Human Rights Advocacy: How Can We Use Human Rights in the U.S.?

In the United States, it is hard to use direct legal action to enforce human rights obligations. The U.S. has not ratified the several major human rights treaties, including those protecting the right to education. As a result, international treaties have not become part of our domestic law and do not provide a cause of action in court. Even when the U.S. does ratify a treaty, Congress makes what are called “reservations,” “understandings” and “declarations” that prevent individuals from using the treaties in U.S. courts. So, what are other ways that can we use human rights in the U.S.?