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Global or regional? Realizing women's rights in Southeast Asia
Renshaw, Catherine Michelle
Renshaw, Catherine Michelle
Author
Abstract
The establishment and strengthening of regional human rights institutions has been hailed as a positive and practical step towards the more effective protection of human rights. But the effectiveness of regional systems depends in large part on prior ideological and institutional commitments to democracy and human rights in states within the region. Using the example of women's rights in Southeast Asia, this article considers how the dynamics of change work in and among regions where a majority of states are not liberal democracies. This article argues that in circumstances where states are not already committed to democracy and human rights, then premature attempts to promote norms at the regional level actually undercut efforts to positively shape the behavior of states. In contrast, norms articulated at the global level, through global instruments and institutions, have comparatively greater power to procure change.
Keywords
Date
2017
Type
Journal article
Journal
Human Rights Quarterly
Book
Volume
39
Issue
3
Page Range
707-745
Article Number
ACU Department
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Open Access Status
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