Human Rights is a fascinating subject which pervades all aspects of life and all levels of
society. In the last sixty years it has developed into a discipline in its own right, distinct from
Public International Law. Given the breadth of human rights this text cannot address all aspects
of the topic, nor even cover exhaustively those areas most commonly taught in courses, as
every course follows a different pattern depending on the interests of those involved. Indeed,
this is a source of much discussion between the publishers and authors of all human rights
texts.
The approach taken is to introduce the reader to the scope of the subject in prep-aration for
further study and research. To this end, primary sources have been employed as far as
possible. Suggestions for further reading and appropriate web-site references are provided at
the end of each chapter to provide a starting point for further study. The non-primary texts
referred to are commonly found in uni-versity libraries and often available to subscribers
online. A cross-section of sub-stantive rights provides an indication of the scope of some of
these rights (civil, political, economic, social, cultural, and collective) combining jurisprudence
from the regional and international systems. An understanding of those covered in this book
should facilitate study of any other rights and freedoms.