Can human rights bring social justice? This crucial question is the focus of the latest Amnesty International publication edited by Doutje Lettinga and Lars van Troost. The publication aims to discuss the changing perspective of human rights in 12 thought-provoking essays. Authors contributing in this volume are scholars and analysts with various scientific backgrounds, who build their arguments based on contemporary challenges to human rights implementation, in order to advance the debates on the potential contribution of human rights to deliver social justice.
From here authors reach different conclusions.
In order to become effective in the social and economic realm, a first group of authors suggests that human rights advocates must (re-)enter the political arena. They cannot afford to provide only ideologically neutral, technocratic solutions to politically-charged problems but must take these head-on.
On the other hand:
Authors disagree that human rights can be effective tools to reduce or eliminate inequality and oppose the politicization of human rights in this way.
A very interesting discussion, indeed. The volume is free to download here.