Too often, the decisions and recommendations of international legal bodies charged with protecting human rights are ignored by states unable or unwilling to implement them. When the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women ruled against Hungary in the case of A.S. v. Hungary, it took more than three years to ensure that the government implemented the committee’s decision. The struggle of Ms. A.S. to achieve justice - through a maze of domestic courts, executive ministries, and the Hungarian legislature - highlights the challenges involved in ensuring that states live up to their legal obligations. This report, From Rights to Remedies, explores these challenges by examining how international human rights decisions and recommendations are implemented at the national level.
01 July 2013