Justifying Universal Human Rights

Brooke A. Ackerly received her Ph.D. from Stanford University. Her research interests include democratic theory, cross-cultural human rights theory, feminist theory, social criticism, and feminist methodologies and methods. She integrates into her theoretical work empirical research on democratization, human rights, credit programs, and women’s activism. She was previously a Visiting Fellow at the Center for International Studies, University of Southern California and Visiting Assistant Professor in Political Science at the University of California, Los Angeles. 

Abstract
In this article I set out a method of justification for a universal theory of human rights that is able to identify human rights and responsibilities in patterns of human rights violations that are experienced by individuals and by classes or catagories of people.  I conclude with an outline of the responsibilities for human rights that would correspond to this view.  The theory justifies a view of responsibilities and duty- bearers that is enlarged beyond those anticipated by an entitlement-based theory of human rights.