The Hidden Face of Rights: towards a politics of responsibilities

Sikkink, Kathryn. 2020. The Hidden Face of Rights: towards a politics of responsibilities. New Haven, CT : Yale University Press, 208. Publisher's Version Abstract

Why we cannot truly implement human rights unless we also recognize human responsibilities

When we debate questions in international law, politics, and justice, we often use the language of rights—and far less often the language of responsibilities. Human rights scholars and activists talk about state responsibility for rights, but they do not articulate clear norms about other actors’ obligations. In this book, Kathryn Sikkink argues that we cannot truly implement human rights unless we also recognize and practice the corresponding human responsibilities.

Focusing on five areas—climate change, voting, digital privacy, freedom of speech, and sexual assault—where on-the-ground (primarily university campus) initiatives have persuaded people to embrace a close relationship between rights and responsibilities, Sikkink argues for the importance of responsibilities to any comprehensive understanding of political ethics and human rights.

Rights and responsibilities in the Coronavirus pandemic

Sikkink, Kathryn. 2020. “Rights and responsibilities in the Coronavirus pandemic.” Open Global Rights . Publisher's Version Abstract

rights_and_responsibilities_in_the_coronavirus_pandemic_openglobalrights.pdf

To protect our collective right to health in the current pandemic situation, we need to balance our individual rights with collective responsibilities.

Read the full article here.