ABSTRACT
Human rights are those rights we are entitled to by virtue of our humanity. One of the most basic and fundamental rights is the right to life. The above quote highlights that even though we have witnessed the development of a wide range of human rights initiatives even this one basic right is not always upheld. This chapter concerns itself with the patchwork of human rights initiatives within Europe. It argues that human rights have traditionally been bound up with national sovereignty and consequently have largely been hampered by a lack of commitment and implementation both at European and nation-state level. Traditionally, human rights have held ‘no sacrosanct quality’ but rather are ‘proclaimed or ignored in accord with the interests’ of individual nation-states (Mansell 1999: 71). Following this line of argument, the chapter will outline the development of human rights documents and initiatives in a European context, suggesting that rather than adding to the array of documentation already in place it is now time to ensure that existing treaties are put into practice in a more consistent way.
