Subject Guides: *Human Development: Human Rights

Guide Contents

Primary Sources & Reports

Human Rights Studies Online
A research and learning database providing comparative documentation, analysis, and interpretation of major human rights violations and atrocity crimes worldwide from 1900 to 2010. The collection includes primary and secondary materials across multiple media formats and content types for each selected event.
U.S. Declassified Documents Online
This collection is made up of U.S. government documents obtained from presidential libraries. These libraries receive declassified documents from various government agencies, including the White House, the CIA, the FBI, the State Department, and others.
Digital National Security Archive
Declassified U.S. government documents, providing vital primary source material to advance research in twentieth and twenty-first century history, politics, and international relations, covering events from the Berlin Crisis to post-9/11 U.S. intelligence.
ProQuest Congressional
Access to legislative publications including Congressional Hearings (parts A-D), U.S. Bills and Resolutions (2014-2018), laws, reports, documents, prints, the Federal Register, the Code of Federal Regulations, and member and committee information.

In addition to the Basic Subscription, BU Libraries has access to the full text of the Congressional Record and its predecessor publications from 1789-present, the Congressional Serial Set from 1789-2010, Serial Set maps from 1789-present, Executive Branch Documents, 1789-1932, and Congressional Research Service reports.

Human Rights Library (University of Minnesota)
Searchable site of 65,000 documents relating to human rights, from UN documents to treaties and regional documents.
HURISDOCS: Tools
Includes the African Human Rights Case Law Analyzer, RightDocs Human Rights Council resolutions & votes, and the Inter-American Human Rights Caselaw Analyzer.
Amnesty International
Source of the Human Rights Reports, covering developments in 160 every year. Search for "Amnesty International Report year). The site has from 1993/94 forward.

more... less...

Bartle Library has annual reports from 1977 to present (Bartle Ref JC571 .A46).
Human Rights Watch
The definitive non-governmental organization devoted to tracking human rights conditions worldwide. Web site contains annual reports from 1996 to the present, thematic reports, and current news releases, updated daily. Can browse by country or theme.
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices
U. S. State Department reports submitted to Congress annually that summarize the individual, civil, political, female, and worker rights in all countries of the world. Website covers 1999 - present.

These are also available as "Committee Prints & Misc Publications" through the Proquest Congressional database, along with related documents.

Bartle Library has 1979 -2008 in print (Bartle Ref JC571 .C68).

Finding Books on Human Rights

Example Searches

"human rights movements" "human rights" AND country "children's rights" "international law" "humanitarian law"
"emmigration and immigration" "crimes against humanity" "genocide"

search for specific groups (for example "Indigenous Peoples")

search on specific group identifier ("gay rights," "transgender people")

Reference Books

Encyclopedia of Human Rights in the United States by Conde, Victor
Call Number: E-book
Publication Date: 2011
Encyclopedia of Human Rights by Forsythe, David
Call Number: E-book
Publication Date: 2009
Blackstone's International Human Rights Documents by Sandy Ghandhi
Call Number: K 3238 .B58 2010