Parliamentarians as Human Rights Protectors

The challenge before parliamentarians is to change the rhetoric of human rights theory into practical realities that benefit populations at home. While States have endorsed countless commitments at the international level, many support human rights only in theory – the ground reality shows a distressing failure by many governments to convert the rhetoric into practical pro-human rights outcomes for their constituencies back home.

Embedding a human rights culture greatly depends on the willingness of law-makers to weave the human rights agenda into all they do. Through its central function as a law-making body, parliament can naturally reaffirm the human rights values and principles for which it stands by incorporating these values into all the laws it passes. While parliamentarians are sometimes constrained by party dictates and real politik, the essential importance of human rights makes it imperative that each member of the house sees his or her role first as protectors and promoters of human rights and second as members of parties. Even in constrained environments devices like the Private Members Bill offer an opportunity to act on individual principle. Even if the Bill is defeated, the associated debates draw attention to otherwise difficult and controversial issues.