The Inter-American Court of Human Rights

Abstract

Antidiscrimination law has been part of the Inter-American Human Rights system from its beginnings: the 1948 American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man provided for the equal protection of the law of all persons and the right to enjoy the rights and duties of the Declaration “without distinction as to race, sex, language, creed or any other factor.” Now, the principle of non-discrimination is guaranteed in several other regional Human Rights instruments. In particular, the American Convention on Human Rights (hereafter the American Convention, adopted in 1968 and entered into force in 1978) is the most exhaustive human rights instrument of the region, and is enforced by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (hereafter the IACHR), along with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (hereafter the Commission).