Scope

This Research Guide provides an introduction to the political, legal, moral and social aspects of international human rights. It focuses on general human rights and the treatment of citizens by their governments rather than on the rights of specific groups such as women or children. Works primarily emphasizing the civil rights movement in the U.S. are not included.

Overview

Human Rights: The Essential Reference
College Library Reference Collection: K 3240.4 H847 1999

Encyclopedia of the Third World
College Library Reference Collection: HC 59.7 K87 1992
Refer to the "Freedom and Human Rights" section under each country's entry.

Legal Systems of the World: A Political, Social and Cultural Encyclopedia
College Library Reference Collection: K 48 L44 2002
Refer to "Human Rights Law" volume 2, pages 665-669
Also use index for human rights in specific countries

Encyclopaedia Britannica Online 1992 (updated daily)
Britannica Online is a searchable collection of authoritative references, including Britannica's latest encyclopedia articles. Basic instructions for Encyclopædia Britannica Online

Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center 1990 - to date (updated daily)
Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center (OVRC) includes the acclaimed social issues series published by Greenhaven Press, as well as core reference content from other Gale and Macmillan Reference USA sources and provides viewpoint articles, topic overviews, statistics, primary documents, links to websites, and full-text magazine and newspaper articles.

Finding Journal and News Articles

Below are links to databases that cover this subject area. The truncation symbol for all of them is an asterisk (*) unless otherwise noted.

Sample searches for databases:

Sudan and genocide
Rwanda and genocide
Yugoslavia and "war crimes"
China and "human rights"
Afghanistan and women
"human rights" and detainees
"human rights" and law*
torture and prison*

Recommended Databases:

Academic Search 1984 - to date (updated daily)
This library database indexes approximately 3,100 popular magazines and academic journals and provides the full-text articles from approximately 1,000 journals. Basic instructions for Academic Search

CQ Researcher November 1991 - to date (updated weekly)
Contains weekly reports from Congressional Quarterly that cover the most current and controversial issues. Basic instructions for CQ Researcher

Ethnic NewsWatch 1960 - to date (updated monthly)
A full-text collection of more than 200 newspapers, magazines and journals of the ethnic, minority and native press. Basic instructions for Ethnic Newswatch

Lexis/Nexis Academic Universe Dates Vary (updated daily)
Contains the full-text articles from U.S. and international newspapers (including the New York Times, June 1980 - to date), as well as some news and business magazines and trade journals. The truncation symbol is an exclamation point (!). Basic instructions for Lexis/Nexis Academic Universe

Public Affairs Information Service (PAIS) 1972 - to date (updated quarterly)
Indexes journal articles, books, government documents, statistical compilations, committee reports, directories, serials, reports of public, intergovernmental and private organizations, and most other forms of printed literature from all over the world. The full-text of the articles is not available in the database. Basic instructions for PAIS

ProQuest Research Library 1988 - to date (updated daily)
Indexes over 2,000 general-interest and academic journals. Nearly 1,000 periodicals are full-text. Dates vary, but many full-text journals go back to 1988. Basic instructions for ProQuest Research Library

Readers' Guide Full Text and Retrospective 1890 - to date (updated monthly)
Indexes 240 popular magazines in a wide range of subject areas. Full-text coverage of 131 titles begins with 1994. Basic instructions for Readers' Guide Full Text

Finding Books

MadCat
Books on human rights can be found in MadCat, the UW-Madison library catalog.

Sample keyword searches:

"Universal Declaration of Human Rights"
"Amnesty International"
"war crimes"
"human rights" and prison?
"human rights" and "labor laws"
refugees and asylum
http and "human rights" (to find electronic resources)

Internet Sites

Amnesty International
http://www.amnesty.org
Includes news, current campaigns, document library, monthly magazine The Wire, and links.
Also visit Amnesty International USA.

Human Rights Watch
http://www.hrw.org/index.html
Human Rights Watch is a non-governmental organization that conducts investigations of human rights violations worldwide. Site includes publications, campaigns, news and human rights information by country.

United Nations - Human Rights
http://www.un.org/rights/
Includes general information on human rights; treaties, declarations and laws; current activities and press releases; and information on each member country. The High Commissioner's page is especially useful.

University of Minnesota Human Rights Library
http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/index.html
Includes documents, bibliographies and Research Guides, links and a search engine that allows searching across multiple human rights sites.

Statistics

Statistical Universe 1973 - to date (updated monthly)
Contains the full text of more than 800 U.S. government statistical publications. Lexis-Nexis Statistical Universe is available to UW-Madison registered users.

Videos

Behind the Veil [videorecording] : Afghan Women Under Fundamentalism
College Library Main Book Collection: HQ 1735.6 B44 2001

Free Trade Slaves [videorecording]
College Library Main Book Collection: HF 1418 F6 1999

The Giant Awakes [videorecording]
College Library Main Book Collection: HC 427.92 G52 1998

Sacrifice [videorecording]
College Library Main Book Collection: HQ 232.7 A5 1998

Torture, Terror, Tyranny [videorecording] : The State of Human Rights Today / William Schulz
College Library Main Book Collection: JC 571 S38 1998

Dreams of Tibet [videorecording]
College Library Main Collection: DS 786 D7 1997

Forsaken Cries [videorecording] : The Story of Rwanda
College Library Main Book Collection: DT 450.435 F67 1997

China in Transition [videorecording]
College Library Main Collection: DS 779.2 C452 1994

Organizations

Amnesty International USA
http://www.amnestyusa.org/index.html
5 Penn Plaza 14th Floor
New York, NY 10001
Phone: (212) 807-8400
Fax: (212) 627-1451
E mail: aimember@aiusa.org

Human Rights Watch
http://www.hrw.org/
350 Fifth Avenue, 34th floor
New York, NY 10118-3299
Phone: (212) 290-4700
Fax: (212) 736-1300
Email: hrwnyc@hrw.org