Human rights seems like a nebulous term. However, it is well articulated in a number of international and regional documents and as a broad definition these instruments can be thought of as guidelines for mediating between state and citizen.

In the Americas, as in other regions, there is a great corpus of treaties and jurisprudence that forms the basis for human rights law. The basic documents can be found on the website of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

That court, based in Costa Rica, hears cases regarding human rights violations. In other cases, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights will issue suggestions, but does not have the enforcement powers of the Inter-American Court.

I make these points because these agrements and documents serve to complement the UN system of human rights law, and can be useful for anyone seeking to do work in the region.

Or even beginning to consider what the terms "human rights" means.