The Essentials of Human Rights is an easy-to-use, accessible introduction to the human rights debate. It covers the history of human rights, the arguments over their justification and uses examples of specific rights and freedoms to assess the current situation, including international legal systems and organisations like the UN, and prospects for the future. More than 100 entries are arranged in an A-Z structure for easy reference and cover general categories of rights (including civil, political, cultural, women's, children's and migrants' rights) as well as specific issues, such as slavery, genocide, free speech, capital punishment and asylum. The contributors are drawn from a wide range of international and disciplinary backgrounds, making this book an outstanding resource for anyone interested in human rights. This vital reference has a Foreword by Mary Robinson.