International Human Rights Norms and Standards (2020-2022)

Mã/Course code

CAL 6002

Tên

Course title

Các nguyên tắc và tiêu chuẩn quốc tế về Quyền con người

International Human Rights Norms and Standards

/# of credits

Số thời gian lên lớp / Lecturing hours

21 hours:

5 x 3 hour sessions

3 x 2 hour sessions

Time

Satuda/Sunday 9-12

Tusday/Thursday 6-8pm

Name of course instructors/lecturers

Dr. Mike Hayes, IHRP

Mahidol University

Ngôn ngữ Language conduct

English/Vietnamese

Môn học này dự định giúp học viên:

• Hiểu được lịch sử ra đời và phát triển của luật quốc tế về quyền con người; đặc điểm, vị trí, vai trò của luật quốc tế về quyền con người với ý nghĩa là một ngành độc lập của luật quốc tế hiện đại.
• Hiểu được các nguyên tắc và tiêu chuẩn quốc tế cơ bản về quyền con người và nội hàm của các nguyên tắc, tiêu chuẩn này theo nhận thức chung trên thế giới.

Course objective

• - The course will provide students with
• An understanding of the development and history of the international law on human rights: characters, role of international law on human rights. In addition, the course explains the important norm and international standards on human rights found in the International Bill of Human Rights (the UDHR, ICCPR, and ICESCR).

1. Khái niệm và lịch sử phát triển luật quốc tế về quyền con người
2. Vị trí, đối tượng, phương pháp điều chỉnh và nguồn của luật quốc tế về quyền con người
3. Khái quát về các quyền và tự do của cá nhân
4. Các quyền dân sự, chí
5. nh trị
6. Các quyền kinh tế, xã hội, văn hóa

1. Concept and historical development of international law on human rights
2. Role, subject and scope of international law on human rights
3. Overall understanding on fundamental rights such as non-discrimination, right to life, freedom from torture and slavery
4. Overall understanding on substantive civil and political rights
5. Overall understanding on substantive economic, social and cultural rights

Class No

Time

Title

1

9.00-12.00., 6 March

Introduction to International instruments

2

6-8pm. Tuesday, 9 March

The UDHR (link 1; link 2)

3

6-8pm. Thursday, 11 March

The ICCPR 1: The treaty

4

9.00-12.00. Saturday, 13 March

The ICCPR 2: Fundamental rights

5

9.00-12.00. Sunday, 14 March

The ICCPR 3: Civil and Political Rights

6

6-8pm. Thursday,  18 March

The ICESCR 1: The Treaty (Link 1; link 2)

7

9.00-12.00. Saturday, 20 March

The ICESCR 2: Economic Rights (Link 1; link 2; link 3; link 4)

8

9.00-12.00. Sunday, 21 March

The ICESCR 3: Social Rights (link 1; link 2)

No

Time

Name of lecture

Lecturer

1

6 March

Saturday

9-12 (3 hours)

Lecture 1: Introduction to International instruments

a) Key Concepts in Human Rights:

Rights, Dignity

Universal, inalienable, inherent

b) Basics of International Human Rights Law:

-Sources of PIL

-Treaty signature/accession/ratification; reservation; derogation

-International and Domestic law

-State obligations to International human rights

c) History and development of human Rights treaties

Political and legal context

Relation to other fields of PIL: Refugee, IHL, Regional Laws, soft laws.

Dr. Mike Hayes

Expected Learning Outcomes:

• Summarize basic principles and concepts in Public International Law: sources, subjects, jurisdiction, and enforcement
• Explain what a treaty is, how it is made and how it relates to domestic law
• Explain the ratification process.
• Identify the relationship between International human rights law and other areas of Public International Law
• Debate legal obligations of States to Public International Law, especially in relationship to human rights

Reading Lecture 1

Sepulveda, Magdalena, et al. 2004. “Sources of International Human Rights Law.” Human Rights Reference Book. Costa Rica: University for Peace: 19-28.

Saumya Uma. 2009. "International Treaties on Human Rights" Unpackaging Human Rights: Concepts, Campaigns & Concerns: 132-159. Here

A simple introduction:

SEAHRN. 2014. “Chapter 2: Introduction to International Human Rights Standards.” An Introduction to Human Rights in Southeast Asia. Bangkok: IHRP and SEAHRN. Here

Audiovisual.

Try these two short YouTube lecturers/introductions
Kal Raustiala. 2012. International Law Explained. (4.36). Here

Anadolu Üniversitesi, 2019. Public International Law: Sources of PIL. (8.26). Here

Further readings:

Thomas Buergenthal. “The Evolving International Human Rights System.” The American Journal of International Law, Vol. 100, No. 4 (Oct., 2006), pp. 783-807. Here

Oscar Schacter. 1994. “United Nations Law.” The American Journal of International Law Vol. 88. 1: 1-23

Schutter, Olivier de. 2010. International Human Rights Law: Cases, Materials, Commentary. Cambridge: Cambridge UP. Read  Ch 1 “The Emergence of Human Rights” pp 11-17 & 48-59.

Javaid Rehman. 2010. “International Law and Human Rights” International Law and Human Rights. London: Longman. 13-23. [G Drive]

Malcolm Shaw, 2008. International Law. Cambridge: Cambridge UP.
Read: Chapter 2 “International law today: and Chapter 3 “Sources”.

2

9 March Tuesday:

6-8pm

Lecture 2: The UDHR

a) Historical, political, and legal context to the UDHR.

b) Categories of rights: fundamental, civil, political economic, social, and cultural

c) Analyzing violations of rights

Dr. Mike Hayes

Expected Learning Outcomes:

• Describe the historical context and formulation of the UDHR
• Know the 30 articles in the UDHR
• Identify the purpose and function of UDHR rights
• Debate the legal status of UDHR
• Strategize how the UDHR can be used in human rights advocacy

Reading

Roger Normand and Sarah Zaidi 2008. “The Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” Human rights at the UN : The Political History Of Universal Justice. Bloomington: Indiana UP: 177-198. 

Audio-visual

Watch this backgrounder on the UDHR from the United Nations: 

United Nations. “Universal Declaration of Human Rights” (6 minutes) Here

And this short film about the history of the drafting, focusing on Eleanor Roosevelt:

Oxford Law Faculty, “How Eleanor Roosevelt Won the Battle For Human Rights” (15 min) Here.

Further/Background Reading.

Antônio Augusto Cançado Trindade. Universal Declaration of Human Rights. (60^th Anniversary). United Nations Audiovisual Library of International Law. Here

Oraa Oraa, Jaime. 2009. “The Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” International Human Rights Law in a Global Context. Eds. Felipe Gomez Isa and Koen de Feyter. Bilbao: University of Deusto: 163-236.

Darraj, Susan Muaddi. 2010. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights Milestones In Modern World History. New York: Chelsea House. Read Chapters: “Ch 9; The Impact of the Declaration”; “Ch 10: Issues that Remain”; “Ch 5: The Drafting Process”; “Ch 6: Lingering Debates:”

Johannes Morsink. 1999. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Origins, Drafting, and Intent. Philadelphia; U of Pennsylvania Press.

3

11 March Thursday:

6-8pm

Lecture 3: The ICCPR 1

a) Historical, political, and legal context to the ICCPR.

b) States of Emergency

c) Rights to self determination

d) Limitation to rights

Dr. Mike Hayes

Expected Learning Outcomes:

• Identify main ICCPR rights
• Describe legal and political context to the ICCPR
• Distinguish derogable rights and how they occur in States of Emergency
• Detail limitations that can be made to ICCPR rights

Reading:

Legal:

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966)

General Comment 29 on Article 4 of the ICCPR (States of Emergency). 2001. Here

Reading:

Rhona Smith. 2014. “Ch 4 The International Bill of Human RIghts.” Textbook on International Human Rights. Oxford: Oxford UP.

Audiovisual

OHCHR. “50th anniversary of the two International Covenants: stories of impact” (6 minutes). Here

Further/Background Reading.

Nowak, Manfred. 2009. “The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.” International Human Rights Law in a Global Context. Eds. Felipe Gomez Isa and Koen de Feyter. Bilbao: University of Deusto: 271-292.

Hughes, Edel Implementation of the ICCPR: Reservations and Derogations.  EU-China Working Paper Series. Here

Christian Tomuschat. n.d. “International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.”  UN Audiovisual Library of International Law.

Javaid Rehman. 2010. “International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.” International Human Rights Law. London: Longman: 62-83.

Manfred Novak. 2005. UN Convention on Civil and Political Rights: CCPR Commentary. The Hague: N.P Engel.

Sarah Joseph, Jenny Schultz, and Melissa Castan. 2000. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights: Cases Materials, and Commentary. Oxford: Oxford UP.

4

13 March 

Saturday:

9-12

Lecture 4: The ICCPR 2                    

a) Fundamental rights:

-nondiscrimination

-Right to Life, death penalty

-Freedom from torture

b) Legal Rights:

-Fair trial, access to justice, innocence, equal protection

-Rights of prisoners in detention

Dr. Mike Hayes

Expected Learning Outcomes:

• Describe the main elements of non-discrimination
• Outline the features of fundamental rights
• Debate the relevance of the death penalty
• Identify the main features of fair trial and access to justice
• Apply legal standards to the Vietnamese court system

Reading:

Legal:

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966)

Reading:

Wolfgang Benedek, ed. “Rule of law and Fair Trial.” Understanding Human Rights. Austria: European Training and Research Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (ETC). 201-226. Here

UN Human Rights Committee, General Comment No 32: Article 14 Right to Equality
before Courts and Tribunals and to a Fair Trial, UN Doc CCPR/C/GC/32 (23 August
2007) (available in Vietnamese and English)

Amnesty International. 2019. World Death Penalty Report: Death Sentences and Executions 2019. London: Amnesty, 2019. Here

Audiovisual

Vice News, 2015. “hould there be a death Penalty?” (7 min) Here

Further Reading

UN Human Rights Committee, General Comment No 21:Article 10 (Humane treatment
of persons deprived of their liberty), HRC 44th session, (1992) (available in Vietnamese
and English)
 

UN Human Rights Committee, General comment No. 20: Article 7 (Prohibition of
torture, or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment), HRC 44th
session, (1992) (available in Vietnamese and English)

5

14 March

Sunday:

9-12

Lecture 5: The ICCPR 3                                

a) Civil rights: freedom of expression

b) Political rights: association, assembly, communication and information       

c) Select civil rights: cultural and minority rights, movement, family, religion, privacy.                         

Dr. Mike Hayes

Expected Learning Outcomes:

• Debate censorship and freedom of expression
• Consider freedom of expression issues in social media and the internet
• Assess different standards or political rights in ASEAN countries
• Discuss the relevance of civil rights (such as privacy, family, religion, and movement) to Vietnamese society

Reading:

Legal:

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966)

Reading:

Rhona Smith. 2014. “Ch 18: Freedom of Expression.” Textbook on International Human Rights. Oxford: Oxford UP.

Wolfgang Benedek, ed. “Right to Democracy.” Understanding Human Rights. Austria: European Training and Research Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (ETC). 405-423. Here

Audiovisual

Human Rights Watch 2017. Singapore: Laws Chill Free Speech, Assembly (1.35 min.) . Here

Comedy Central 2019. How Restrictive Is It to Be a Comedian in Singapore? The Jim Jefferies Show (9.21 min). Here.

Further Reading

UN Human Rights Committee, General Comment No 34 Article 19: Freedoms of
opinion and expression, UN Doc CCPR/C/GC/34 (12 September 2011) (available in
Vietnamese and English)

UN Human Rights Committee, General Comment No 27, Freedom of Movement (article
12), UN Doc CCPR/C/21/Rev.1/Add.9 (1 November 1999) (available in Vietnamese
and English)

UN Human Rights Committee, General Comment No 16: Article 17 (Right to privacy)
(1988), 32nd session (1988) (available in Vietnamese and English)

UN Human Rights Committee, General Comment No 19: Article 23 (The Family)
Protection of the Family, the Right to Marriage and Equality of the Spouses Adopted
at the Thirty-ninth session of the Human Rights Committee, 7 July 1990 (available in
Vietnamese and English)

6

18 March: Thursday:

6-8pm  

Lecture 6: The ICESCR 1

a) Historical, political, and legal context to the ICCPR.

b) Progressive Realization and Minimum Core Rights

c) Justiciability of ESCR

Dr Mike Hayes

Expected Learning Outcomes:

• Distinguish Civil and political rights from Economic and social Rights
• Identify main ESCR rights
• Explain key principles including Progressive Realization, and Justiciability.

Reading:            

Legal:

The International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights

Limburg Principles on the Implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Maastrict, (1986). Here

Maastricht Guidelines on Violations of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1997). Here

Reading

OHCHR. 2005. “The Nature of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.” Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Handbook for National Human Rights Institutions New York and Geneva: United Nations. 3-28. Here

Audio-visual

MOOC Chile. Introduction to Human Rights | Lesson 11: "Economic, Social and Cultural Rights." Here

Here

Advanced readings:

Manisuli Ssenyonjo. 2009. “Chapter One: The International Legal Protection of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.” Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in International Law Oxford: Hart.

Dankwa, V., Flinterman, C., and Leckie, S., Commentary to the Maastricht Guidelines on Violations of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, 20 HRQ (1998). pp. 705-730.

Asbjorn Eide, Catarina Krause, Allan Rosas. 2001. Economic Social and Cultural Rights: A Textbook. Leiden: Springer

International Commission of Jurists. Courts and the Legal Enforcement of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Comparative experiences of justiciability. Geneva: International Commission of Jurists. (2008).  Read: “Chapter 1 – ESC rights before courts: Introduction”; “Chapter 2 – Defining the content of ESC rights”

7

20 March Saturday:

9-12

Lecture 7: The ICESCR 2

a) Role of ILO standards.

-Rights to a union

-Children and work

b) Rights at the Workplace:

-gender and non discrimination at work

c) Freedom from exploitation and relationship to trafficking

Dr. Mike Hayes

Expected Learning Outcomes:

• Discuss the main elements of economic rights
• Debate issues such as gender discrimination in the workplace, sexual harassment, and workplace safety.
• Relate economic rights to migrant workers
• Develop responses to economic rights violations for vulnerable groups such as women, children, and migrant workers.
• Outline key elements in exploitation and trafficking

Reading:            

Legal:

The International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights

Reading (pick one of the following)      

Wolfgang Benedek, ed. “The Right to Work.” Understanding Human Rights. Austria: European Training and Research Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (ETC). 273-296. Here

Manisuli Ssenyonjo. 2009. “8. Right to Work and Right to Just and Favourable Conditions of Work: Articles 6, 7 and 8” Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in International Law. Oxford: Hart Publishing

ILO 2019. Rules of the Game: An introduction to the standards-related work of the International Labour Organization (Centenary edition 2019). Here.

Audio-Visual

SHAPE SEA Textbook class on Migrant Workers (25 Min) Here

ILO “Better understanding migrant workers in Thailand” (5 minutes). Here

UNRISD. The Migrant Workers Convention.  (7 min) Here

Watch one of these documentaries on migrant worker violations in the Middle East:

Wocomo “Qatar 2022 World Cup: Forced labour and human rights abuses against migrant workers” (10 min).  Here  

Aljazeera. “Inside Story - The plight of Qatar's migrant workers” (25 min). Here

Rothna Begum, TEDxGateway. “The invisible migrant workers in the Gulf.” (20 min.). Here

Further Reading

OHCHR. “UN Fact Sheet: The Rights of Migrant Workers.” Fact Sheet 24.rev 1. Geneva: United Nations.

8

21 March

Sunday:

9-12

Lecture 8: The ICESCR 3

a) Livelihood Rights:

Right to education

Right to Food, Water and Housing

b) negotiation exercise on Social rights (issue of housing and education)

 Dr. Mike Hayes

Expected Learning Outcomes:

• Discuss the main elements of livelihood rights
• Analyse a case using the 4A model for the right to education
• Apply the rights to food, water, and housing to a Vietnamese situation

Reading:            

Legal:

The International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights

Read or view from one of the righs (Education, water, food, or housing):

UN Human Rights, 2016. Water is a Human Right.” Here.

Jonsen, J. & Sollner, S. 2006. “The legal content of the right to adequate food.” University of Mannheim, Germany, and FIAN International.

Wolfgang Benedek, ed. “The Right to Education.” Understanding Human Rights. Austria: European Training and Research Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (ETC). 273-296. Here

OHCHR. “The Right to Adequate Housing” Fact Sheet 21. Geneva: UN Habitat & OHCHR. Here

Audio-Visual

FAO Policy. “The Right to Food” (3 minutes). Here

The Agenda with Steve Paikin, 2018. Housing as a Human Right. Here

Further Reading

OHCHR Right to Water. Fact Sheet 35. Here

OHCHR Right to Food. Fact Sheet 31. Here

ICESCR General Comment No. 12 The right to adequate food

ICESCR General Comment No. 15 The right to Water

ICESCR General Comment No. 4. The right to adequate housing

Boyd, David. 2011. “The Right to Water: Briefing Note.” Interaction Council, Toronto, Canada.

FAO. 2009. “Guide on Legislating for the Right to Food.” Rome: FAO. Here

Kerstin Mechlem. 2004. “Food Security and the Right to Food in the Discourse of the United Nations.” European Law Journal 10.5: 631 – 648. Here

George Kent. 2006. “The Hunger Problem: The Human Right to Food.” University of Hawai'i: World Alliance on Nutrition and Human Rights.

Katarina Tomaševski. “Has the Right to Education a Future Within the United Nations? A Behind-the-Scenes Account by the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education 1998–2004.” Human Rights Law Review 5.2 (2005): 205-237.

Centre for Housing Rights and Eviction (COHRE). “The Justiciability of Housing Rights. Introduction: Right to a Remedy” and “Framing The Discussion About Housing Rights: Why take a rights-based approach to housing issues?” COHRE Training Materials,