The bottom up approach to human rights: giving voice to the oppressed and the marginalised

Abstract

This paper analyses the bottom-up approach to human rights in the current context of globalisation. The bottom-up approach is dependent on the existence of a network consisting of four partners: community based organisations, local human rights NGOs, international human rights NGOs and allies in governmental and intergovernmental institutions. The paper investigates whether the bottom-up approach to human rights could be useful to bridge the existing gap between global human rights norms and institutions, and human rights abuses that arise at the local level in context-specific situations. The paper suggests that this approach could help to project and amplify the voices of local communities, particularly those vulnerable and marginalised, into national and international institutions in order to influence decision-making processes that affect their lives. A case study is provided through the example of the International Dalit Solidarity Network. The findings point to some ways in which local communities can influence decision-making processes and determine final outcomes. However, the paper acknowledges the necessity to carry out field research on the operation of this network over a sufficiently long period of time so that some final conclusions can be reached.