Organizations.” Virginia Journal of International Law , 22 (1981).
Weissbrodt, David. “Book Review. Human Rights Missions: A Study of the Fact-Finding Practice of Non-Governmental Organizations by Hans Thoolen and Berth Verstappen.” Human Rights Quarterly , Vol. 10, No. 1 (Feb., 1988): 134-137. (Note: Introduces volume by Thoolen and Verstappen and also provides brief literature review on human rights research methodology.)

On specific methodologies

Amnesty International, Freedom from Torture, and University of York: Center for Applied Human Rights. “ Active Participation in Human Rights ,” Conference Report, 2011. (Note: See Annex 1 for an overview of conceptual challenges in incorporating rights holder perspectives and priorities in human rights research and reporting.)
OSCE. Preventing and Responding to Hate Crimes: A Resource Guide for NGOs in the OSCE Region ,” Includes section on data collection, monitoring and reporting. 2009.
Stover, Eric. The Witnesses: War Crimes and the Promise of Justice in the Hague . University of Pennsylvania Press, 2005. (Note: Addresses the use of victim and survivor testimony.)
Weissbrodt, David. “International Trial Observers.” Stanford Journal of International Law 18 (1982): 27-121.

Case Studies and Examples

Dublin City University, “ Hear My Voice: The Experience of Discrimination of People with Mental Health Problems in Ireland ,” 2010. (Commissioned by AI-Ireland, investigation of the experience of discrimination by people with mental health problems, experts by experience. Illustrates use of “active participation” methodology.)
Geiger, MD., H. Jack and Robert M. Cook-Deegan, MD. “The Role of Physicians in Conflicts and Humanitarian Crises: Case Studies from the Field Missions of Physicians for Human Rights, 1988 to 1993.” Journal of the American Medical Association 270, no. 5 (1993): 616-620.
“ I Remember Being Shown Some Very Severe Signs of Torture ,” Former staff researchers of Amnesty International reminisce about gathering information in Pinochet’s Chile (blogpost, August 14, 2013).
Recognizing Human Rights Problems
Enforced Disappearances
Invoking Standards of International Humanitarian Law
Interdependence and Indivisibility of Economic and Political Rights
Establishing Accountability for Human Rights Abuse
Government Obligations
Armed Insurgent Groups and Other Non-State Actors
Individual Criminal Accountability
Corporate Accountability
Women’s Rights: Due Diligence, Private Actors, and Domestic Violence
Methods of Research and Advocacy
Forensic Evidence and Human Rights Reporting
Research in Conflict Zones and Military Forensics
Making international Human Rights Policy Decisions
The UN and Human Rights Policy
The Human Rights Movement – Advocacy for Policy Change
The Future: Frontiers in Human Rights Policy

Human Rights Glossary

Universal declaration of human rights.

UDHR – Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The first and most fundamental human rights standard approved by the United Nations (1948). Its thirty articles elaborate a wide range of civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights. Even though it is not a legally binding document, the UDHR is considered the cornerstone of international human rights law.

See more human rights glossary terms…

Human Rights Policy Resources

Core Human Rights Treaties and Monitoring Bodies
UN Special Procedures
UN Treaty Collection
Universal Human Rights Instruments

Human Rights: From Practice to Policy

Download the 2010 Conference Proceedings

Human Rights Research Paper

This sample human rights research paper features: 8300 words (approx. 27 pages), an outline, and a bibliography with 34 sources. Browse other research paper examples and check the list of political science research paper topics for more inspiration. If you need a research paper written according to all the academic standards, you can always turn to our experienced writers for help. This is how your paper can get an A! Also, chech our custom research proposal writing service for professional assistance. We offer high-quality assignments for reasonable rates.

Introduction

Concepts of human rights, relationship between human rights and dignity, concepts of dignity, values of human rights and dignity, history of human rights, history of human dignity, contemporary concepts of human rights, contemporary concepts of dignity, animal rights versus human rights, human dignity versus transhuman and posthuman dignity.

Bibliography

Human rights and dignity are central normative notions of contemporary politics as well as political and ethical theories. However, they have not had this role for a long period of time, as the main development of these concepts began only during the Age of Enlightenment. During the previous 60 years, their influence can be said to be of global importance. On December 10, 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted and proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations. Yet, there are traces of both notions in ancient and medieval thought, and this research paper will trace their roots and historical development and make inferences concerning potential future challenges concerning them.

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Article I of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”

Human rights are subjective rights of individual human beings. Subjective rights are different from objective rights. Objective rights refer to the completeness of regulations within a legal system. Objective rights grant subjective ones. Subjective rights imply that individual human beings have the authority to do certain things within the system. The concept of human rights implies that all human beings, because of their being human, have certain rights and freedoms that are universal, inalienable, and indivisible. According to a stricter sense of the concept of human rights, they can be contrasted with civil rights. Civil rights are held by all citizens of a state and include rights that are not human rights, like the right to vote. Human rights are held by all human beings. However, civil rights are included in the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

According to the Czech jurist Karel Vasak (as he originally proposed in 1979), there are three generations of human rights. The first generation deals with liberty, and the rights in this generation are particularly civil in nature. Human rights in the second generation are related to equality, and their nature is primarily social, whereas the third generation rights go beyond the civil and the social and are mostly expressed in soft law declarations of international law. Libertarians are usually skeptical concerning human rights of the second and third generation, as they presume that these rights contain concealed paternalistic political goals.

The term human rights came into existence at the beginning of the 19th century. However, as mentioned above, it was not until 1948 that human rights were generally proclaimed, by what was then a newly formed United Nations. The declaration was primarily motivated by the cruelties of World War II. Article I of this declaration states a close connection between the concept of dignity and that of rights. As a result of this declaration, both concepts, that of human rights and that of human dignity, became highly significant for many countries’ constitutions and the post-1945 world.

Both rights and dignity can be justified naturally or solely legally. Natural rights are valid at all times in all places. Solely legal rights are grounded in an actually existing legal system founded by decisions made by human beings. To enforce natural human rights, they also need to be integrated into a legal system, but they are regarded as valid even if they have not been acknowledged by anyone.

Analogously, one can talk about necessary and contingent human dignity. Necessary dignity is a quality that belongs to all human beings at all times and in all places, whereas contingent human dignity is dependent upon an institution that declares that human beings are bearers of dignity. The concepts of right and dignity imply a normative aspect. The concept of dignity often has also an ontological aspect, whereas the concept of right can, but does not have to have, an ontological aspect.

In the above case of the United Nations Declaration, both concepts have an ontological aspect, as Article I states that all human beings who are the bearers of dignity and rights “are endowed with reason and conscience.” Hence, the normative aspect of both concepts is based upon an ontological one. However, the relationship between the two concepts in question can be different than that shown in the last example; for example, in the case of the German basic law, some experts claim that the concept of human dignity is the foundation for all human rights. In this case, it can be seen that only the concept of human dignity has an ontological and normative aspect, whereas that of a human right merely includes normative implications.

The concept of dignity must not be mixed up with the word dignity. The word implies several concepts that can be divided into a sense and a reference. Dignity is a quality that a bearer can have necessarily or contingently. To distinguish between these two types of dignity, it would be best always to clarify which type one is referring to. For pragmatic reasons, the author will use the expressions necessary dignity and contingent dignity from now on.

Necessary dignity can either be inherent or dependent. Given that human beings necessarily have free will, and free will is the foundation for dignity, it is the case that all human beings have necessary, inherent human dignity. If it were the case that God attributed dignity to all human beings necessarily, then all human beings would have necessary, dependent dignity. However, both instances would be examples of necessary dignity.

Contingent dignity can also be connected to various qualities. Given that human beings reciprocally attribute dignity to one another, then we would have contingent, dependent dignity. If human beings, on the other hand, were bearers of dignity, because they have the quality to make logical inferences, and this capacity is a bodily capacity, then human beings would have contingent, inherent dignity, as the capacity here is not a necessary one. Both examples represent types of contingent dignity.

The terms necessary dignity and contingent dignity can be specified further. They can imply equality or inequality concerning the bearers of dignity. In our context, only the concept of dignity that implies equality among its bearers is relevant. This does not mean that the other concept is socially unimportant; for example, bishops and judges have dignity; however, their dignity is a hierarchical one that is irrelevant here.

The concept of dignity that is relevant here is a nongradual one that implies equality among its bearers and is connected to six characteristic features:

Dignity cannot exist independently, but is always connected to a bearing entity.
A bearer has the quality dignity if he possesses a nongradual quality X, wherein dignity is founded.
The relationship between the bearers of dignity is that of equality; that is, all bearers of dignity have a nongradual quality X, because of which their relationship can be specified as descriptive equality.
The descriptive equality of the bearers implies a normative one, whereby the norm is related to an ideal of the good and not to that of an evil; for example, dignity is only given if all its bearers are supposed to be treated equally well and not if they are supposed to be treated equally badly.
Bearers of dignity have a special status within the world; that is, they are categorically different from all other beings in the world and have a quality that cannot be verified empirically.
The concept of dignity will be named “dignity” or named with an equivalent word in a foreign language. (If this trait was not included, then the concept of dignity would refer to too many concepts; for example, most concepts of rights would then also count as concepts of dignity, which would be a questionable position.)

Each entity to which the six features just stated apply is a bearer of the quality dignity. Hence, the reference of the concept dignity is dependent upon the meaning. However, thereby we have not yet clarified the concept of human dignity, but only that of dignity. The concept human dignity is the result of the intersection of the set of references of the concepts of dignity and of being human. A being belongs to the set of bearers of dignity if it is the case that he has all the features demanded of a bearer of dignity. A being belongs to the set of human entities if it belongs to the human species, that is, if it potentially belongs to the human reproductive community. It is important to distinguish between human beings and human entities. Both human beings and human entities belong to the human species. However, it does not have to be the case that all human entities are human beings. It is clear that a fertilized egg belongs to the human species, but it is unclear whether a fertilized egg can be called a human being. However, it clearly is a human entity, as it belongs to the human species. There are five possibilities of how the set of bearers of dignity and that of human entities can intersect:

The set of human entities can be a subset of that of the bearers of dignity. In this case, someone who is a human entity necessarily is a bearer of dignity. However, it is not the case that all bearers of dignity are human entities. Here, it is the case that someone who belongs to the human species also has to bear dignity, as it would be according to Kant, if we read him as follows: The ability to have reason is actual within the human soul, which is unified with the human body from the moment egg and sperm get together. Dignity here is founded in a feature that can necessarily be found in all human entities. According to Kant, the actual ability for reason can be found in all human beings. However, not all human beings can express this ability, as the capacity to express it is connected to a bodily capacity that one needs to develop.
The sets of the bearers of dignity and that of human entities can be identical. If someone is a human entity, then he is a bearer of dignity. Each bearer of dignity necessarily is a human being. In this case, the quality on which dignity is founded is a quality that is being held only by human beings. As here the identity of the set human entities and that of bearers of dignity is a given, it is also the case that the quality on which dignity is founded is the same as the one on which it depends whether one belongs to the human species.
The sets of bearers of dignity and that of human entities can overlap. There are human entities that are bearers of dignity, and there are human entities that are not bearers of dignity in the same way as there are bearers of dignity that are human entities, and there are bearers of dignity that are not human entities. In this case, dignity is founded upon a quality that some but not all human entities have, and that some but not all nonhuman entities have. One can read Kant in such a way that his concept of dignity belongs to this group, but only if one assumes that actual reason is not a capacity of the soul but is only present when someone can speak. There are human entities that can talk and who therefore also have dignity. However, there are other human entities that are currently unable to talk and who henceforth do not have dignity. It cannot be excluded, and Kant definitely does not exclude the possibility that there are nonhuman beings that have reason together with this dignity.
The set of the bearers of dignity can be a subset of human entities. All bearers of dignity are necessarily human entities. However, there are human entities that are not bearers of dignity. A position which claims that, for a human entity to have dignity, the human needs to be born would be one that belongs to this group. It can be the case that, as in this case, the feature on which dignity is founded is also the feature that turns a human entity into a human being.
The set of bearers of human dignity and that of human entities do not overlap. The fifth and last option is not relevant for us, as with it we do not have bearers of human dignity.

Both human dignity and human rights are the foundation of many constitutions and can be found at a prominent place in the charter of the United Nations. There is no moral dilemma or moral challenge for which these concepts are irrelevant. As an example, for the relevance of human dignity, one is referred to a discussion in the field of medical ethics.

The notion of human dignity is a complex one that is not being used in a unified manner. In addition, it is often abused in order to stop an argument or to claim that the opposite opinion can only be held by a scoundrel or a protofascist. Hence, it is important always to reference facts and to clarify the concepts one deals with. In the field of medical ethics, arguments that deal with the beginning of human life are of particular importance. From which moment on can one claim that a human entity has human dignity or the right to live?

From the moment of fertilization
From the moment of fusion of the precells
From the moment at which the nidation in the uterus takes place
From 14 days after the fusion, as from that moment on, it is impossible that twins can come about (conjoined twins can still come into existence, however)
From the moment at which the embryo becomes a fetus (i.e., after 3 months, when the developmental process of all organs is finished)
From the moment of birth

It depends upon a governmental decision which of these various stages is regarded as decisive for a human being to have dignity or the right to live. Legal regulations concerning stem cell research, preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), and abortion are based upon this decision. A particularly striking example can be given in the case of PGD. In contrast to the UK, PGD is forbidden in Germany. One reason for it being forbidden is that in the process of PGD, one or two totipotent cells are taken away from the fertilized cells and genetically analyzed, and they are destroyed in this process. As it is possible for a totipotent cell to develop into an independent human being, some regard totipotent cells as bearers of dignity, which therefore must not be destroyed.

Even though human rights, as we understand them today, were established only fairly recently, one can trace aspects of the concept back to antiquity. In ancient Athens, in the 6th century BCE, many government posts were given away by drawing lots, and thereby, any citizen could acquire the office in question. However, women or slaves did not have the right of citizenship. An important step in the development of human rights was the upcoming of Stoic philosophy and its concept of the humanitas, which implied that all humans, because of their being human, ought to be considered ethically. Yet, this duty was a lower-rank duty.

The proper beginning of the concept of human rights goes along with the beginning of the Age of Enlightenment. In the following paragraphs, the focus will be on the concepts of the most influential philosophers of rights: Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jean Jacques Rousseau, and Immanuel Kant.

The first philosopher who was significant for the development of the concept of human rights was Hobbes. Fundamental to his understanding of rights is the fictional state of nature he presents, in which there is a war of all against all, and each person is the potential enemy of every other person— Homo homini lupus (“Man is a wolf to [his fellow] man”). Each person is fighting for his own survival and power. Then, each person is supposed to have the right to everything else in order to preserve himself. There is danger lurking in this state, as even the strongest can be killed during the night or by a group of weaker men who cooperate. No one is so much stronger than all the others to actually make sure that his safety can be guaranteed over a long period of time. Hence, there is a certain kind of equality among human beings, as we are all more or less equally strong, or to put it in a different manner: There is no one who is so much stronger than all the others over a long period of time that he could guarantee his own safety in a stable manner. Due to the given equality, this can come to a fictional contract between all human beings, in which all human beings agree to give their natural rights to the Leviathan, who from then on has the absolute power over his citizens. The individual citizens give away their sovereignty, and the political leader receives it.

A slightly less grim picture of human nature was presented by Locke. His ethics is closely connected with Christianity, as he makes clear that without afterworldly sanctions, there would be no reason for not living solely according to the pleasure principle. In the end, morality is based upon a God-given law. In a similar manner, he approaches his political ethics. He limits the power of the sovereign by putting forward that there are natural rights that are God given and valid universally. According to Locke, the natural law and the natural rights exist also in the state of nature. According to Hobbes, in that state everyone has a right to everything. According to Locke, on the other hand, the rights of a human being are limited by the rights of the others. And the most basic rights can be described as the right to the inviolability of a person and his property, which can be specified further by making a distinction between the right to life, health, liberty, and possession. As there are people in the state of nature who do not accept the natural law, there is a need to move from the natural state to a political system.

In contrast to Locke and Hobbes, Rousseau presents a more optimistic understanding of human behavior in the hypothetical state of nature. According to him, there are enough goods available for all human beings, they live separate from one another, and they are peaceful. Then human beings exist in a state of healthy self-love, which includes sympathy, which stops them from acting egoistically. The positively evaluated state of nature ends when someone develops the category of private property due to egoistic desires. Such an action leads to inequality and promotes further egoistic desires, so that one ends up in a system with richer and poorer people. The richer people force the poorer ones to accept a social contract whereby the poorer ones do not realize that they were being forced into the contract. Even though they claim that the social contract serves the common interest, it is supposed to be solely in the interest of the rich. However, there is also the possibility of an ideal social contract, which would be one in which all citizens realize that they are the general will. In that case, the political and moral freedom consists in sticking to the law that one has given oneself. Here, the general will would correspond with the individual one.

Autonomy, in a different sense from Rousseau’s, is central for Kant’s understanding of rights. Rights, according to Kant, are supposed to help individuals to live together so that they do not get into conflict with one another. Anyone is supposed to live such that his arbitrary will can coexist with the wishes of others. Kant also holds that a social contract is the basis of a state. He agrees with Locke that there are inviolable natural rights, with Rousseau that the highest norm concerning law giving ought to be the general will, and with Hobbes that in the state of nature there is the war of all against all. By transforming the particular individual wills into a general will, the state of nature changes into a constitutional state.

Early Greek philosophers did not hold a concept of dignity that can be compared to the one we have. In their case, dignity was always connected to a hierarchy. According to Aristotle, there are natural slaves, who of course have less dignity than citizens. Dignity today, however, implies the equality of its bearers. As said before, the concept of equality of all human beings is developed and becomes particularly influential in Stoic thought. As an outgrowth of Stoic philosophy, the first important concept of human dignity is put forward by Cicero. His thinking is reflected particularly in Renaissance philosophy. Pico della Mirandola and Manetti are two Renaissance philosophers who put forward paradigmatic theories of dignity. Another reader of the philosophy of Cicero was Kant, whose concept of dignity became particularly influential. In this section, first the paradigmatically most important theories of human dignity in historical order (Cicero, Manetti, Pico della Mirandola, and Kant) are presented, and these are followed specifically by the vehement criticism of the concept by Nietzsche, who provides us with a useful basis for reflections concerning the future of human dignity.

Cicero was the first great philosopher who put forward a concept of human dignity. He holds that all human beings, which implies all beings with ratio, have dignity. Concerning Cicero, the sets “members of the species human beings” and “beings with ratio” are identical concerning the extension, which means that if someone is a member of the one set, he also has to be a member of the other set, and it is impossible for a being to be a member of the one set without being a member of the other one. However, dignity is not the central concept within his ethics, as it often is today. The focus of his ethics lies on the highest good, which again is connected with the honorable, the honestum. Anyone who possesses the four cardinal virtues—justice, wisdom, bravery, and moderation—is honorable. Hence, the highest good is solely identified with the virtues. External goods are irrelevant concerning the highest good, which implies, however, a hierarchy of duties. The highest duties are the duties against the gods, followed by the duties against one’s political community and then the duties against one’s parents. We also have duties against other human beings who are bearers of dignity like us. However, these duties are of lower rank. This does not mean that they are irrelevant. These duties are of direct importance concerning our interaction with slaves and foreigners, who are also supposed to be treated in a just and dignified manner. Due to the high relevance of the duties against the political community, Cicero holds that the vita activa is more important than the vita contemplativa, even though the latter corresponds to our human nature.

Another paradigmatically important concept of dignity was put forward by the Renaissance humanist Manetti, whose views were ultimately founded in his faith in the Christian God. Faith is supposed to lead to appropriate actions and right thinking and also to the knowledge of God, human dignity, and the highest good. As in Cicero’s ethics, the concept of dignity is not the central one, which is the concept of the highest good. The highest good lies in a state of afterworldly bliss. To be able to reach this state, one has to be virtuous according to Manetti. The virtues piety, justice, and wisdom are of particular importance, according to him. Anyone who possesses these virtues reaches the highest good. Even though one reaches the correct understanding of these concepts only by means of contemplation, the main focus in life ought to be in the vita activa; with such a focus, one can fulfill ones duties against God and the other human beings in an appropriate manner. Due to the duty of justice, one ought to love all human beings as one’s brother and consider that love in one’s deeds. However, the possession of human dignity is independent of one’s deeds, as it is connected to the imago dei, the image of god, which we possess within our immortal souls. To act in accord with our dignity, we ought to stick to the duties that God has given all men and that are connected with the highest good. One of the duties is the duty of charity. Herein the consideration of other human beings, bearers of dignity, becomes directly relevant.

Another paradigmatically central foundation of human dignity was put forward by Pico della Mirandola. His concept is cited in many contemporary debates, even though current thinkers tend to receive his concept in a biased manner. According to him, human dignity lies in our free will, which lets human beings become a likeness of God and represents the signature of the creator upon his special creations. Human beings, according to Pico, participate in all layers of being, but, in contrast to other creations, they are not connected to one specific layer of being exclusively. Because of our free will, we have the chance to become who we wish to become. Of course, this does not mean that we can turn into fish or pigeons. However, it implies that we can choose our lifestyle according to our own fantasies, desires, or thoughts. It is this aspect which modern interpreters usually focus upon.

Yet, there is another side that can also be found in Pico’s philosophy. Even though we can choose to become who we apparently wish to become, there is supposed to be a real wish within all of us. We all wish to return to our origin, our creator, God, even though not all of us are conscious of this wish. The only way by which human beings are supposed to reach the highest good, which is the center also of Pico’s ethics, is by means of the unio mystica with God. This goal cannot be reached by conscious decisions. We depend upon the mercy of God to reach this state. However, we must first be prepared in order to be eligible for mercy. We must possess the political virtues within our character, which means that we ought to make peace, be just, have the virtue of love, and act in accord with it. On that fundamental level, the dignity of other human beings is considered, as here our duty to consider other human beings, bearers of duty, comes in, and we have the obligation to consider it in an appropriate manner. Our main duty concerning the highest good, however, is to go beyond our connection with the sensual world, to purify ourselves, and in the end God might grant us the chance to return to him and become one with him. The vita contemplativa, according to Pico, is much more relevant than the vita activa. If a human being does not consider the duties just stated, he does not lose his dignity, because his dignity is connected to his free will, which he cannot lose.

The most influential conception of human dignity was put forward by Kant. However, even according to him, the focal point of his ethics lies in the highest good. In contrast to the previous positions mentioned, the highest good, according to Kant in his Grundlegung zur Metaphysik der Sitten (“Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals”), does not enclose happiness, but it lies in the good will, which any being has who has will and reason and who acts out of respect for the moral law in accord with the moral law. Anyone who acts on maxims out of respect for the moral law, fulfils the moral law. This implies that his actions are based on maxims. To check whether a statement can be a maxim is to try to universalize the statement and check the reflections. If the reflections lead to contradictions, the statement cannot be a maxim. If the procedure does not lead to any challenges, the statement can serve as a maxim. The categorical imperative, which can be described in various ways, is a way of paraphrasing the moral law. One formulation of the categorical imperative includes the concept of human dignity, which is founded upon autonomy. The highest good and the moral law are valid for all beings with dignity, and dignity applies to autonomous beings only. One implication of the practical formulation of the categorical is that one must never treat humanity, neither in oneself nor in any other person, solely as a means. Any being with dignity must never be treated solely as a means. Hereby, it becomes clear that dignity is of some relevance in Kant’s philosophy; however, even according to him, the highest good is the central focus within his ethics. A further indication that human dignity does not have a foundational role within his ethics is that it turns up mainly within only one formulation of the categorical imperative.

The foundation of dignity, according to Kant, is the capacity of being autonomous, which is a necessary condition for acting in accord with the moral law. Autonomy must not be misunderstood as representing arbitrariness as freedom. Beings with dignity have the necessary duty to act in accord with duty. All acts that are in accord with the categorical imperative are in accord with duty.

In his Kritik der praktischen Vernunft (“Critique of Practical Reason”), Kant holds a similar position. Only his concept of the highest good changes slightly. It still encloses the moral law, but the person who acts out of duty in accord with duty not only deserves to become happy, according to Kant, but he can actually hope to receive happiness in proportional means to his acting morally. However, to act morally implies that one must not act in accord with the moral law while hoping to receive happiness in proportional means to his acting morally, even though one can hope that this will be the case. Only someone who acts morally out of respect for the moral law, without being motivated by his hope that he will be rewarded with happiness, acts morally. He can expect to be rewarded with happiness in an afterworld but not with a happy this-worldly life.

The most vehement criticism of human dignity was put forward by Nietzsche. Explicitly, he attacks solely necessary concepts of dignity, and all the concepts mentioned above have been necessary ones. Implicitly, however, his philosophy also goes against contingent concepts of human dignity. His argument against necessary human dignity goes as follows: The concept of necessary human dignity is founded upon four mistakes. Hence, it ought to be abandoned. The four mistakes he refers to are the following:

Human beings have an incomplete understanding of themselves.
Human beings attribute to themselves invented qualities.
Human beings regard themselves to be in the wrong relationship concerning animals and nature.
Human beings invent hierarchies of good, which they falsely regard as eternal and unconditional.

Concerning human dignity, these mistakes can be explained further by merely selecting some specific examples in order to support his argument:

Human beings correctly understand that they have reason. However, they have an incomplete understanding of themselves, as they do not realize that reason is not eternal and that it does not provide us with knowledge concerning the world but was developed in order to help us survive. Reason, according to Cicero, is the foundation of human dignity, but his concept is based on the wrong understanding of reason. Hence, it is not valid.
Human beings invented the concept of free will, which cannot even be thought of in a non–self-contradictory manner. Free will is the foundation of human dignity according to Pico. However, as free will does not exist, his concept of human dignity is invalid.
Human beings think that they were created in God’s image and that they have a special status in relation to animals and nature. According to Nietzsche, neither of these claims is correct. Human beings do not have a special status in nature, and they differ merely in degree from other animals. As the concept of God was merely invented, human beings also cannot be created in God’s image. According to Manetti, human dignity is founded on humans being created in the image of God, which is not correct. Hence, his concept of human dignity is invalid.
According to Nietzsche, all systems of morals, as well as all values and norms, were invented by a certain group that has common interests. There are no eternal values and norms. According to Kant, human dignity represents an eternal norm. Hence, his concept of dignity is invalid.

Against the concept of contingent human dignity, Nietzsche implicitly puts forward at least three separate arguments:

Nietzsche holds that human beings do not have special status in the world. However, such a special status is demanded by all concepts of human dignity, both necessary and contingent ones.
Nietzsche holds that there are no universally valid norms. However, necessary and contingent concepts imply that human dignity is a universally valid norm.
Nietzsche holds that all human beings are not equal, and that there are two groups of people that have to be evaluated differently. However, necessary and contingent concepts imply that human dignity demands the equality of all human beings.

Given these three last points, it is clear that Nietzsche attacks not only necessary concepts of human dignity but also contingent ones.

All concepts of human rights that will be presented in the following paragraphs stem from the Anglo-American tradition: Nozick, Rawls, Nussbaum, Taylor. All four political philosophers defend human rights, but they represent four diverse basic positions within the spectrum of possible communitarian and liberal attitudes. Liberal positions can be characterized as positions in which the right has priority over the good, whereas in communitarian positions, the good comes first and provides the basis for deriving a concept of the right. Nozick is a libertarian thinker and therefore the most liberal of them all. His work is a reaction to the theory of justice that was put forward by his colleague in the department of philosophy at Harvard University, John Rawls. Rawls’s position represents a classical liberal one. Taylor and Nussbaum represent two left-wing interpretations of communitarianism; Taylor puts forward a communist communitarianism and Nussbaum a socialdemocratic version of it.

Nozick’s political philosophy builds on a version of Locke’s natural rights position. The right to one’s own body and one’s property are fundamental, according to him. The best state is supposed to be a night watchman state, whereby the state secures the basic human rights but does not interfere with the free exchange among, and contracts between, consenting adults. Many philosophers criticized him for this system, as they regard the social consequences as not appealing.

According to Rawls, international human rights specify a limit to the internal autonomy of a regime, and any country that provides human rights to its citizens is entitled to tolerance. Hence, a desire to provide human rights entitles countries that see gravely unjust behavior in the internal practice of other countries to promote interventions in the countries in question. In contrast to the dominant lists of human rights, Rawls’s suggestion is more limited; he particularly stresses the rights to life, liberty, property, and equality. His suggestion takes into consideration that promulgation of human rights does not imply the risk of getting rejected as being too liberal or too closely related to the Western tradition. However, Rawls agrees with most human rights theorists by holding that the rights are universal, international, have a high priority, set minimal standards that should save people from the severest forms of unjust treatment, and are relevant primarily for governments.

In contrast to the liberal theories previously discussed, the political philosophies of the following two thinkers are based on a concept of the good that is supposed to be the basis for a concept of the right. Nussbaum’s concept of the good includes two separate lists, based on her intuition, which are supposed to describe (1) the conditio humana, which is relevant for all human beings, and (2) goods and capacities, which are supposed to be important within all human lives. The first list includes mortality, the human body, perception, early childhood development, practical reason, community with other human beings, relationship to animals and nature, humor and play, and individuality. In the second list, she mentions that it is good to live through all stages of life, to be healthy, to fulfill one’s sexual desires, to avoid pain, to have a concept of the good, and to live in a community in which solidarity exists. Hence, she puts forward a strong, but vague, concept of the good. It is strong, as it says something about all aspects of life, but it is vague, as it does not state in detail what ought to be done. Both lists serve as a basis for deriving rights.

Taylor’s concept of the good from which he derives the right, on the other hand, can be described as weak but detailed. It is weak, as it does not put forward anything about all the various aspects of life. Hence, he favors a pluralist ethics. On the other hand, he holds a detailed position concerning religion, as he interprets the world from a Roman Catholic perspective.

In contrast to the human rights tradition, the most prominent concepts of human dignity come from various traditions worldwide. This section will deal with those of Gewirth, Margalit, and Spaemann. The first two thinkers hold a contingent concept of dignity and the last one holds a necessary concept of dignity.

Gewirth holds that all human beings are “actual or prospective purposive agents.” If all beings who are able to actually or potentially act on purpose are bearers of dignity, and all human beings are such beings, then all human beings are bearers of dignity. He connects the rights to freedom and well-being with the concept of dignity. Hence, all bearers of dignity hold the rights to freedom and well-being. According to Gewirth, it is necessary for any agent to have these rights, as these rights are supposed to be necessary for any action, and an agent would be selfcontradictory if he denied having these rights. As morality is concerned with human action and being a human agent, Gewirth claims that human beings have dignity and the two human rights mentioned. The line of thought which he proposes implies some tacit assumptions:

Morality is concerned with action.
Human beings are “actual or prospective purposive agents.”
Person X is a human being.
Person X wishes to do action A.
In order for X to be an agent who seeks to fulfill his purpose A, it is necessary for X to assume having the right to act thus, and it would be self-contradictory not to do so, as he would reject what he needs as a purposive agent.
All human beings, all actual or future purposive actors, need to assume that they have the right to action.
Rights need to be granted by others.
Hence, there is a contract between all actual or future purposive actors that need the rights necessary for action.
All actual or future purposive actors grant the rights necessary for action, which are the rights to freedom and well-being, to all other actual or future purposive actors, so that the others grant oneself the same rights.
The rights to freedom and well-being are connected with dignity.
As all actual or future purposive actors grant one another the rights to freedom and well-being that are connected with dignity, and it is necessary for all actors to do so, it is also the case that all actual or future purposive actors grant one another dignity, and granting one another dignity is necessary.

With this line of thought, which, of course, is open to many criticisms, Gewirth argues for human dignity based on a theory of action combined with a contract theory.

Margalit’s argument in favor of dignity is a negative justification of the concept, as he does not state what dignity is but rather what one must not do to others, so that their dignity is recognized. His method can be described as appellative rather than a logical inference that shows the necessity of dignity. His negative justification is supposed to show that human dignity is attacked whenever a person is humiliated. He puts forward examples and reasons that are supposed to show that humiliation is bad, and avoiding humiliation is all that is needed for a decent society. A society that is nonhumiliating is a society that respects human dignity. This position implies that human beings are hurt not only by physical attacks but also by means of symbolic actions.

In contrast to these two this-worldly concepts of dignity, Spaemann’s position is metaphysical. According to him, the concept of human dignity refers to something sacred, the preciousness of human beings themselves, which, however, cannot be thought of without God. Dignity is a religious-metaphysical notion, and human beings have dignity just because they represent the Absolute. It is impossible, according to him, that any human being can be without a certain minimum of dignity. This does not imply that dignity is a gradual notion. The human dignity that is important for contemporary discussions and that does not have any gradations refers to the minimum amount of dignity that all human beings have to have and that they can never lose, according to Spaemann. On the basis of some transcendental-pragmatic reflections, he links dignity to a nonempirical substance, which again is connected with a personal soul. When egg and sperm come together, this soul is united with the body, as the soul is not part of nature. In addition, the dignity connected to the personal soul is not identical with human rights but represents the foundation of human rights.

Future Directions

Given the most recent scientific innovations and artistic creations, it is not a daring prophecy to claim that transhumanism and posthumanism are and will continue to be significant movements. They share the basic attitude that the special status of human beings has dissolved, which means that human beings do not have a special factor that separates them categorically from other forms of life: Human beings are merely gradually different from other forms of life. This conception can already be found in the reflections of Darwin and Nietzsche.

However, transhumanism and posthumanism must not be identified with one another. Their values differ significantly. Whereas transhumanism upholds humanist values, posthumanism sticks to antihumanist values. Humanist values are such that the Renaissance type counts as an ideal that is to be aspired to. Antihumanist values, on the other hand, are such that there is no absolute set of values—values depend upon perspectival interpretations, and it is up to the interpreter in question which values he sticks to. As the concepts of human rights and dignity are connected with humanist concepts like the affirmation of the special status of human beings, which both transhumanism and posthumanism reject, the future development of these movements is directly connected to the evolution of the concepts of rights and dignity. Concerning rights, the next battle will be one between animal and human rights, whereas concerning dignity, human dignity might have to evolve into a trans- or posthuman dignity.

One of the current and future developments concerning rights is related to the dissolution of the special status of human beings. Human rights apply only to human beings, and only humans ought to be considered in the moral realm, because they have a special ontological and normative status in the world. Given the dissolution of the special status of human beings, this position no longer holds. The most prominent defender of animal rights is Tom Regan. He argues that the fact of being a “subject-of-a-life” is a necessary and contingent condition for having rights. As there are nonhuman animals that also possess this quality, they also ought to possess rights, and one ought to alter the concept of human rights into one that includes humans and some nonhumans.

Another attack concerning our current attitude toward animals was put forward by Peter Singer. He compares the discrimination against animals just because they do not belong to the human species with sexism and racism. As an alternative, he proposes an ethics that considers an equal consideration of interests. Hence, two beings that have similar preferences ought to be morally considered equally, too. Both Regan and Singer take the dissolution of the special status of human beings seriously. Thereby, they show that the current concept of human rights ought to be revised, as it does not adequately represent the relationship between human beings and nonhuman beings.

The current and future developments concerning the concept of dignity are also related to the dissolution of the special status of human beings in the world. One of the qualities necessarily connected with human dignity is the special status of human beings in the world. Human beings are categorically different from nonhuman animals, according to this view. It can imply, as it does according to German law, that only a human being is a person and all other beings are things. To hurt an animal is to commit a damage to a property, a thing. Given the dissolution of the special status of human beings, this estimation becomes implausible, and as such, the categorical difference between human beings and animals vanishes. Hence, there is a need to revise the concept of human dignity to integrate the altered attitude concerning the status of human beings in the world. In that case, we might already be able to talk of a posthuman instead of a human dignity. Another option would be to completely get rid of the concept of human dignity, as the qualities related to it are no longer plausible, and given the origin of the concept, it has religious implications, which are also no longer held by a majority of people.

In addition, a further development has to be noted. Genetic engineering enables us to alter the genetic setup of humans significantly, and it can be expected that many further developments will take place in this respect. These developments are significant also for the concept of dignity. Two attitudes concerning human alteration have been developed within two movements. First, there is the transhumanist movement, and second, the posthumanist movement. Both accept the dissolution of the special status of human beings in the world and the integration of human beings in nature so that they are different only in degree from other animals. However, their views concerning the genetic alterations of human beings differ. In contrast to the transhumanists who uphold a humanist—a Renaissance—ideal of human beings, posthumanists uphold antihumanist values.

However, the transhumanist movement is not a unified one. Esfandiary distinguishes between the transhuman and the posthuman. A transhuman is a transitional human who represents the link to the posthumans but still belongs to the human species. A posthuman is a member of the posthuman species, which represents a further step in evolution. Bostrom, on the other hand, has a different notion of the posthuman. He regards a posthuman to be a member of the human species but with capacities that greatly exceed “the maximum attainable by any current human being without recourse to new technological means.” Both uphold a humanist ideal that implies that not all alterations count as enhancements. Only if the alterations stick to a certain ideal of the good, which is similar to the Renaissance ideal of human beings, do they count as enhancements.

The posthumanist movement, on the other hand, is more open concerning what counts as an enhancement. It does not uphold that there is only one moral ideal or that there is only one set of values and norms valid for everyone. There are various ideals that are valid for certain types of human beings. There is a group that upholds the Renaissance ideal, but there are other groups, too. There is also the group of the blind, which regards being blind as an ideal. Posthumanism, in contrast to transhumanism, does not claim that one group holds a mistaken ideal, as transhumanists would claim with respect to the group of the blind for example. Posthumanists have greater respect for the value of negative freedom, which this author regards as a cultural achievement that cannot be underestimated and that one must not sacrifice lightly. The genetically altered, from the perspective of posthumanism, can also be referred to as posthumans. However, there are also concepts of the posthuman within posthumanism that are not directly concerned with questions of genetic enhancement, like Hayles’s concept of the posthuman or Haraway’s concept of the cyborg, which put forward a new anthropology. Hence, posthumanism from their perspective is the attempt of putting forward a radically new picture of what the anthropos is.

There are various ways to understand and affirm genetically altered human beings. If one refers to members of the human species as bearers of human dignity, which one can continue to do, and if one revises the traditional concept by integrating the dissolution of the special status of human beings, then one should seriously consider what type of dignity applies to trans- and posthumans. Given the differences between them and current human beings, this ought to have an effect upon their moral status. Maybe they can be regarded as bearers of transhuman and posthuman dignity, respectively.

Bibliography:

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Bell, D. (1993). Communitarianism and its critics. Oxford, UK: Clarendon.
Birx, H. J. (1984). Theories of evolution. Springfield, IL: Charles C Thomas.
Cicero, M. T. (1991). On duties. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Darwin, C. (1998). The descent of man. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books. (Original work published 1871)
Esfandiary, F. M. (1977). Up-wingers. New York: Popular Library.
Evans, M. (Ed.). (2001). The Edinburgh companion to contemporary liberalism. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Gewirth, A. (1981). Reason and morality. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Gordijn, B., & Chadwick, R. (Eds.). (2009). Medical enhancement and posthumanity. Berlin: Springer.
Haraway, D. (1991). A cyborg manifesto: Science, technology, and socialist-feminism in the late twentieth century. In D. Haraway, Simians, cyborgs and women: The reinvention of nature (pp. 149–181). New York: Routledge.
Hayles, N. K. (1999). How we became posthuman: Virtual bodies in cybernetics, literature, and informatics. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Hobbes, T. (1998). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. (Original work published 1651)
Ishay, M. R. (2004). The history of human rights. From ancient times to the globalization era. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Kant, I. (1991). Political writings. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Kant, I. (1998). Groundwork of the metaphysics of morals. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. (Original work published 1785)
Knoepffler, N., Schipanski, D., & Sorgner, S. L. (Eds.). (2007). Human biotechnology as social challenge: An interdisciplinary introduction to bioethics. Aldershot, UK: Ashgate.
Leiter, B. (2002). Routledge philosophy guidebook to Nietzsche on morality. London: Routledge Chapman & Hall.
Locke, J. (1988). Two treatises of government. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. (Original work published 1689)
Margalit, A. (1998). The decent society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Nietzsche, F. (1998). On the genealogy of morals: A polemic (5th ed.). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Nozick, R. (1974). Anarchy,state,andutopia. NewYork: Basic Books.
Nussbaum, M. (1997). Cultivating humanity: A classical defense of reform in liberal education. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Pico della Mirandola, G. (1996). Oration on the Dignity of Man. Washington, DC: Regnery/Gateway. (Original work published 1486)
Rachels, J. (1991). Created from animals: Moral implications of Darwinism. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Rawls, J. (2005). A theory of justice. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press.
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Singer, P. (1999). Practical ethics. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
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5 Tips for Writing Your Human Rights Research Paper

If you are a human rights student, you will often be asked by your professors to do research on a certain human rights issue and write a research paper. Research papers are considered to be academic writings based on your original research, interpretation and commentary of other research findings. They are done in order to demonstrate your academic knowledge of a certain human rights issue and your acquisition of different research methodologies.

Also read: 10 Tips for conducting human rights research

Do you want to pursue a career in human rights?

Our eBook “ Launching Your Career in Human Rights ” is an in-depth resource designed for those committed to pursuing a career in the human rights field. It covers a wide range of topics, including the types of careers available, the necessary skills and competencies, and the educational pathways that can lead to success in this sector. Whether you’re considering a master’s degree, looking for your first job, or exploring specific human rights issues, this guide offers valuable insights and practical advice. It’s a helpful tool for anyone looking to understand the complexities of working in human rights and how to effectively navigate the challenges and opportunities that come with this important work. Learn more .

Research papers on human rights can focus on any type of human right or a broad overview of human rights. For example, you can focus your research paper on the right to labor or do a research on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which includes 30 human rights. This article offers five tips for writing your human rights research paper with an aim to assist you to keep good organization and focus.

Step 1: Choose a Human Rights Topic

When writing a research paper the first thing you have to do is to choose a topic . So where can you get inspiration? A common tactic is to skim through thesis directories to discover topics or issues that spark your interest. Another option you can try, is to visit your favorite online magazine and look at the articles through a human rights lens. The fashion brand, where you buy your clothes, do they care about human rights? What are the human rights implications of the latest developments in artificial intelligence? What happens when you apply a human rights perspective to the netflix series you saw last week? Human rights are everywhere, and so are the topics for your research paper.

Step 2: Conduct Research

Once you have selected your topic, the next step is to conduct research. This can take various forms. Most students start with skim reading through the available literature. When you are searching an online library, make sure you also use synonyms and similar keywords in your search. It might be possible that your topic is well researched already but that most researchers choose a different term than the one you had in mind to describe the issue.

Look for articles and books that were written by human rights experts that deal with your chosen topic. Articles and books usually contain an empirical research that was already conducted within the field you are writing about. Once you find articles and books about your topic, check out the reference list or bibliography. The sources listed there can be a great tool for you to identify more suitable literature.

A great source for conducting research is the Internet, where you can find scholarly articles , books , journals, blog posts, encyclopedias and case directories . However, make sure you distinguish between invalid sources (i.e. Wikipedia, forums, etc.) and valid sources (i.e. scholarly article published by a university research center). Usually, your professor will outline and define what type of sources are acceptable to use in a research paper (i.e. scholarly articles, books, online journals, media articles etc.).

However, the most important is that information you find is trustworthy and based on facts. Academic publications often go through a rigorous quality assurance process and are thus considered more trustworthy than a message anyone can post on social media without much accountability. Your research paper should be based on at least five reliable sources.

Research traditions also vary in different universities and locations. At universities in Germany and Austria it is more common to reference twenty to fifty sources, even for a short research paper while in the UK less sources and more original writing is often state of the art. Make sure you discuss expectations with your professors especially if you are studying abroad and may be used to a different university system.

Citing well known authors and academics will make your research more reliable and your arguments well supported. It is a common best practice to summarize the key arguments of two or more authors and then, based on the research that has already been done, develop your own thoughts and conclusions around the topic. Once you have collected enough information on your topic, you can begin creating the outline of your research paper and developing your main argument.

Step 3 : Create an Outline

One of the most important steps in writing a research paper is creating a proper outline which will, later on, serve you as a guide and keep you on track. However, prior to creating an outline you should develop your research question and thesis statement which serve as a main idea and central point of your research paper. The arguments in your research paper should revolve around answering your research question ( Is murder a violation of the right to life? ) and testing your thesis statement ( Murder is not considered a violation of the right to life, but killings are considered a violation of the right to life ). The majority of your research paper will be based on arguments to verify or falsify your thesis statement based on facts and reliable sources.

Once you defined your research question and thesis statement, you should be able to create an outline of your research paper which will help you organize your arguments. Creating an outline usually means organizing your thoughts into a linear structure with headings and subheadings presenting the main points of your argument.

Usually, a research paper, no matter what topic concerns, has the following structure:

Title page (This includes the title, the author’s name, date, the university name and name of your professor)
Abstract (This is a brief summary of your research paper with only main points outlined)
Introduction (Introduction should contain your research question, thesis statement and brief background information on the topic with the main arguments presented)
The main body (This part contains several sections in which you are going to summarize, analyze and present your literature findings and your arguments answering your research question and testing your thesis statement. In this part you are also going to explain how you have conducted your research and what research methodologies you used)
Conclusion (In conclusion you should shortly summarize your main arguments and explain the significance of your research. In this part, you should outline whether or not your research question has been answered and if your thesis statement has been confirmed)
Reference and Literature (In this section you will list all references and literature that you have used in your research paper)
Appendix (This section is necessary only if you have any additional information to support your argument such as charts, tables or figures)

Step 4: Write the paper

Once you finished outlining your paper it is time to begin writing. When starting this process it can be helpful to skip the introduction and start with the main body text. Usually, introduction and conclusion are written last because only then you will have a clear picture of your research paper and will be able to summarize it more concretely without skipping the important points. During the writing process you will develop new ideas and thoughts and the paper might move in a different direction that you originally planned. That’s normal but you need to update all aspects of the paper accordingly to ensure everything is consistent.

While writing, organize your arguments into paragraphs in order to get a clear and concise line of arguments. During the writing stage you will consult the literature and information you collected during the phase of conducting a research. However, it is really important to pay attention to how you summarize your literature in order to avoid plagiarism. This means using someone else’s exact words and copying them into your own research paper. Plagiarism is absolutely unacceptable in any academic discipline and considered as a form of theft.

A common way to avoid plagiarism is to paraphrase a certain argument or a fact in your own words and add a footnote to the original source. If you want to use word to word quotes you must mark them with quotation marks. In addition, always make sure to cite at the end from which source the fact or information derived or came from.

When writing, you should always keep in mind that the main purpose behind writing a research paper is to present arguments supported by the evidence from research.

Step 5: Edit, Revise and Celebrate

After you finished writing your research paper it is important to edit and revise it. At this stage, put your paper away for some time to gain distance to your own writing before you come back and revise it. After a few days, you will be able to notice mistakes more clearly and see whether or not you have presented clear and concise arguments. During the edit phase you should check for typos and spelling mistakes and if language you have used is clear and concise. Also, you will be able to notice if there was repetition in some parts of the paper and repetitive words or phrases that could be replaced with synonyms to improve the style of your paper. Once you have handed in your paper, don’t forget to celebrate! One step closer to your human rights masters .

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About the author, ada hasanagic.

Ada Hasanagić is a human rights professional currently working as a researcher at the Delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Previously, Ada graduated with honors from the Sarajevo School of Science and Technology and the University of Buckingham in the fields of Political Science and International Relations. Also, she earned a master’s degree in Democracy and Human Rights from the University of Sarajevo and University of Bologna.

Social Issues Research Paper: Assignment Guidelines

Assignment Guidelines
Start Here for Topic Ideas
More Topics to Explore
Noodletools

Essential Question

What social issues impact the way that you live as an individual and what are the responsibilities of your role in society as a whole ?
When should an individual take a stand against what he/she believes to be an injustice? What are the most effective ways to do this?

Prompt: Research, explore, and examine policy, actions, merits of debate, assumptions, and factual evidence on a social justice, human rights, or environmental justice issue. Write an argumentative research paper that explores the different ways that you as an individual can have an impact on the issue.

Objective: Students will produce a 2-3 page persuasive research essay on the approved topic. Project should thoroughly support topic with cited sources and provide new insight.

Requirements : Sources must be obtained from library books, online research databases, and approved websites. If the reliability of a source is questionable, consult with your AHS librarians.

Consult and cite from two sources in MLA format from school library databases, books and approved websites ONLY.
We will highlight and annotate directly into the article from Opposing Viewpoints. Make sure to upload to OneDrive after you finish reading and taking notes in the article.
All information should come from a variety of reliable, authoritative sources and be documented in final essay ( in-text citations ). If not sure, ask and verify.
Find the author's key words and images
Mark up this section by coloring and highlighting main ideas and evidence within the text you paste
Explain what you pasted in the first box (quote box) in your own words
What have you learned from the evidence collected?
What do you wonder about?
What questions can you follow up on?
Time is limited so everyone is encouraged to work on research during class and out of class.
All research will be turned in electronically via NoodleTools, however, essay will be submitted as a hard copy.

TEKS: (10) Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Persuasive Text. Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about persuasive text and provide evidence from text to support their analysis. Students are expected to: (A) evaluate the merits of an argument, action, or policy by analyzing the relationships (e.g., implication, necessity, sufficiency) among evidence, inferences, assumptions, and claims in text; and (B) draw conclusions about the credibility of persuasive text by examining its implicit and stated assumptions about an issue as conveyed by the specific use of language. (20) Research/Research Plan. Students ask open-ended research questions and develop a plan for answering them. Students are expected to: (A) brainstorm, consult with others, decide upon a topic, and formulate a major research question to address the major research topic; and (B) formulate a plan for engaging in in-depth research on a complex, multi-faceted topic. (21) Research/Gathering Sources. Students determine, locate, and explore the full range of relevant sources addressing a research question and systematically record the information they gather. Students are expected to: (A) follow the research plan to gather evidence from experts on the topic and texts written for informed audiences in the field, distinguishing between reliable and unreliable sources and avoiding over-reliance on one source; (B) systematically organize relevant and accurate information to support central ideas, concepts, and themes, outline ideas into conceptual maps/timelines, and separate factual data from complex inferences; and (C) paraphrase, summarize, quote, and accurately cite all researched information according to a standard format (e.g., author, title, page number), differentiating among primary, secondary, and other sources. (22) Research/Synthesizing Information. Students clarify research questions and evaluate and synthesize collected information. Students are expected to: (A) modify the major research question as necessary to refocus the research plan; (B) differentiate between theories and the evidence that supports them and determine whether the evidence found is weak or strong and how that evidence helps create a cogent argument; and (C) critique the research process at each step to implement changes as the need occurs and is identified.

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100s of Free Human Rights Law Dissertation Topics and Titles

Published by Grace Graffin at January 6th, 2023 , Revised On May 17, 2024

Introduction

Writing a dissertation is a long process that requires good research skills and decent expertise in the field. Depending on the researcher’s university’s academic requirements, some different prerequisites and requirements should be fulfilled before writing the dissertation (thesis).

For instance, the supervisor may ask the researcher to provide a dissertation proposal with topics based on current legal trends. Once the dissertation topic is approved, the researcher will have to provide the supervisor with the research aim and problem statement alongside a good methodology .

Human Rights Law Dissertation Topics

Topic 1: how the social rights of immigrants are protected under international human rights law: a primary investigation in the uk.

Research Aim: The research will aim to investigate the protection of the social rights of immigrants given in international law in the UK. Many human rights contracts clearly forbid discrimination centred on state origin and want states to guarantee that immigrants’ human rights are treated equally. Moreover, immigrants, like other particularly vulnerable groups, have been granted additional safeguards under international law to address situations in which their rights are most in danger, such as employment. The research will focus on the immigrants and their social rights in the UK.

Topic 2: The role of social media apps in spreading awareness among youth about human right

Research Aim: The research will aim to explore the part social media plays in spreading awareness of human rights among the young. In today’s world, people use social media more than reading newspapers, and social media has also helped many people get justice. Young or old, every age group is active on social platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc., and these apps have brought a new way to learn things. So, this study will specifically focus on social media apps and how they are contributing in spreading awareness about human rights among people.

Topic 3: What obstacles do international human rights policies encounter in terms of implementation? An academic review

Research Aim: The research will aim to investigate the challenges and problems international human rights face during implementation. There are many factors that make it difficult to implement the policies in a country or an organisation. There should be solutions to the problems and challenges in the implementation of international human rights. This study will explore and explain the challenges and try to give solutions to tackle the challenges.

Topic 4: How are the rights of men being violated in the society? A human right perspective

Research Aim: The research aims to find the reason men’s rights are violated in society. Men’s rights are violated in society more often now. Men also get raped, beaten, killed without anyone questioning the abuser. Even after getting hit by a woman, people blame the man. Violence against males is a severe violation of human rights. The government’s role is to guard males from abuse, including domestic violence.

Topic 5: Define the rights to ethics, religion and life in the context of human rights law in US

Research Aim: The research will aim to define the basic human rights to culture, religion and life in the human rights law in the US. The research will explain the fundamental rights given to human beings, freedom of speech, and a thorough explanation of the human rights law article. The study will also describe the acts that violate fundamental human rights.

Topic 6: Investigating the impact of nationalist movements and ideologies on the rights of religious and ethnic minorities in India

Research Aim: The study investigates how nationalist movements and ideologies impact the rights of religious and ethnic minorities in India. It will also assess the role of governments in promoting or suppressing minority rights in such contexts.

Topic 7: Examining the rights and legal status of stateless persons who are forced to flee their countries of origin

Research Aim: The study aims to examine the rights and legal status of stateless persons who are forced to flee their countries of origin. This research will focus on the challenges they face in accessing protection and assistance in the absence of citizenship.

Topic 8: Investigating the tension between national security concerns and the protection of refugee rights

This research explores the tension between national security concerns and the protection of refugee rights. It discusses the context of border control policies, immigration detention, and anti-terrorism measures.

COVID-19 Human Rights Law Research Topics

Impacts of coronavirus on human rights.

Research Aim: This study will highlight the impacts of Coronavirus on human rights.

International human rights law and COVID-19

Research Aim: This study will address the current pandemic crisis and international human rights law status in response to COVID-19.

United Nations on human rights during COVID-19

Research Aim: This study will review the United Nations’ response to human rights for protecting human health and rights during COVID-19.

The role of National Human Rights Institutions during COVId-19

Research Aim: This study will highlight the role of National Human Rights Institutions during COVID-19.

Dissertation Topics in Human Rights Law and Society

Human Rights is an important area of the law inherent to all human beings, regardless of their race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, and other status forms. Human Rights can be seen as the most significant law area that has taken place since the end of the Second World War.

According to Rehman, even though the world has evolved over the years, human rights continue to be constrained and limited. Research in this particular area of the law is important to know its weaknesses and limitations in the 21st century.

This document contains a wide range of dissertation topics based on the area of Human Rights or Fundamental Rights. These topics provided by our PhD-qualified writers are based on the current legal trends, which tend to assess different topics related to Human Rights in the 21st Century.

Most of the themes provided have never been researched before, and a desk-based or comparative analysis approach is used to provide a meaningful contribution to human rights.

Some topics are aimed at the thesis, which should implement an international aspect of Human Rights. On the other hand, the other topics are focused on specific jurisdictions such as the United Kingdom or the European Union.

You can also start your dissertation by requesting a brief research proposal from our writers on any of these topics, including an introduction to the topic, research question , aim and objectives, literature review , and the proposed research methodology to be conducted. Let us know if you need any help in getting started.

Check our dissertation example to get an idea of how to structure your dissertation .

Review the step-by-step guide on how to write your own dissertation here .

Topic 1: An assessment of life imprisonment under the European Convention on Human Rights.

Research Aim: The research will be based on fundamental rights, more specifically on the European Convention on Human Rights. The research will use a desk-based approach to assess Article 3 of the ECHR, which prohibits inhuman or degrading treatment and punishment. The research critically assesses how the EU Member States deal with life imprisonment based on their domestic legislation.

Topic 2: Should prisoners be allowed to exercise their right to vote in a democratic society?

Research Aim: Disfranchisement is known as the revocation of the fundamental right to vote in a democratic society. The research will assess if there is a need to make the right to vote a basic fundamental right that can be exercised by prisoners. The research will use be a comparative assessment based on different jurisdictions.

Topic 3: The European Court Of Human Rights and its effectiveness amongst the EU member states

Research Aim: The research will assess the role of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in safeguarding the rights of EU Citizens. The research will evaluate the EU Supremacy and its authority over the EU Member States regarding human rights. In this line, the research will demonstrate how The ECtHR should balance the EU Law’s fundamental rights and the Member State’s Constitution on fundamental rights.

Topic 4: The link between human rights and same-sex marriage

Research Aim: The Universal Declaration on Human Rights recognises same-sex marriage as a basic right to marriage. However, it can be seen that most countries do not recognise this right. The research will assess different jurisdictions where same-sex marriage is considered legal to enforce this right amongst the signatory countries.

Topic 5: Assessment of human rights in the workplace

Research Aim: Basic Human Rights, such as protection from slavery or inhuman treatment, are available under the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. However, the research will assess human rights’ employment, such as fair treatment, equal pay, and minimum wage. The research will use a comparative analysis to evaluate how different jurisdictions view human rights regarding employment.

Topic 6: The right to life and death penalty in the 21st century

Research Aim: The fundamental right to life is enshrined under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. On the other hand, the death penalty seems to be against the right to life and the protection of life preservation. The research will assess how to strike a balance between the right to life and capital punishment.

Topic 7: Should the death penalty be reinstated in the United Kingdom post-Brexit?

Research Aim: The 13th Protocol of the European Convention on Human Rights has prohibited the restoration of the United Kingdom’s death penalty since 2004. The research will assess if the United Kingdom should reinstate the death penalty after Brexit. Since the United Kingdom will leave the European Union, it will no longer be a party to the convention and will be able to reinstate the death penalty.

Topic 8: Social media and the right to hold an opinion

Research Aim: The research will assess if the current Freedom of Speech and the Right to hold an opinion is adequate to be used online. The research will demonstrate a need to reform the Universal Declaration on Human Rights for online use.

Topic 9: Should Article 14 of the Human Rights Act 1998 be amended to implement more protected characteristics?

Research Aim: Article 14 of the Human Rights 1998 has a minimal number of protected characteristics. Following Brexit, the United Kingdom nationals may lose the protection of the European Convention on Human Rights. In this line, the research will assess whether there is a need to review Article 14 of the Human Rights Act 1998.

Topic 10: Should Human Rights be ignored when taking counter-terrorism measures?

Research Aim: The research will assess if Human Rights should be overlooked when dealing with counter-terrorism measures. The research will aim to demonstrate if there is a need to protect a presumed or prospective terrorist’s basic human rights.

Topic 11: The EU Supremacy and the Constitutional Rights of the Member States

Research Aim: The EU Supremacy imposes authority and control over the EU Member States. In this line, a Member State should remove all conflicting laws that are incompatible with the EU Law. The research will assess the extent to which Member States have accepted the authority of the EU supremacy regarding human rights. In other words, the research will demonstrate if the European Convention on Human Rights has adequate fundamental rights for the Member States.

Topic 12: The importance of Human Rights in a democratic society

Research Aim: The research will assess the importance of human rights, which is a pivotal requirement for democracy. The research will use a comparative analysis of how fundamental rights have been adopted around the world. Furthermore, the research will assess how certain countries that do not follow the Universal Declaration on Human Rights may suffer from the lack of democratisation.

Topic 13: The role of courts in safeguarding fundamental rights in their domestic jurisdiction

Research Aim: The research will demonstrate the courts’ key role in safeguarding the fundamental rights enshrined in a country’s Constitution.

Topic 14: Does the General Data Protection Regulation Act as a Safeguard to the Basic Right To Privacy?

Research Aim: The research will assess the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and its safeguards regarding the right to privacy. The research demonstrates how the GDPR can have an important human rights aspect, such as when dealing with a consumer or an online user.

Topic 15: Should Countries Implement A Constitutional Court for Fundamental Rights Breaches?

Research Aim: The research will assess how each country deals with breaches of fundamental rights. The research aims to provide recommendations in implementing a higher domestic authority to treat only constitutional matters like the Constitutional Court of South Africa.

Topic 16: Can Torture Be Justified Under Human Rights?

Research Aim: Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights provides that no individual shall be subjected to torture. The research will assess whether torture can ever be justified under the law. For instance, the research will aim to demonstrate whether there are justifiable grounds to inflict torture on criminals in certain cases such as terrorism with the view of getting confessions.

Topic 17: CCTV Surveillance and the Right to Privacy

Research Aim: The Research will assess the use of CCTV surveillance and its effect on Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The research will demonstrate if covert surveillance can either undermine or positively affect the right to privacy. The research will further critically analyse the right to privacy against public policy for the common good.

Topic 18: The Need to Standardise Disability Rights around the World

Research Aim: The Research compares and contrasts different disability rights under certain jurisdictions. The research will assess whether there is a need to standardise disability rights under one convention or treaty.

Topic 19: Should the Right to Education Be Extended to Tertiary Education

Research Aim: The research will access the right to education as found under Article 26 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. The right to education applies to only fundamental stages of education, such as primary and secondary education. The research will aim to demonstrate if the right to education should be extended to tertiary education.

Topic 20: The Role of Legislators and the Right to Education in the Sub-Saharan Region

Research Aim: The research will assess legislators’ role with regard to the right to education. The research will demonstrate whether Sustainable Development Goal No. 4 (SDG4) is implemented in various sub-Saharan regions. The research will prove whether legislators are implementing appropriate safeguards to remain in line with SDG4 and promote quality education.

How Can ResearchProspect Help?

ResearchProspect writers can send several custom topic ideas to your email address. Once you have chosen a topic that suits your needs and interests, you can order for our dissertation outline service , which will include a brief introduction to the topic, research questions , literature review , methodology , expected results , and conclusion . The dissertation outline will enable you to review the quality of our work before placing the order for our full dissertation writing service !

List of the Best Human Rights Law Dissertation Topics in Critical Issues

An analysis of the link between human trafficking and armed conflict: trafficking for sexual exploitation and forced recruitment of child soldiers.
The impact of technology on the protection of human rights in the digital age.
Exploring the role of international criminal law in prosecuting human rights violations.
The effectiveness of regional human rights mechanisms in addressing human rights abuses.
Analysing the relationship between environmental law and human rights protection.
Investigating the challenges and opportunities of implementing economic, social, and cultural rights.
Examining the intersection of gender equality and human rights law.
Assessing the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in advancing human rights agendas.
The implications of counter-terrorism measures on human rights and civil liberties.

Important Notes:

As a human rights law student looking to get good grades, it is essential to develop new ideas and experiment with existing human rights law theories – i.e., to add value and interest to your research topic.

The field of human rights law is vast and interrelated to so many other academic disciplines like law , business law , cybercrime , and more. That is why it is imperative to create a human rights law dissertation topic that is particular and sound and actually solves a practical problem that may be rampant in the field.

We can’t stress how important it is to develop a logical research topic based on your entire research. There are several significant downfalls to getting your topic wrong: your supervisor may not be interested in working on it, the topic has no academic creditability, the research may not make logical sense, and there is a possibility that the study is not viable.

This impacts your time and efforts in writing your dissertation , as you may end up in a cycle of rejection at the initial stage of the dissertation. That is why we recommend reviewing existing research to develop a topic, taking advice from your supervisor, and even asking for help in this particular stage of your dissertation.

While developing a research topic, keeping our advice in mind will allow you to pick one of the best human rights law dissertation topics that fulfil your requirement of writing a research paper and add to the body of knowledge.

Therefore, it is recommended that when finalising your dissertation topic, you read recently published literature to identify gaps in the research that you may help fill.

Remember- dissertation topics need to be unique, solve an identified problem, be logical, and be practically implemented. Please look at some of our sample human rights law dissertation topics to get an idea for your own dissertation.

How to Structure Your Human Rights Law Dissertation

A well-structured dissertation can help students to achieve a high overall academic grade.

A Title Page
Acknowledgements
Declaration
Abstract: A summary of the research completed
Table of Contents
Introduction : This chapter includes the project rationale, research background, key research aims and objectives, and the research problems. An outline of the structure of a dissertation can also be added to this chapter.
Literature Review : This chapter presents relevant theories and frameworks by analysing published and unpublished literature on the chosen research topic to address research questions . The purpose is to highlight and discuss the selected research area’s relative weaknesses and strengths whilst identifying any research gaps. Break down the topic and key terms that can positively impact your dissertation and your tutor.
Methodology : The data collection and analysis methods and techniques employed by the researcher are presented in the Methodology chapter, which usually includes research desig n, research philosophy, research limitations, code of conduct, ethical consideration, data collection methods, and data analysis strategy .
Findings and Analysis : The findings of the research are analysed in detail under the Findings and Analysis chapter. All key findings/results are outlined in this chapter without interpreting the data or drawing any conclusions. It can be useful to include graphs, charts, and tables in this chapter to identify meaningful trends and relationships.
Discussion and Conclusion : The researcher presents his interpretation of the results in this chapter and states whether the research hypothesis has been verified or not. An essential aspect of this section of the paper is to link the results and evidence from the literature. Recommendations with regard to the implications of the findings and directions for the future may also be provided. Finally, a summary of the overall research, along with final judgments, opinions, and comments, must be included in the form of suggestions for improvement.
References : This should be completed following your University’s requirements
Bibliography
Appendices : Any additional information, diagrams, and graphs used to complete the dissertation but not part of the dissertation should be included in the Appendices chapter. Essentially, the purpose is to expand the information/data.

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Human Rights: Your Assignment

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Human Rights

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Understanding Your Assignment

Before you begin looking for information you should make sure you understand your assignment. Some good questions are:

How many pages?
How many sources?
What format?

Your professor is your best resource to answer these questions.

Controversial Issue Paper

What to do:

Select your topic
Research the issues surrounding the topic
Read other writers’ arguments for and against
Take a stand
Present supporting evidence in favor of your position
Defend your position against opposing points of view
Anticipate and deflect arguments against your position
Make your case persuasively

Research Basics - Step by Step

Breaking Down The Research Process

The following outline gives a simple and effective strategy for finding information for a research paper and documenting the sources you find. Depending on your topic and your familiarity with the library, you may need to rearrange or recycle these steps. Adapt this outline to your needs. We are ready to help you at every step in your research.

Choose a topic - or have one assigned
Background reading
Consider a main focus
Refine your topic
Make a list of your keywords and concepts
Find Websites
Write your paper - Informative, Analytical, Argumentative, Critical
Cite your sources

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ENG 101 - Human Rights Abuses

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Writing Fundamentals from Writer's Reference Center This has links to articles on writing any document, paraphrasing, quotations, writing a thesis statement, outline, body paragraphs, conclusion, and writing about themes, characters, form, symbols, etc.
Choosing a Research Topic and Creating a Thesis This guide from the SCC Library provides students information on how to choose a research topic for an assignment including what makes a good research topic, concept mapping, background research, and narrowing a topic and most importantly information about creating a thesis.
Choosing a Topic (Tutorial) This SCC Library tutorial will walk you through how to choose an appropriate topic for a research assignment and help you turn your research topic into a thesis statement.
MLA-Formatting Your Paper
APA-Formatting Your Paper
Creating and Formatting MLA Paper This guide from SCC Library provides you instructions in MS Word for formatting a paper correctly including proper font and header.
Formatting Your Works Cited Page-MLA This guide from SCC Library provides you instructions in MS Word for formatting works cited page correctly including proper font and hanging in-dent.
Sample Paper in MLA Format Don't forget to format your paper in MLA format. This sample paper will show you how to format your paper.
Sample MLA Paper with Block Quote Sample MLA paper that includes how do a block quote.
Formatting Your Title Page and Paper-APA This guide from SCC Library provides you instructions in MS Word on how to format the title page and paper in APA for student papers.
Formatting Your Reference Page-APA This guide from SCC Library provides you instructions in MS Word for formatting references page correctly including proper font and hanging in-dent.
Sample Paper in APA Format This sample paper shows how an APA paper should look.

Incorporating Sources into a Research Project & Avoiding Plagiarism

Organizing Your Research This guide from the SCC Library provides information on creating research note cards, source tables, and research outlines to help organize your sources so that you can incorporate them into your paper.
Incorporating Sources into a Research Project This guide from the SCC Library provides resources on how to properly include sources in a research project without plagiarism, whether through good note-taking, following the research process, or using direct quotations, paraphrasing, or summarizing, etc.
How to Paraphrase: Avoid Plagiarism in Research Papers with Paraphrases & Quotations (3 min. video) This video explains how to paraphrase information correctly to avoid plagiarism.
English Composition I: The Writer's Circle, Lesson 9, Part 4, Integrating Research (Video) This video talk about citing sources to avoid plagiarizing. (1 min)

Additional Resources

Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) This site contains resources for writing, research, grammar, mechanics, and style guides (MLA & APA).

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Email your paper/project to them at [email protected] . They offer a 48 hour turn-around on papers (excluding weekends and holidays), and ask that you send a copy of the assignment as well. The paper needs to be Microsoft Word format (don't share a copy of your OneDrive/cloud account), and please include your due date and SCC college ID number in the email.

Visit the The Learning Center located in the P. Dan Hull Building, rooms E2, E5, E6. See TLC Portal Page (SCC log in required) for additional locations. Contact The Learning Center for more information .

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1. Getting Started
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Canadian and International Law - Human Rights Research Paper Assignment

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Description

This research paper assignment includes:

Research paper topics (aligned with the Canadian and International Law big thinking questions)
Evaluation Rubric (single level assignment)
Success Criteria

This assignment is designed to address the following learning objectives from the CLN4U (Canadian and International Law) course in the Ontario Curriculum.

A1. The Inquiry Process in Legal Studies: use the legal studies inquiry process and the concepts of legal thinking when investigating legal issues in Canada and around the world, and issues relating to international law
B1. Development of Law: explain various influences, including those of individuals and groups, on the development of Canadian and international law
C1. Legal Principles of Human Rights Law: explain the principles underpinning human rights law and the legal significance of those laws, in Canada and internationally
C2. Development of Human Rights Law: analyze issues associated with the development of human rights law, in Canada and internationally Analyze the impact, both positive and negative, of landmark legislation on the development of human rights law in Canada.
C3. Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms: compare the roles of the legislative and judicial branches of government in protecting human rights and freedoms, with a particular emphasis on Canada
C4. Contemporary Issues: Analyze various contemporary issues in relation to their impact or potential impact on human rights law

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Human Rights Research Guide
Citing Sources

Human Rights Research Guide — Citing Sources

Recommended Resources
Navigating & Using the Library Homepage
Books & Articles
Selecting a Topic

Why is Citation Important?

Whenever you quote, paraphrase, summarize, or otherwise refer to the work of another, you must cite the source.

Your citations are like your paper's family tree. They show the difference between the ideas of others that you are responding to, and your own originality. Citation helps to clearly document the research you have done on your topic, and is very useful as you evaluate evidence and respond to the work of others.

Give credit where credit is due
Allow your readers to verify your research
Help your readers situate your ideas within a scholarly conversation
Allow you to strengthen your argument by properly introducing evidence
Help you avoid plagiarism

If you have any questions about citations, you can use the Ask a Librarian Chat for help.

Understanding Citations

These pages provide more information on citations , integrating sources into your paper, and how to read citations .

Understand Citations When to cite, and why citation is important.
Integrating Sources When and how to quote, paraphrase, and summarize
Reading Citations How to interpret book, article, and book chapter citations

ChatGPT & Other Generative AI Tools

When an assignment allows AI tools to be cited, you must cite any AI-generated material that informed you work. This includes if you use an AI tool to help write or structure your paper, even if you do not otherwise quote or paraphrase its content. You must acknowledge your use of the AI tool to provide transparency to your reader. Using an AI tool to generate content without proper attribution qualifies as academic dishonesty.

Citations allow readers to locate and verify the sources used and to follow the scholarly conversation around a particular topic. Because ChatGPT provides different responses to the same prompt, it is helpful to include the full response generated in an appendix or online document that can be linked to, helping your readers get to the original content being cited.

If possible, you should always check and verify all of the information provided by ChatGPT, and cite the original sources provided, instead of the AI.

Citing generative AI content for specific referencing styles

Guidance from APA Style

APA Style recommends describing how the tool was used in the Method section or in another comparable section. Provide the prompt used and then any portion of the relevant text that was generated in response. It is particularly important to document the exact text created because ChatGPT will generate a unique response in each chat session, even if given the same prompt; the full text of long responses from ChatGPT may be placed in an appendix of the paper or in online supplemental materials, so readers have access to the exact text that was generated. Credit the author of the algorithm (e.g., OpenAI) with a reference list entry and the corresponding in-text citation

Sample Citation Format: OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat

Guidance from MLA Style

MLA Style recommends citing a generative AI tool whenever you paraphrase, quote, or incorporate into your own work any content (whether text, image, data, or other) that was created by it; acknowledging all functional uses of the tool (like editing prose or translating words) in a note, the text, or another suitable location; and vetting the secondary sources it cites.

Sample Citation Format: “Describe the symbolism of the green light in the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald” prompt. ChatGPT, 13 Feb. version, OpenAI, 8 Mar. 2023, chat.openai.com/chat.

Guidance from Chicago Style

Chicago Style states to credit ChatGPT when you reproduce its words within your own work, but that information should be put in the text or in a note—not in a bibliography or reference list. Other AI-generated text can be cited similarly. If you’ve edited the AI-generated text, you should say so in the text or at the end of the note (e.g., “edited for style and content”) Include the prompt you used in the text of your work, or it can be included in the note.

Sample Notes Format: 1. Text generated by ChatGPT, March 7, 2023, OpenAI, https://chat.openai.com/chat. 1. ChatGPT, response to “Explain how to make pizza dough from common household ingredients,” March 7, 2023, OpenAI.

Information about using and referencing ChatGPT and other generative AI tools is still being developed and will continue to be updated.

Online Citation Tools

Citation Tools in Databases

When you're using the General Search or browsing library databases, keep an eye out for buttons like these. They will create a citation for you to use! Always check that a generated citation is correct.

Zoterobib If you need to create just a few citations, we recommend Zoterobib . ZoteroBib is a free, fast citation generator that is similar to (but more accurate and reliable than) tools such as EasyBib and NoodleTools. This tool provides very quick assistance in creating citations; it does not have the same functionality as the Zotero application.

If you need more functionality, e.g., you are working on a longer-term project, need to create a long bibliography, want to build a library to use across multiple projects, or want to share citations with others, we recommend looking at the Citation Management Tools page on this guide.

Remember: It is always your responsibility to double-check that your citation is accurate!

ZoteroBib Create references and in-text citations on the fly in thousands of difference citation styles. As simple to use as EasyBib!
Citation Management Tools Learn about the citation management tools supported at UConn and which one may be right for you.

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Completed Projects

S.No.	Title of the study	Researcher & Institution	Completed in the year
1	Research Study on Missing Children	Mr. S. Raghavan, New Concept Centre for Communication Development, New Delhi	2024
2	Substance Abuse and Mental Health Issues among the LGBT Community in India: A Study of Inter-Relationship between Mental Health disorders and Stress, Coping, Perceived Social Support, Occupation and Religiosity	Dr. Susanta Kumar Padhy,MD. (Psychiatry), Additional Professor and Head of Department, AIIMS, Bhubaneswar	2024
3	Disparity in Access to Education in the Aspirational Districts in Odisha, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh	Dr. Thomas Varghese, Research Director, Indian Social Institute, New Delhi	2023
4	Abandoned Widows: Visible yet Invisible, Voiced yet Voiceless	Ms. Meera Khanna, Guild for Service	2023
5	Study on the extent of cyber exploitation and safety of children in Kerala	Dr Elsa Mary Jacob, Assistant Professor, Bharata Mata School of Social Work, Bharata Mata College, Kochi	2023
6	The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013: A Study to assess its impact, implementation issues and concerns in Government Departments/ Semi Government/ PSUs/ Private Sectors in Delhi	Dr. Ritu Gupta, Professor, National Law University Delhi	2023
7	Trafficking of Women and Children – Challenges and Remedies	Dr. Awadesh Kumar Singh, Principal Consultant, Bhartiya Institute of Research and Development, Delhi	2023
8	Identifying Human Rights Issues and Problems and Developing Policy Framework for Providing Social Security and Healthcare to Migrant Workers	Dr. R. Kasilingam, Professor, Department of Management Studies, School of Management, Pondicherry University	2022
9	Transgender Inclusivity: A Reality Check	Dr. Rajni Singh, Associate Professor, Department of Humanities & Social Sciences, IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, Jharkhand	2021
10	Vulnerability, Legal Protection and work conditions of Domestic Workers	Dr. Himani Gupta, Jagannath International Management School, Vasant Kunj , New Delhi	2021
11	Assessment and Evaluation of Business and Human Rights Reporting by Corporate India	Prof. Vasanthi Srinivasan	2021
12	Study to understand functioning of companies, response systems vis-a-vis key, HR violations available in public Domain	Shri Pradeep Narayanan, Director, Partners in Change, New Delhi	2021
13	Locating NHRC within Human Rights Discourse at Grassroots Level in Rural India	Dr. Seema Sharma, Assistant Professor, University of Delhi, Department of Social Work	2021
14	A Study on Social Security and Health Rights of Migrant Workers in India	Jacob John, Naveen Joseph Thomas, Megha Jacob, Neha Jacob , Kerala Development Society,Janakpuri, New Delhi	2021
15	Challenges for Protection, Dissemination and Promotion of Human Rights Education through Law Schools: A Study of North India	Prof. Dr. S. C. Raina, Himachal Pradesh National Law University, Shimla	2020
16	Interrogating Violence against Women from the Other Side: An Exploratory Study into the World of Perpetrators	Renu Addlakha	2020
17	From Cell to Society: A study on the social reintegration of released prisoners in Kerala and Tamil Nadu	Prof. Dr. R Santhosh, IIT Madras	2020
18	Rehabilitation of Victims of Human Trafficking: A study of effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability of victim compensation schemes	Anil Kumar Das, Ph.D. Human Development Society	2020
19	Corporate Duty to Respect Human Rights in India - An Empirical Study on the State of Human Rights Practices by Business firms in India	Prof Dinesh Sharma, SJM SOM, IIT Bombay	2019
20	Final report of the research project titled “Status and Functioning of Local Complaints Committees under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Protection and Redressal) Act, 2013 and awareness levels among women in the work force”	Social Action Forum for Manav Adhikar (SAFMA)	2019
21	Research Study on Sense of Security and Human Rights of Older Persons	Agewell Foundation	2019
22	Agrarian Crisis and Farmers’ Suicides – An Empirical Study of Endemic States – Issues and Concerns'	Dr.Ch.Radhika Rani, NIRDP, Hyderabad	2019
23	Status of Human Rights Education in Colleges and Universities	Vikash Kumar, PhD Assistant Professor Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development (CRRID), Chandigarh	2019
24	The Human Rights Issues related to Right to Education of the Children of Migrant Labourers in Kerala	Dr. Sibi Zacharias,Sacred Heart Autonomous college, Thevara, Kochi, Kerala	2018
25	Sexual Health and Reproductive Health Rights in India-Country Assessment	SAMA and PLD, New Delhi	2018

Human Rights Leadership: Towards a Research and Practice Agenda for Challenging Times

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177 Human Rights Research Topics
Unique Human Rights Topics for Research. The collapse of the Soviet Union and Rise of Communism in Russia. Comparing the Pan-African movement to the 20 th -century cultural nationalism of Latin America. A review of the Hong Kong Umbrella Movement's goals and methods.
PDF Human Rights: A Brief Introduction
The ethical basis of human rights has been defined using concepts such as human flourishing, dignity, duties to family and society, natural rights, individual freedom, and social justice against exploitation based on sex, class or caste. All of these moral arguments for human rights are part of ethical discourse.
PDF Microsoft Word
A. Human rights as ethical concerns. Human rights have in common an ethical concern for just treatment, built on empathy or altruism in human behavior and concepts of justice in philosophy. The philosopher and economist, Amartya Sen, considers that "Human rights can be seen as primarily ethical demands...
(DOC) Assignments on Human Rights
The bill specifically mentions the fundamental principles of state policy enshrined in the constitution of Bangladesh. From the preamble of the bill it appears that: 1. The government is aware of the increasing global concern for human rights and the need for its institutional protection; and 2.
Human Rights Law Research Paper Topics
100 Human Rights Law Research Paper Topics. In the realm of human rights law, the depth and breadth of research topics are vast, reflecting the complexities of the field and its dynamic nature. This comprehensive list of human rights law research paper topics spans ten categories, each presenting ten engaging and thought-provoking subjects for ...
Democracy and Human Rights: Concepts, Measures, and Relationships
The empirical literature on democracy and human rights has made great strides over the last 30 years in explaining (1) the variation in the transition to, consolidation of, and quality of ...
Human Rights in the United Nations
United Nations proclaims t he recognition of the inherent dignity a nd o f t he equal a nd inalienable rights of all. members of the human family is t he foundation o f freedom, justice and peace ...
Ethics and Human Rights Research Paper
View sample Ethics and Human Rights Research Paper. Browse other research paper examples and check the list of research paper topics for more inspiration. iResearchNet offers academic assignment help for students all over the world: writing from scratch, editing, proofreading, problem solving, from essays to dissertations, from humanities to STEM. We offer full confidentiality, safe payment ...
PDF Human Rights as an Introduction to Academic Research
required to research a country's human rights record based on Franklin D. Roosevelt's Four Freedoms. Having researched their country, they then use a process writing ... Universal Declaration of Human Rights' full 30 articles as the basis for the paper, the assignment is designed around the Four Freedoms concept first introduced by
10 Human Rights Topic Ideas For You To Explore
Here are ten human rights topic ideas to explore: #1. Gender inequality. Gender inequality is an evergreen human rights topic. Because it has such a long history, we have a good idea of what works and what still needs to be done. Issues like the gender pay gap, the distribution of unpaid labor, gender-based violence, gendered job segregation ...
A Basic Approach to Human Rights Research
Since the 1960s and the origins of the modern human rights movement, human rights organizations have produced their own research. In-depth and well-documented reports, replete with testimonial evidence and analysis of government policy and practice, are the stock-in-trade product of human rights organizations.They serve as the basis of lobbying and campaign efforts, and they provide the ...
8 Tips For Writing A Social Justice Essay
Freewriting is a good exercise because it helps you decide if there's any substance to a topic or if it's clear there's not enough material for a full essay. #2. Sharpen your topic's focus. The best essays narrow on a specific social justice topic and sharpen its focus, so it says something meaningful and interesting.
Human Rights Research Paper
This sample human rights research paper features: 8300 words (approx. 27 pages), an outline, and a bibliography with 34 sources. Browse other research paper examples and check the list of political science research paper topics for more inspiration. If you need a research paper written according to all the academic standards, you can always ...
5 Tips for Writing Your Human Rights Research Paper
Research papers on human rights can focus on any type of human right or a broad overview of human rights. For example, you can focus your research paper on the right to labor or do a research on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which includes 30 human rights. This article offers five tips for writing your human rights research paper with an aim to assist you to keep good organization ...
Social Issues Research Paper: Assignment Guidelines
Assignment. Prompt: Research, explore, and examine policy, actions, merits of debate, assumptions, and factual evidence on a social justice, human rights, or environmental justice issue. Write an argumentative research paper that explores the different ways that you as an individual can have an impact on the issue. Objective:
100s of Free Human Rights Law Dissertation Topics and Titles
Topic 3: The European Court Of Human Rights and its effectiveness amongst the EU member states. Topic 4: The link between human rights and same-sex marriage. Topic 5: Assessment of human rights in the workplace. Topic 6: The right to life and death penalty in the 21st century. Topic 7: Should the death penalty be reinstated in the United ...
Mechanisms of United Nations Human Rights Institutions in the
This article aims to study the scope of the United Nations' work in the protection of human rights by analyzing the measures taken by the United Nations to contribute to the protection of human ...
Your Assignment
Writing an argumenative paper on a controversial issue requires that you look at both sides of an issue and take a position on one side or the other. You not only take a stand on an issue, but you must defend it against opposing points of view. Therefore, your argumentative research paper will involve advocacy and persuasion. What to do:
7. Write Your Paper
ENG 101 - Human Rights Abuses; 7. Write Your Paper; Search this Guide Search. ENG 101 - Human Rights Abuses ... This guide from the SCC Library provides students information on how to choose a research topic for an assignment including what makes a good research topic, concept mapping, background research, and narrowing a topic and most ...
Human Rights Research Paper Assignment
This research paper assignment includes: This assignment is designed to address the following learning objectives from the CLN4U (Canadian and International Law) course in the Ontario Curriculum. A1. The Inquiry Process in Legal Studies: use the legal studies inquiry process and the concepts of legal thinking when investigating legal issues in ...
30 articles on the 30 Articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
It has been more than 70 years since world leaders, driven by the desire to prevent another Holocaust, explicitly spelled out the rights everyone on the planet could expect and demand simply because they are human beings. In November 2018, the UN Human Rights Office launched a special series to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the UDHR, which was adopted in Paris on 10 December 1948.
LibGuides: Human Rights Research Guide: Citing Sources
Other AI-generated text can be cited similarly. If you've edited the AI-generated text, you should say so in the text or at the end of the note (e.g., "edited for style and content") Include the prompt you used in the text of your work, or it can be included in the note. Sample Notes Format: 1. Text generated by ChatGPT, March 7, 2023 ...
Completed Projects
2023. Download (2.25 MB) 7. Trafficking of Women and Children - Challenges and Remedies. Dr. Awadesh Kumar Singh, Principal Consultant, Bhartiya Institute of Research and Development, Delhi. 2023. Download (7.59 MB) 8. Identifying Human Rights Issues and Problems and Developing Policy Framework for Providing Social Security and Healthcare to ...
Human Rights Leadership: Towards a Research and Practice Agenda for
Overall, the working paper builds towards an integrated research and practice agenda for understanding and supporting human rights leadership. It also aims to serve as reference point on ...

177 Human Rights Research Topics: Bright Ideas List 2023

A Brief about Human Rights

How to Write a Good Human Rights Thesis or Dissertation

Top Human Rights Research Topics

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100s of Free Human Rights Law Dissertation Topics and Titles

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Human Rights Law Dissertation Topics

Topic 2: The role of social media apps in spreading awareness among youth about human right

Topic 3: What obstacles do international human rights policies encounter in terms of implementation? An academic review

Topic 4: How are the rights of men being violated in the society? A human right perspective

Topic 5: Define the rights to ethics, religion and life in the context of human rights law in US

Topic 6: Investigating the impact of nationalist movements and ideologies on the rights of religious and ethnic minorities in India

Topic 7: Examining the rights and legal status of stateless persons who are forced to flee their countries of origin

Topic 8: Investigating the tension between national security concerns and the protection of refugee rights

COVID-19 Human Rights Law Research Topics

International human rights law and COVID-19

United Nations on human rights during COVID-19

The role of National Human Rights Institutions during COVId-19

Dissertation Topics in Human Rights Law and Society

Topic 1: An assessment of life imprisonment under the European Convention on Human Rights.

Topic 2: Should prisoners be allowed to exercise their right to vote in a democratic society?

Topic 3: The European Court Of Human Rights and its effectiveness amongst the EU member states

Topic 4: The link between human rights and same-sex marriage

Topic 5: Assessment of human rights in the workplace

Topic 6: The right to life and death penalty in the 21st century

Topic 7: Should the death penalty be reinstated in the United Kingdom post-Brexit?

Topic 8: Social media and the right to hold an opinion

Topic 9: Should Article 14 of the Human Rights Act 1998 be amended to implement more protected characteristics?