Inglés para Derechos Humanos: Vocabulario Esencial

"inherent dignity"

The intrinsic worth that every human being possesses by virtue of being human, which cannot be granted or taken away by any authority

"The preamble of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms that inherent dignity is the foundation of all rights and freedoms."

"inalienable rights"

Rights that belong to every person and cannot be surrendered, transferred, or taken away, regardless of law or circumstance

"The freedom from torture is among the most firmly established inalienable rights under international law."

"indivisibility of rights"

The principle that civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights are equally important and cannot be prioritised one over another

"The committee emphasised the indivisibility of rights, arguing that poverty directly undermines the enjoyment of civil liberties."

"universality"

The principle that human rights apply equally to all people everywhere, regardless of nationality, culture, religion, or political system

"Some governments contested the universality of certain norms, arguing that cultural differences must be taken into account."

"non-derogable rights"

Rights from which no derogation is permitted even in a public emergency, including the prohibition of torture, slavery, and arbitrary killing

"The treaty body confirmed that non-derogable rights remain fully in force during armed conflict and states of emergency."

"positive obligation"

A state's duty to take active steps to protect and fulfil rights, not merely to refrain from violating them

"The court found that the government had breached its positive obligation to protect the right to life by failing to investigate credible threats."

"negative obligation"

A state's duty to refrain from interfering with or violating an individual's rights

"The prohibition on unlawful detention is a classic negative obligation: the state must simply refrain from arbitrary arrest."

"erga omnes obligation"

A duty owed by a state to the international community as a whole, not just to specific treaty partners, because the matter concerns all humanity

"The prohibition of genocide is recognised as an erga omnes obligation, allowing any state to bring a claim before the International Court of Justice."

"due process"

The legal requirement that the state must respect all rights owed to a person, ensuring fair, impartial, and lawful procedures before depriving them of life, liberty, or property

"The defendant argued that his conviction violated due process because he had not been allowed to confront his accusers."

"habeas corpus"

The right of a detained person to challenge the lawfulness of their detention before an independent court

"Lawyers filed a habeas corpus petition after their client was held for six days without charges or access to a judge."

"freedom of assembly"

The right of individuals to gather peacefully for lawful purposes including protests, demonstrations, and public meetings

"The authorities' decision to ban the march was challenged as an unlawful restriction on freedom of assembly."

"arbitrary detention"

Imprisonment that lacks a legal basis, is carried out without proper procedure, or is disproportionate to any legitimate aim

"The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention concluded that the journalist's three-year pre-trial imprisonment constituted arbitrary detention."

"fair trial guarantees"

The cluster of procedural rights ensuring a just legal process, including the right to a public hearing, independent judge, legal representation, and presumption of innocence

"International observers documented widespread violations of fair trial guarantees, including secret hearings and denial of defence counsel."

"derogation clause"

A provision in a human rights treaty allowing states to temporarily suspend certain rights during a formally declared public emergency, subject to strict conditions

"The government invoked the derogation clause under Article 4 of the ICCPR, notifying the Secretary-General of measures taken during the state of emergency."

"chilling effect"

The indirect suppression of freedom of expression or assembly when vague or overbroad laws deter people from exercising rights they technically still hold

"The broad anti-terrorism statute had a chilling effect on journalists, who began self-censoring for fear of prosecution."

"margin of appreciation"

The degree of discretion granted to states in interpreting and applying human rights obligations, reflecting different national contexts and values

"The European Court of Human Rights applied a wide margin of appreciation, finding that states may regulate commercial speech more strictly than political speech."

"progressive realisation"

The obligation on states to take steps towards the full realisation of economic, social, and cultural rights to the maximum of their available resources

"The committee acknowledged the state's limited budget but stressed that progressive realisation still requires concrete and deliberate action, not merely passive intent."

"minimum core obligations"

The baseline level of each economic and social right that states must ensure as a matter of immediate priority, regardless of resources

"Access to primary education and emergency healthcare are widely regarded as part of the minimum core obligations under the right to education and health."

"right to adequate housing"

The right to live somewhere in security, peace, and dignity, including legal security of tenure, habitability, accessibility, and cultural adequacy

"The forced eviction of 2,000 families without consultation or alternative accommodation was found to violate the right to adequate housing."

"right to health"

The right of everyone to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, including access to healthcare and the underlying determinants of health

"The report documented how chronic underfunding of rural clinics disproportionately affected indigenous communities and violated the right to health."

"food security"

A situation in which all people have physical, social, and economic access at all times to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs

"The Special Rapporteur warned that new trade rules could undermine food security by making staple crops unaffordable for the poorest households."

"decent work"

Opportunities for productive employment in conditions of freedom, equity, security, and human dignity, including fair wages, safe conditions, and freedom of association

"Migrant workers in the construction sector lacked access to decent work, facing wage theft, hazardous conditions, and no right to organise."

"retrogressive measures"

Actions by a state that deliberately reduce the level of enjoyment of economic, social, or cultural rights already achieved, which carry a strong presumption of being prohibited

"The committee found that cutting the housing benefit without providing alternatives constituted retrogressive measures requiring exceptional justification."

"non-discrimination in access"

The prohibition on denying services, benefits, or opportunities on grounds such as race, sex, disability, or national origin

"The audit revealed systematic non-discrimination in access violations, with asylum-seekers routinely denied healthcare available to citizens."

"impunity"

The failure to hold perpetrators of human rights violations legally accountable, which encourages future violations

"The Special Rapporteur concluded that widespread impunity for police killings had created an environment in which extrajudicial executions continued unchecked."

"reparations"

Measures taken to remedy the harm caused by human rights violations, encompassing restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, satisfaction, and guarantees of non-repetition

"The inter-American court ordered the state to provide reparations including financial compensation, public acknowledgment, and free psychological treatment for survivors."

"exhaustion of domestic remedies"

The procedural requirement that a victim must first use all available legal avenues in their own country before bringing a complaint to an international body

"The committee declared the petition inadmissible because the applicant had not appealed to the Supreme Court, failing the exhaustion of domestic remedies requirement."

"transitional justice"

The set of judicial and non-judicial measures implemented after periods of mass atrocity or repression to address past violations and build durable peace

"The country's transitional justice process included a truth commission, a special war crimes tribunal, and a national reparations fund for victims."

"truth commission"

A non-judicial body established to investigate patterns of human rights violations, establish an authoritative historical record, and make recommendations for accountability and reform

"The truth commission took testimony from over 20,000 survivors and named more than 1,000 individuals responsible for enforced disappearances."

"complementarity principle"

The rule under the Rome Statute that the International Criminal Court may only act when national jurisdictions are unwilling or unable genuinely to investigate and prosecute atrocity crimes

"The prosecutor applied the complementarity principle, opening an ICC investigation only after concluding that domestic courts lacked the independence to prosecute military commanders."

"victim-centred approach"

A framework that places the needs, rights, and perspectives of victims at the centre of all accountability and justice processes

"The peace negotiators adopted a victim-centred approach, consulting survivor organisations before finalising the terms of the transitional justice agreement."

"non-repetition guarantee"

A state's commitment to undertake structural reforms — such as institutional, legal, or educational changes — that make recurrence of the violation less likely

"As part of its non-repetition guarantee, the government agreed to reform the security forces, vet officers, and introduce mandatory human rights training."

"non-refoulement"

The absolute prohibition on returning or expelling a person to a territory where they would face persecution, torture, or serious harm, regardless of their immigration status

"The deportation order was challenged on non-refoulement grounds after the applicant presented credible evidence of torture risk in the receiving country."

"refugee status determination"

The legal or administrative process by which a state or UNHCR assesses whether a person meets the criteria for refugee protection under the 1951 Convention

"The applicant waited 18 months for refugee status determination while living in a temporary camp with limited access to legal assistance."

"complementary protection"

A form of international protection for people who do not meet the strict definition of a refugee but who would face serious harm if returned, such as torture or generalised violence

"After the applicant's refugee claim failed, her lawyer successfully applied for complementary protection on the basis of the indiscriminate violence in her home region."

"statelessness"

The condition of a person who is not considered a national by any state, leaving them without citizenship rights, documentation, or legal identity

"Children born to stateless parents faced statelessness themselves, unable to register births, access education, or obtain travel documents."

"internally displaced person"

A person forced to flee their home due to armed conflict, generalised violence, or human rights violations who has not crossed an international border

"The UN estimates over 60 million people are currently internally displaced persons, making internal displacement more common than cross-border flight."

"protection gap"

A situation in which existing international legal frameworks fail to adequately protect a category of people facing serious harm

"Climate-displaced communities fall into a protection gap because the refugee convention does not cover those fleeing environmental disaster."

"principle of distinction"

The fundamental rule of international humanitarian law requiring parties to armed conflict to distinguish at all times between civilians and combatants, and between civilian objects and military objectives

"The strike on the market was investigated for violating the principle of distinction, as there was no evidence of any military presence in the area."

"proportionality in attack"

The rule of international humanitarian law prohibiting attacks that cause incidental civilian harm excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated

"The inquiry found that the attack violated proportionality in attack rules because the military advantage gained was marginal relative to the mass civilian casualties."

"treaty body"

An independent expert committee established under a UN human rights treaty to monitor states' compliance with their obligations under that treaty

"The Human Rights Committee, as the treaty body for the ICCPR, reviewed the state's periodic report and issued concluding observations with priority recommendations."

"Universal Periodic Review"

A mechanism of the UN Human Rights Council through which the human rights record of every UN member state is examined by other states every four to five years

"During the Universal Periodic Review, over 100 states made recommendations on freedom of the press, and 80% were accepted by the government under review."

"special rapporteur"

An independent expert appointed by the UN Human Rights Council to investigate, monitor, and publicly report on human rights situations in specific countries or on specific themes

"The Special Rapporteur on torture conducted an official country visit, inspecting twelve detention facilities and meeting privately with over 40 detainees."

"concluding observations"

A treaty body's formal assessment of a state's human rights record, identifying positive developments, principal subjects of concern, and specific recommendations

"The concluding observations urged the government to repeal laws criminalising same-sex relations and to release human rights defenders held under terrorism charges."

"individual communication"

A complaint submitted by an individual or group to an international body alleging that a state has violated their rights under a treaty that has an individual complaints procedure

"After exhausting all domestic courts, she submitted an individual communication to the Committee Against Torture, which found her claims admissible and requested interim measures."

"interim measures"

An urgent provisional order issued by an international human rights body asking a state to take or refrain from action to prevent irreparable harm while a case is under examination

"The committee issued interim measures requesting that the state halt the deportation pending its examination of the applicant's torture risk claim."

"state reporting procedure"

The obligation under a treaty for each state party to submit periodic reports to the relevant treaty body detailing the measures taken to implement its obligations

"The state's delegation appeared before the committee for three days to respond to questions arising from the state reporting procedure under CEDAW."

"civil society engagement"

The participation of non-governmental organisations, community groups, and human rights defenders in international monitoring processes, typically through shadow reports and stakeholder submissions

"Robust civil society engagement during the UPR process resulted in alternative data that directly contradicted the government's official submission."