Description
On the international stage, the idea of ranking international law is problematic in that it necessitates some sort of agreement between states on which laws are more morally significant than others, which in turn, is very much a matter of legal interpretations by states, international/regional legal bodies, scholars and so forth. This essay explores 1). where International Human Rights Law (IHRL) fits in this hierarchy of ILAW and 2) how and why some human rights are ranked higher than others. Ranking human rights laws in general as being higher than other forms of public ILAW has long been a concern of scholars and legal practitioners. The need for such a ranking is continuously evidenced by episodes of egregious human rights violations around the world, including the bloody protracted civil wars in Sudan and Ethiopia, which spread instability to entire regions and mandate a responsibility to protect on the part of the international community. This essay explores the concept of human dignity as the basis for assessing which human rights demand a more immediate response by the international community as well as the problems a ranking of human rights creates for enforcement and compliance with human rights laws.
