Hans-Georg Ziebertz - International Empirical Studies on Religion and Socioeconomic Human Rights

This series investigates how religion can both challenge and contribute to a vibrant human rights culture in different national contexts, as well as in cross-national contexts. It offers empirical and theoretical perspectives on the different generations of human rights, and generates new knowledge on the connection between religion and human rights.

All religions claim that their ethical aspirations and moral duties contribute to the well-being and welfare of individual human beings, groups, and communities. This applies particularly to the golden rule which plays an important role in the ethical groundwork of all religious traditions, and which is also foundational for human rights. However, to what extent is this universal principle actually observed within and between different religions, within and between nations, and within the secular world? To what extent (if at all) do religions contribute to the realisation of human rights or to the prevention of violations of human rights? This series addresses these questions by means of an empirical and comparative approach. Each volume focuses on specific human rights, and this volume addresses political rights such as active and passive right to vote, the right to protest and the political rights of refugees; and judicial rights such as equality before the law, the right to independent and imparital judgement, and the presumption of innocence.

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Like civil and political rights, economic, social and cultural rights impose three different types of obligations on States: the obligations to respect, protect and fulfil. Failure to perform any one of these three obligations constitutes a violation of such rights. The obligation to respect requires States to refrain from interfering with the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights. Thus, the right to housing is violated if the State engages in arbitrary forced evictions. The obligation to protect requires States to prevent violations of such rights by third parties. Thus, the failure to ensure that private employers comply with basic labour standards may amount to a violation of the right towork or the right to just and favourable conditions of work. The obligation to fulfil requires States to take appropriate legislative, administrative, budgetary, judicial and other measures towards the full realization of such rights. Thus, the failure of States to provide essential primary health care to those in need may amount to a violation. (art. 6).