Human Rights Defenders: From Global Norms to Local Experiences

This timely book examines the strategies and policies required to localize the global norms which facilitate the work of Human Rights Defenders (HRDs). Leading experts address the growing challenges faced by HRDs, with particular focus on the urgent case of their treatment in the Americas.

Combining an international reach with regional perspectives, contributing authors provide a comprehensive overview of global standards designed to enable HRDs to exercise their rights while defending the rights of others. They explore the protective and reparative role of the Inter-American System, proposing a systemic and multi-sectorial approach over fragmented visions while redefining the frameworks for the protection of HRD’s work. The book also highlights the importance of adopting holistic strategies and community resistance, and advocates for the defence of HRDs becoming a mainstream topic in all discussions of human rights protection.

Human Rights Defenders is an essential resource for scholars and students of human rights law and public international law. Practitioners and policy makers will also find this book highly relevant amid the launching of programmes and funding schemes for the protection of HRDs by many international organizations.