Today is an exciting day for the human rights world, marking the entry into force of the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (OP-ICESCR). This is an important step towards creating greater accountability for economic, social and cultural rights – including the right to …
For over a century, the world has celebrated International Women’s Day. From its roots in socialist activism, the day has been transformed into a national holiday in countries throughout the world. During this period, progress has been made: in many countries, women are now political leaders and business leaders (though still …
We know that international human rights law guarantees the right to decent work that provides fair wages: essentially, a living wage. Governments thus must protect, respect, and take steps to fulfill this right to decent work. (Wages also implicate other rights that governments must protect: as the UN Special Rapporteur …
Around the world, we depend on farmworkers to grow and harvest our food; we just don’t want to pay them enough so that they can afford the food themselves. As discussed last week, international human rights law guarantees a right to decent work, which includes fair wages that enable workers …
Last week, the South African Labour Minister announced a 52 percent increase in the minimum wage for farmworkers. The government’s decision followed months of farmworker protests and strikes in the Western Cape, a province that provides key exports of fruit and wine. Starting March 1, farmworkers must be paid at …
Global hunger and food insecurity are complicated, messy issues. And although the right to food is a human right grounded in international law, lawyers and activists struggle when trying to document violations of that right. Too many reports lack nuance or a human rights framework, arguing simplistically that people in …
Last week, I wedged myself into a crowded church in rural South Africa, listening to farmworkers recite a litany of complaints about working conditions on their farms. As people spoke, the farmworkers kept coming, in pairs and small groups, trickling in after Sunday services or other commitments. After over an …
Last week, I briefly sketched the origins of the right to water in international law. But what does the right to water encompass? And what is its relationship to the right to food? The Right to Water: Freedoms and Entitlements The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (“the Committee”) …
Land is essential for food production, but it’s virtually worthless without water. This need for water helps to explain the recent global rush to acquire land: as the non-profit GRAIN has pointed out, “behind every land grab is a water grab.” And water grabs are serious. Already, one-third of the …
On this site, I’ve explained briefly what the right to food is and what it is not. (Hint: it’s grounded in international law and creates governmental obligations, but it’s not the right to be fed.) Yet I’m occasionally asked to provide more details about the right to food: its definition, …