Inter-American Human Rights Research Articles

International institutional design and human rights: The case of the Inter-American Human Rights System

Most studies examining the effectiveness of international human rights law treat international human rights institutions as equally (un)influential on state behavior. I argue that institutional design explains variation in state response to international human rights law. Using the institutions in the Inter-American Human Rights System (Court and Commission), I argue that judgments from the highly legalized body (Court) are associated with human rights improvements, while decisions from the less legalized body (Commission) are associated with a greater likelihood of formal complaints. Using the Ill-Treatment and Torture data and original data on Commission decisions, I find support for these expectations.

International institutional design and human rights: The case of the Inter-American Human Rights System:

Most studies examining the effectiveness of international human rights law treat international human rights institutions as equally (un)influential on state behavior. I argue that institutional des...

El medio ambiente desde el discurso y políticas de Derechos Humanos: una aproximación preliminar al estado de la cuestión

El presente artículo propone una perspectiva panorámica sobre la compleja y multidimensional relación entre los derechos humanos y el medio ambiente. No obstante, dicha relación exige abandonar una perspectiva estrictamente centrada en el Estado, para incorporar también a las empresas en la interacción que hace posible la realización de actividades económicas en un entorno sostenible.El trabajo contiene dos grandes secciones: la primera propone un acercamiento a la problemática desde el Sistema Interamericano de Protección de los Derechos Humanos, a propósito de la reciente Opinión Consultiva OC-23/17 de la Corte IDH. Por su parte, una segunda sección adopta la perspectiva de las políticas públicas para analizar la interrelación entre derechos humanos y medio ambiente, y, en concreto, a través del análisis de tres políticas públicas: el Plan Nacional de Acción Ambiental 2011-2021, el Plan Nacional de Derechos Humanos 2018-2021 y el futuro Plan Nacional de Acción sobre Empresas y Derechos Humanos.

Retos y perspectivas de la guardia nacional en México

A principios de 2019 fue aprobada en México una reforma constitucional para crear la llamada Guardia Nacional. Además de generar un gran debate mediático y dar lugar a puntos de vista sobre su pertinencia e idoneidad y ser motivo de análisis y críticas, su vigencia enfrenta grandes desafíos de cara a su implementación. Esto es así porque aunado a las dudas sobre su convencionalidad, en el marco del Sistema Interamericano de Derechos Humanos, la forma en que plantea los requisitos de ingreso y permanencia requieren ser estudiados con todo cuidado desde una perspectiva histórica y jurídica. En este sentido, el propósito del presente trabajo es analizar las particularidades y características del diseño institucional de la Guardia, considerando la perspectiva internacional de los derechos humanos y proponer una serie de recomendaciones de cara a su implementación.

The Control of Conventionality: Developments in the Case Law of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and Its Potential Expanding Effects in International Human Rights Law

The control of conventionality is a doctrine, developed by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in its case law, according to which State agents are required to strive to make sure that domestic norms and practices are consistent with what Inter-American and other human rights law standards require. The doctrine as it has been developed posits that not only judges, but also any other State authorities must take these standards into account. The Court has made clear that its own pronouncements are to be considered too, not only in contentious cases but also in advisory opinions. Some argue that the Court has gone too far; others contend that the doctrine simply reaffirms the States’ obligation to adjust domestic practices and norms to international obligations and make internationally recognized human rights effective. Moreover, as long as a multi-level dialogue is permitted and some risks of fragmentation or unreasonable impositions are avoided, the doctrine may help to achieve the objectives of preventing both the congestion of the regional system and repetitive violations, and the legitimacy of the Court may be further strengthened if it admits some latitude in State decisions. Finally, the doctrine requires State authorities to consider extra-American developments, UN developments included; and can help actors from other human rights systems identify developments and principles positively applied throughout the Americas, which may serve as examples.

Rational Remedies: The Role of Opinion Clarity in the Inter-American Human Rights System

AbstractInternational courts have far-from-perfect records of compliance. States routinely delay the implementation of policy changes necessary to come into line with international obligations. Some judicial orders are simply ignored in their entirety. Yet judicial orders aimed at potentially recalcitrant states often vaguely express what is required and thus create conditions for delay and defiance. This article leverages a detailed public monitoring system for decisions of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights to evaluate a model of judicial opinion writing that connects the informational challenges associated with effectuating significant policy change to the language that judges adopt in their orders and, ultimately, to the reactions of states. Our results suggest that uncertainty about how precisely to bring about a policy change influences compliance by reducing the clarity of judicial orders. Flexibility in language permits judges to tradeoff maximal pressure for compliance for the ability to leverage local knowledge about how to bring a state in line with its international obligations. From this perspective, noncompliant outcomes are not necessarily a clear signal of weak judicial institutions, but, instead, they are a natural piece of the process by which judges manage difficult policy-making tasks.

La supervisión del cumplimiento de casos por el sistema interamericano y su contraste con el sistema europeo

El sistema interamericano de derechos humanos presenta insuficiencias de importancia en el grado de cumplimiento de las decisiones en materia de casos de sus órganos por parte de los Estados. Hasta la fecha, la supervisión ha sido realizada por la Comisión y la Corte Interamericanas, sin participación relevante de los órganos políticos de la Organización de Estados Americanos. En el sistema europeo de derechos humanos, por su parte, durante décadas la supervisión se llevó a cabo de manera exclusiva por un mecanismo político (el Comité de Ministros), y sólo recientemente el Tribunal Europeo de Derechos Humanos ha comenzado a desempeñar un rol al respecto. Luego de contrastar la experiencia interamericana con la europea, el trabajo propone establecer un sistema de supervisión dual (judicial y político) en el marco interamericano, de manera de fortalecer el cumplimiento de casos por los Estados.

Trabalhador migrante indocumentado:

Este estudo investigou a situação do trabalhador migrante indocumentado no Brasil em face do Sistema Interamericano de Direitos Humanos (SIDH). A pergunta norteadora foi: a proteção jurídica do trabalhador migrante indocumentado no Brasil é condizente com as obrigações impostas ao Estado para sua integração ao Sistema Interamericano de Direitos Humanos? Primeiro, analisou-se o contexto jurídico internacional relativo ao objeto de estudo; em seguida, investigou-se o migrante indocumentado no contexto nacional, com ênfase no ordenamento jurídico local; por fim, listaram-se possíveis consequências para a atual situação, mas também soluções para contornar o problema em questão. Conclui-se que os migrantes indocumentados não têm acesso a todos os direitos trabalhistas no Brasil, o que pode gerar, inclusive, uma responsabilização internacional.

Creating bridges between international relations theory and international human rights law: constructivism and the role of Brazil in the inter-american system of human rights

Human rights were traditionally approached in International Relations by the Schools of Realism and Liberalism. However, these two theoretical approaches to the analysis of these rights have proved to be insufficient, requiring a different reading of the reality of human rights in international society. This work considers the constructivist approach to analyze the effects of the Inter-American Human Rights System on disputes involving the Brazilian State, in order to identify why Brazil accepts or not the directions/standards formulated by the System in relation to the promotion and protection of human rights in the country. The theoretical basis of this work was the Constructivist Theory of International Relations, from Wendt and Hillebrecht. The method used was the inductive one, with bibliographical research. It was possible to recognize that Brazil did not comply with the determinations established by the Inter-American System in the case of Gomes Lund v. Brazil, but it followed the precepts of the American Convention by precluding the arrest of the unfaithful depositary. Therefore, it was identified that through theoretical constructivism it is possible to use more complex tools to analyze the way in which the States respond to the norms of human rights coming from the international society.

Strengthening Labor Rights in the Inter-American Human Rights System

Strengthening Labor Rights in the Inter-American Human Rights System

El Derecho a la Consulta Previa a los Pueblos Indígenas en el Sistema Interamericano de Derechos Humanos: Casos de estudio: Colombia y Ecuador

This article analyzed the contributions of ILO Convention 169 concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries, regarding the right to prior consultation as a tool for the protection of indigenous peoples in the Inter-American Human Rights System. This analysis was based on a qualitative methodology, following the analytical-descriptive approach and using tools such as jurisprudential analysis. The research focused, particularly, on studying the sentence of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in the case of Sarayaku v. Ecuador. From this sentence, some legal realities can be deduced that foresee the consequences of adopting the prior consultation in the legal systems of Ecuador and Colombia, as well as its impact on the socio-economic reality of those states and their indigenous peoples.

Os critérios de recepção das decisões acerca dos delitos de desacato do sistema interamericano de direitos humanos no Superior Tribunal de Justiça à luz do controle de convencionalidade externo

O artigo trata, à luz do controle de convencionalidade, da recepção da recomendação do Sistema Interamericano de Direitos Humanos de descriminalizar os crimes de desacato pelo Superior Tribunal de Justiça. Restringe-se à análise de dois recursos orientadores dos posicionamentos do Tribunal: o Recurso Especial n. 1.640.084/SP e o Habeas Corpus n. 379.269/ MS. O método é indutivo e são utilizadas a revisão bibliográfica e a análise documental como técnicas de pesquisa. Conclui-se que o Superior Tribunal de Justiça considerou apenas decisões nas quais o Estado tenha sido parte no litígio, o que descarta a recepção via mecanismo do controle de convencionalidade externo.

Appraising the Frontiers and Limits of the Inter-American Human Rights System and Its Relevance to International Human Rights Law

The Inter-American human rights system is one of the major regional human rights systems globally. In spite of the availability of human rights instruments in the region, some of which are legally binding, the spate of human rights abuse still leaves a sad commentary. The objective of this paper therefore is to take a critical survey of the human rights instruments in the region with a view to assessing their strengths and constraints. The method of research is basically doctrinal and utilizes the major human rights instruments in the region such as the Charter of the Organization of American States (OAS), the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of man, and the American Convention on Human Rights in its evaluation. It is the finding of the paper that the Inter-American system indeed has a number of positive features such as the emphasis placed on democratic governance and third party interventions in the adjudicatory process among others. The paper has also identified a number of weaknesses in the system including that the Inter-American Commission lacks the power to refer a case to the Inter-American Court where the State concerned has not ratified the American Convention on Human Rights; and further, the Commission’s recommendations are not legally binding. Therefore, the paper recommended among other things that the Commission be able to transmit a case directly to the Court whether or not the party concerned has ratified the American Convention.

The “Formally Feminist State”: A Potential New Player in the Inter-American Human Rights System?

A decade ago, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights issued a landmark judgment in the case of González and Others (“Cotton Field”) v. Mexico, which addressed the abduction and subsequent sexual murder of three young women in the industrial border city of Ciudad Juárez—a place known for systematic gender violence and impunity. For the victims’ next of kin and the feminist and human rights activists involved in the litigation, the murders constituted feminicidios (feminicides). The resulting judgment has been celebrated not only for developing new standards for women's human rights internationally, but also for its domestic impact in the form of innovative feminist laws and policies in Mexico and other Latin American countries. With a focus on Cotton Field’s impact on Mexico, this essay explores the potential rise of the “formally feminist state”—a state that adopts domestic feminist legislation and policies but then resists their implementation—as a new player on the stage of the inter-American human rights system (IAS). Drawing on insights from American sociolegal analyses on judicial deference to the presence of policies and institutional mechanisms as indicators of compliance with antidiscrimination laws, I suggest that this new player may create a different set of challenges for courts in assessing states’ lack of compliance with norms on women's human rights.

Between Hope and Despair: Progress and Resilience in the Inter-American Human Rights System

The inter-American human rights system (IAS) faces a region that has turned distinctly hostile to human rights. For many, the ongoing crisis in Venezuela is ground zero, demonstrating the ineffectiveness of international human rights when confronted with an entrenched regime supported by major powers such as Russia and China. In this multipolar world, reinforced by a transactional and antiliberal U.S. foreign policy, human rights concerns seem to have little salience. Moreover, the regional Right-wing trend and the so-called populist resurgence underpin a political vision in the Americas that is distinctly antirights. And to make matters worse, some argue, we are anyway in the end-times of human rights—the age of international courts and liberal cosmopolitanism is over. While recognizing that these overlapping political trends pose clear challenges to the IAS, this essay offers a more cool-headed analysis to suggest that the system's future is likely to be less apocalyptic than the doomsayers predict. The first part of the essay takes a sober look at the multiple political challenges facing the IAS today and their implications for human rights advocacy. In the second part, against the background of the inhospitable conditions facing human rights activists in the region, I highlight the role of civil-society actors in strengthening and embedding the IAS. As it is precisely the regional embeddedness of the IAS on which the system's future hinges, the third part highlights the need not only to defend progress, but also to strengthen resilience.

Conservative Governments and Latin America's Human Rights Landscape

In 2009, as the American Convention on Human Rights turned forty, Left-wing governments ruled in almost all Latin American countries. The democratization wave that began in the late 1980s had produced a seemingly hegemonic turn to the Left—the so-called “Pink Tide.” A decade later, the political landscape was radically different. With only a few exceptions, Right-wing governments are in power throughout Latin America. The implications of the conservative wave have been felt in a number of areas—including human rights. This essay explores the ways in which the new conservative governments of Latin American have tried to curb the inter-American human rights system and examines the potential long-term consequences that their efforts may have on the regional system and the protection of human rights. It then suggests possible avenues for sound engagement between states and the system, observing that the Inter-American Court's expansive case law may cause more harm in the long run.

The Crucial Role of Human Rights NGOs in the Inter-American System

Since the explosion of the human rights movement in the early 1970s, civil-society organizations have played a key role in the inter-American human rights system (IAS). In the era of dictatorships, they provided the information necessary for the Inter-American Commission to be able to act in the face of uncooperative states. When democracy returned to the region, these organizations grew in number, and their role within the IAS likewise expanded. In particular, a set of organizations that focused on legal strategies and the activation of regional human rights protection mechanisms cropped up. These organizations have, at a more abstract and general level, contributed to the juridification of human rights struggles and ultimately to the creation of a legal field. They have also largely set the agenda of the IAS, although the agenda-setting power has been limited to a small number of organizations that constitute the system's “repeat players.” In a manner befitting their systemic importance, these organizations have tried to make sure the organs of the IAS run smoothly, and to defend them when they come under attack. This essay explores the different roles that human rights NGOs have played in the history of the IAS and suggests that the strategy of increasing juridification that they have pursued since the region's return to democracy might have reached its limits.

La persona y la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos

La Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos (Corte IDH) ha tenido, dentro del Sistema Interamericano de Derechos Humanos, la importante función de garantizar el respeto y protección de los derechos humanos de las personas frente a una posible actuación arbitraria de los Estados, que lesione, impida u obstaculice el ejercicio de los mismos. Es así que, la actuación de la Corte ha sido por muchos años, un instrumento fundamental para una correcta aplicación de los derechos plasmados en la Convención, que ha tenido como centro de actuación, la persona humana. Sin embargo, en los últimos años, la Corte IDH ha dado un giro bastante notorio en relación a la interpretación de los derechos que la Convención define y defiende, a través de sentencias en las que ha llegado a trastocar el núcleo de protección de derechos básicos y elementales, como el derecho a la vida, a la identidad, a la no discriminación, que, de acuerdo con nuestro análisis, afectaría, principalmente, el desarrollo de la persona desde una visión objetiva e integral, con la aparición de serias consecuencias, que expondrían a la Corte a dejar de ser un mecanismo importante de protección jurídica para pasar a ser un mecanismo de expansión de ideologías contrarias a la propia persona.

El Sistema Interamericano de Derechos Humanos, sus sentencias y su eficacia

El Sistema Interamericano de Protección de los Derechos Humanos, comienza específica-mente en 1948, año en que nace la Declaración Universal de Derechos Humanos. Empieza así, una esperanza a nivel mundial para salvaguardar los derechos de todas las personas después de las catástrofes ocurridas en la primera mitad del Siglo XX. Lo anterior, reforzó el carácter de los Derechos Humanos, siendo reconocidos también derechos sociales y económicos, además de los civiles y políticos. Ahora bien, es también cierto, que estos últimos derechos son imperativos para el capitalismo de libre mercado funcione, pues este sistema económico precisa la salvaguarda fundamental del derecho a la propiedad. Por ello, el presentetrabajo intenta, tomando como ejemplo el Sistema Interamericano de Derechos Humanos, demostrar que los sistemas internacionales de protección de los Derechos Humanos son necesarios para poder garantizar los derechos básicos que una economía de libre mercado precisa.

There and Back Again: The Inter-American Human Rights System's Approach to International Humanitarian Law

There and Back Again: The Inter-American Human Rights System's Approach to International Humanitarian Law