Uses and Misuses of Human Rights

Most of the academic literature on human rights seeks to identify and explain instances of use and abuse. Less emphasis has been placed on examining cases of misuse, namely actions undertaken by sincere and devoted advocates of human rights that unintentionally undermine international norms, adversely affect the wellbeing of their intended beneficiaries, or violate others' human rights. Addressing both uses and misuses of human rights, this volume seeks to fill an important gap. It offers an analytical framework and a series of case studies that draw attention to the intended and unintended consequences of advocacy work. Emphasizing the challenges to the effective and proper use of human rights norms, processes and mechanisms, it tries to identify strategies and contexts that enable human rights advocacy to work in favor of human rights, as intended, as well as situations in which such advocacy may backfire or unintentionally cause harm. Since the improvement of human rights conditions is ultimately contingent on a better understanding of the strengths and limitations of the human rights discourse and the context in which it is used, being cognizant of unintended negative impacts would lead to the design and execution of more effective advocacy strategies.