International Human Rights Forums: A Means of Recourse for Refugees

This article explores the possibility of using some of the other international agreements to secure the rights of asylum seekers. These treaties belong to the relatively new body of international law- human rights law- which gives broad protection to individuals everywhere regardless of status. In a significant development for international law, 12 institutions and procedures have been established internationally and regionally to monitor the enforcement of these human rights agreements. Several of these institutions, by virtue of treaty or statute, even possess the competence to hear complaints about states’ violations of human rights. Insofar as the claims of refugees fall within their jurisdiction, these bodies may address the question of refugees’ rights, the state’s obligations to grant them, and appropriate measures to ensure their enforcement.