Assignment:
Remedies for Human Rights Violations
Remedies for human rights violations focus on repairing and restoring what victims have lost as a result of the violation. Examples of remedies include: exposing the truth about the occurrences of human right violations; providing reparations to victims in the form of money or property; prosecuting violators; and reforming government or regime policy to prevent future violations. The nature of the human rights violation will determine which remedies are most appropriate. Extremely heinous violations may warrant using multiple remedies. In this Discussion you are asked to consider remedies that you would recommend to address a human rights violation.
To prepare for this Discussion:
1. Review the article "A Critical Theory of Reparative Justice" and consider whether reparative justice is a remedy for human rights violation.
2. Review the articles, "Effective Remedies to Human Rights Violations" and "Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Right to a Remedy and Reparation for Victims of Gross Violations of International Human Rights Law and Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law." Think about principles, guidelines and elements of effective remedies for human rights violations.
3. Review the article "Doing Justice After Conflict: The Case for Ghana's National Reconciliation Commission." Consider whether reconciliation is a valid remedy to human rights violations.
4. Use the map to view human rights violations around the globe. Make sure to pay attention to the remedies of violations.
5. Select a human rights violation to use for this assignment (one that you have not used for previous Discussions in this course). Identify two remedies you would recommend to address the human rights violation and consider why.
With these thoughts in mind:
A brief description of the human rights violation you selected. Then describe two remedies you would recommend to address the violation and explain why. Be specific.
Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources.
Resources
Access Resources
Learning Resources
Please read and view (where applicable) the following Learning Resources before you complete this week's assignments.
Media
Map of International Human Rights Violations Around the World
Click on the above link to view a map indicating areas where human rights violations occur. Click on each flashing icon to learn about remedies of those human rights violations.
Note: For a transcript of this map, please click here Click for more options.
Readings
Article: Verdeja, E. (2008). A critical theory of reparative justice. Constellations: An International Journal of Critical and Democratic Theory, 15(2), 208-222.
Article: International Center for Transitional Justice. (2009). Effective Remedies to Human Rights Violations.
Article: Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (2005). Basic principles and guidelines on the right to a remedy and reparation for victims of gross violations of international human rights law and serious violations of international humanitarian law.
Article: Ameh, R. K. (2006). Doing justice after conflict: The case for Ghana's National Reconciliation Commission. Canadian Journal of Law and Society/Revue Canadienne Droit et Societe, 21(1), 85-109.