Disconnection from Maori culture is a key factor behind the high rates of Maori suicide and attempted suicide in New Zealand. However access to Maori culture, knowledge and beliefs are fundamental human rights, supported by international human rights law.

A 2006 UN report alledged “persistent inequalities between Maori and non-Maori regarding several social indicators such as health, education, housing, employment and income”, saying there are significant and sometimes widening, disparities between Maori and the rest of the population.

The nature, scope and number of crimes against humanity committed in contemporary society demands new vehicles of justice: the prosecution of individual perpetrators of gross acts and redress for their victims.

Although the UN claimed broad-based international support for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights when it was adopted in 1948, the Declaration is accused of providing only one particular interpretation of human rights.

How a British Charity is Helping to Transform Childcare in Eastern Europe and the Balkans

The technological age promises information-for-all. However, this can only be assured if the governments and businesses, which control the infrastructure and access to this global information network, incorporate human rights norms into its development.

We are living in exciting times in terms of the development of human rights as a whole. But how can we be optimistic when rape and sexual assault are used to achieve political objectives during armed conflict, when the US Senate has still not ratified CEDAW, when every year, thousands of women and girls are murdered in the name of honor, and when trafficking of women is widely acknowledged as one of the fastest growing and most lucrative industries for the international criminal underworld.

This article assesses the legal status of various human rights instruments and illustrates the significant and growing impact of human rights on the development of international law.