Research Guides
- University of Washington Libraries
- Library Guides
- UW Libraries
- Government Sources by Subject
- Human Rights in Government Publications
Government Sources by Subject: Human Rights in Government Publications
International
- International Human RightsProvides links to databases of treaties, documents, and resources related to international human rights; from the UW Libraries International Inter-Governmental and Non-Governmental Organizations research guide.
The United Nations has adopted a Declaration of Human Rights, however individuals differ in their beliefs of what should be included in a list of inalienable rights and one country's human rights laws may not match another's. Over time, society's standing on certain human rights issues have changed. Some common human rights are: right to life, right to healthcare, freedom from torture, freedom from slavery, and right to property.
- Universal Human Rights IndexMaintained by the United Nations, contains annotations and full text documents from UN treaty bodies, country visit reports, universal periodic review recommendations, and more.
- Human Rights Fact SheetsPublished by the United Nations Centre for Human Rights, these short documents are intended to assist understanding of basic human rights. Topics include rights of the child, contemporary forms of slavery, the rights of indigenous people, and more. Select titles available online, more available in print.
- Yearbook on Human Rights, HEIN Online
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1948-1988. This yearly publication from the United Nations includes sections on International Developments, National Developments, and United Nations Activities. Also available in print. - International Bill of Human RightsThe International Bill of Human Rights is made up of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; and the Optional Protocols to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. See also this print edition containing the text, a history of the bill, and excerpts from related documents.
- Canadian Human Rights CommissionInformation about and recent publications from the Canadian Human Rights Commission.
- Human Rights : Government Documents Held in the Research LibraryBibliography of documents from the federal governments of Canada, Britain, and the United States. Provincial/State documents for Canada and the U.S. are also included. Many of the titles indexed here can be found in the UW Library Catalog or through ILL. Print only.
United States
- Human Rights, U.S. Department of StateContains the State Department's principles of its work on human rights and the annual country reports submitted to congress containing information on human rights in 190 countries.
- ProQuest Congressional This link opens in a new window
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Electronic index and some full-text of US Congressional hearings, bills, and laws. Human rights issues are found in a variety of documents such as those from the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on International Relations, the Committee on Appropriations, and more.
Local
- Washington State Human Rights CommissionInformation on filing complaints, news, documents, and legal protections by issue including whistleblowing, gender identity, service animals, and more.
- King County Civil Rights ProgramInformation about and annual reports of the commission.
- Seattle Human Rights CommissionNews and documents about the commission's work and recent issues.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Eleanor Roosevelt, Chair of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, holds the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
UW Libraries
- Human Rights Research GuideUse this guide to find news, documents, databases, e-journals, films, and more on the topic of Human Rights.