This thesis examines the ways in which development actors respond to and interpret a Rights-Based Approach (RBA) to development. It draws on a case study undertaken over a period of more than two years in Pakistan. The central research vehicle is a capacity-building process on RBA involving around 300 development professionals. The thesis examines the different responses to and understandings of RBA emerging in the case study, whether there are indications of changes in thinking and practice, and how the analysis fits with existing ideas about rights and development. Analysis draws on an ethnographic perspective and on participant observation, questionnaires, interviews and a range of tools, within the RBA process and from the wider social development field. It is argued that organisations increasingly aim to operationalise RBA through more inclusive, participatory development which enables the claiming of rights and promotes accountability for their fulfilment. One strand of RBA emphasises implementation of a universalising legal framework; another turns to more consciously political processes of struggle for, and institutional responses to, people's claims. The strands reflect a tension that runs through both the fieldwork and examined literature, between formal, centralist, and pluralist, actor-oriented approaches. Adopting one or the other of the two approaches has profound implications for what is 'seen' in development. The thesis shows that, depending on the approach taken, relations in the private sphere are either shut out or exposed, and the operation of power either hidden or revealed. Actors' responses to RBA are absorbed into, and used within, underlying debates on social relations and social and political change. In a Muslim context, responses lead people to confront sacrosanct certainties about human organisation and relations with authority. This is seen most vividly through gender relations, which are used both as a central expression, and a protector, of a particular construction of power. A formal, centralist treatment of RBA tends to reinforce existing relations through which rights are 'given' and 'received'. The thesis case study shows that, conversely, a pluralist, actor-oriented approach is more process-centred and places more emphasis on rights being 'made'. This, in itself, signals a change in actors' roles. It is argued that the energy of RBA lies in transformations in actors and in development relationships, rather than in achievement of bounded development outputs. Significant impacts, amongst a minority of responses to RBA, grow out of actors seizing more active, politicised roles in development, despite depoliticised donor approaches.

The lack of access to effective diagnosis and treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) remains a persistent global challenge. Human rights arguments for access to treatment mostly focus on the right to health. However, a key challenge in access to effective diagnosis and treatment is the glaring absence of scientific research in neglected diseases such as TB. This thesis sets out to elaborate the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and explore its potential to increase scientific research in DR-TB and consequently enhance access to effective diagnosis and treatment in South Africa. This research project was conducted using three interrelated sub-studies; a legal analysis sub-study which examines the current conceptualisation of the REBSP in international law; a policy analysis sub-study which interrogates South Africa’s legal and policy efforts towards the realisation of the REBSP and access to diagnosis and treatment for DR-TB; and a qualitative sub-study which explores the South African context regarding research and development (R&D) in general, and in DR-TB in particular. The qualitative sub-study included 17 stakeholders who are active in TB R&D, advocacy and policy work, from human rights and research institutions, government agencies, civil society organisations, and donor agencies. This thesis finds that the REBSP essentially ensures two things, namely the production of science and access to the benefits of scientific progress. However, most countries including South Africa have systems, policies and resources aimed at advancing the production of science but lack similar systems, policies and resources to purposely ensure the enjoyment of the benefits from scientific progress. Internationally, there is no clear guidance on the interpretation of the REBSP, making it difficult for states to domesticate it in their national policies and framework laws. A General Comment by a UN human rights monitoring body is therefore urgently needed to secure global consensus on the interpretation of the REBSP. In the meanwhile, South Africa can still draw inspiration for the REBSP and together with the right to health, use it to advance access to DR-TB diagnosis and treatment alongside many other interventions. To enable better access to effective diagnosis and treatment of DR-TB, this thesis recommends that South Africa i) develops systems that would make scientific progress and results accessible, and affordable; ii) removes system and regulatory barriers that hinder the conduct of research or that delay registration of new drugs; iii) monitors and regulates the conduct of third parties and prevent them from exploiting communities; iv) encourages pharmaceutical companies to provide free access to successful treatment and tools in communities where trials are conducted; and v) mobilises financial and technical resources and allocates them to DR-TB researchfrom drug discovery through to implementation science.

This study aimed to examine the implementation of the Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA) in the project “Improved WASH Services in WAU and WAR Districts”, focusing on sustainable water and sanitation in Sierra Leone. Through a content analysis of the project evaluation report, the integration of HRBA principles in planning, implementation and results was examined. The results showed that HRBA was applied to some extent in the project, in particular by involving local people in decision-making and emphasizing their rights to water and sanitation. This inclusive methodology increased participation and ownership among the communities. However, it also identified challenges, such as a lack of resources and training, which hindered a more complete integration of HRBA. The analysis highlighted the importance of continuing to work on strengthening HRBA in development projects and addressing the challenges that hinder its effective application. Despite progress in promoting human rights through HRBA, there is still a need to overcome obstacles that can undermine its effectiveness. The conclusion highlighted that HRBA has the potential to be a powerful method for advancing human rights in development, but that its success depends on careful mainstreaming and monitoring. / Denna studie syftade till att undersöka implementeringen av Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA) i projektet "Improved WASH Services in WAU and WAR Districts", med fokus på hållbar vatten och sanitet i Sierra Leone. Genom en innehållsanalys av utvärderingsrapporten för projektet granskades integrationen av HRBA-principer i planering, genomförande och resultat. Resultaten visade att HRBA tillämpades i viss utsträckning i projektet, särskilt genom att involvera lokalbefolkningen i beslutsfattandet och betona deras rättigheter till vatten och sanitet. Denna inkluderande metodik ökade deltagandet och äganderätten bland gemenskaperna. Dock identifierades också utmaningar, såsom bristande resurser och utbildning, som hindrade en mer fullständig integration av HRBA. Analysen betonade vikten av att fortsätta arbeta med att stärka HRBA i utvecklingsprojekt och adressera de utmaningar som hindrar dess effektiva tillämpning. Trots framsteg i att främja mänskliga rättigheter genom HRBA, finns det fortfarande behov av att övervinna hinder som kan underminera dess effektivitet. Slutsatsen framhävde att HRBA har potential att vara en kraftfull metod för att främja mänskliga rättigheter i utvecklingsarbetet, men att dess framgång är beroende av en noggrann integrering och övervakning.

Detention centres are a rather new phenomena in the Swedish institutional setup. However, due to the migration inflow of 2015 it is now rapidly expanding all over Sweden. So far, it has been only scarcely monitored and researched and mostly with a focus on the perspective of the detainee’s health or the employee’s experiences at the detention centres. Little is known about the role of the NGOs and how they collaborate with the Migration Agency to secure the rights for those who are detained. This study is a qualitative case study on one of the five detention centres in Sweden, namely Åstorp detention centre which is located in Skåne 20km from Helsingborg. Four interviews have been made with the Migration Agency and with the NGOs that are continuously visiting the detainees in Åstorp. By using data triangulation, the validity of the study has increased and principles from the rights-based approach have been used to highlight important aspects of the collaboration. One significant finding in this research is that the Migration Agency is willingly increasing the transparency by inviting an unlimited number of NGOs to monitor and secure the rights for the detainees, which in turn has led to Sweden's detention centres being referred to as a successful model for the rest of the world. This study has also showed a successful and mutual collaboration between the Migration Agency and the NGOs and even if their roles at the detention centres are different, all participants are working towards a common goal, to improve the conditions for those who are detained. Notwithstanding the relatively limited sample by including one out of five detention centres, this study contributes also, in a small way, to new insights of the situation in Sweden's detention centres and the importance of a successful collaboration between the Migration Agency and NGOs for the detainee’s rights.

The intention of this thesis is to assess the World Bank's SAPs as the principal economic impediment to implementing an RBA to NEPAD. This assessment is sought to contribute to calculating the feasibility for implementation. It is assumed that the RBA is the best approach currently available to further the significant cause of sustainable human, social and economic development in developing countries generally, and in Africa in particular. Sustainable development in Africa is recognised as an extremely significant step in promoting peace and security on the continent and internationally. Various NGOs, development institutes and scholars have argued that NEPAD lacks an RBA to development. However, while the critics are many, the question has not been voiced as to the obstacles Africa and international society face in applying an RBA to NEPAD. In an attempt to narrow this gap, the World Bank's SAPs are analysed. It has been shown many times that adjustment programmes do not adhere to the human rights standards spelled out, in particular, in the articles of the ICESCR. In addition, SAPs fail to incorporate human rights principles such as participation and accountability. Consequently, because SAPs are not based on international human rights standards and principles, they do not fulfil the requirements of an RBA to development. It follows that the approach cannot be applied to NEPAD as long as the World Bank's SAPs fail to adhere to these standards and principles and, thus, lead to the violation of people's human rights in developing countries. To reach a reasonable conclusion on the Bank's current human rights practices, its employment of SAPs in developing countries is analysed. Moreover, David Held's regime of liberal international sovereignty is examined and applied to this case. Both investigations discover independently of each other that the implementation of an RBA to NEPAD is unrealistic under the current circumstances.

Young people’s sexual health is a significant public health concern and associated with risks of unintended outcomes. Yet their voices are largely missing in the design of sexual health services, policy and education programmes. This study explored young people’s subjective understandings of their sexual readiness, and sexual health professionals’ understandings relative to how they assess young people’s sexual competence. A participatory rights-based approach was applied to support young people’s active participation in the research process. This involved including young people as co-researchers whose contextual expertise informed research design, ethical issues and interpretation of the data. Qualitative data collected from 20 young people aged 16-18 years, and 16 sexual health professionals, provided insights into the nature of young people’s first sexual intercourse and the context in which it occurs. The evidence suggests that while these young people actively deliberated about having sex, their sexual initiation was mostly spontaneous while under the influence of alcohol, and motivated by presumed peer rewards. Gender differences in expectations, motivations and the impact of first sex were apparent, which reveals more about the wider social structures that regulate their lives. As a result, some young people may find it difficult to resist the hegemonic gender stereotypes enforced by society and their peers, and may initiate sex to ‘get it over with’, whether they are competent or not. Four main constructs, i) rights, ii) respect, iii) responsibility and iv) resilience, emerged that are worthy of further investigation. These could prove useful to inform a more context-based sexual health promotion strategy and measure of sexual competence, as opposed to the current age and risk focus. Adding young people’s perspectives is crucial to develop more equitable, effective and sustainable youth-friendly sexual health education, treatment and advice services, that better engage with young people and more adequately reflects their needs.

The purpose of this research is to describe the role of human rights lawyers in a rights based approach to poverty reduction in Sub-Saharan Africa. The objective is to inform these role players of their proper functions and powers in using human rights regime to fight poverty in the region. / Mini Dissertation (LLM (Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Law University of Pretoria, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Masters of Law (LLM in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa). Prepared under the supervison of Dr Christopher Mbazira, of the Community Law Centre, Faculty of Law, University of the Western Cape. / http://www.chr.up.ac.za/ / Centre for Human Rights / LLM

Yes / Human rights to water and sanitation have been widely recognised in legal instruments at the international, regional, and national levels of governance. More awareness of states’ obligations has provided additional impetus to promote human rights in policy advocacy. The international non-governmental organisation WaterAid, as a non-state actor specialising in the water, sanitation, and hygiene services (WASH) sector, adopts a human rights-based approach (HRBA) to WASH programming. This paper draws on the experiences from WaterAid WASH projects in four countries – Nepal, Ghana, Mali, and Burkina Faso, to evaluate the practical impacts of the HRBA to ensure that governments fulfil their responsibility to realise universal access to water and sanitation services in different contexts. The outcomes highlight that three important contributions of the HRBA: (1) generates greater awareness among rightsholders and duty bearers about responsibilities and entitlements over safe drinking water and sanitation; (2) promotes constructive engagement between the government and rightsholders; and (3) equips people with the motivation, skills, and agency which are critical dimensions to work on sustainable WASH. The WASH sector should, therefore, embrace the power of human rights and invest in the specific activities and frameworks to integrate human rights into systems strengthening the WASH sector, while continuing to analyse and learn how to adapt and improve the approach in different contexts.

The purpose of this study is to look in to how microfinance through the VSLAmodel has affected life circumstances of women in rural parts of Uganda. The study also examines whether participation in VSLA-groups leads to empowerment. The results have been derived from qualitative fieldwork, based on semi-structured interviews. Women from the Ugandan districts of Kayunga and Masaka have been interviewed about their experiences of participating in VSLA-groups. The theoretical framework consists of a liberal as well as a postcolonial feminist theorization. The study subject is analyzed by using Martha Nussbaum’s Capabilities Approach and Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak’s thoughts on the subaltern. The Uganda National Farmers Federation (UNFFE) started working with financial inclusion in 2010 and in 2014 they implemented the Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA) in their work. It is found in this study that the VSLA-groups who operates guided by the Human Rights Based Approach, have had a positive effect on the life conditions of the interviewed women. The socioeconomic effects have been positive, the women have greater control over their life circumstances and the VSLA-groups have proved empowering. / I denna studies granskas en typ av mikrofinansmodell, Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLA) och dess påverkan på kvinnor på Ugandas landsbygds livsomständigheter. Den undersöker också om deltagande i VSLA-verksamhet leder till empowerment. Studiens resultat bygger på fältarbete bestående av kvalitativa undersökningar. Kvinnor från de ugandiska distrikten Kayunga och Masaka har deltagit i semistrukturerade intervjuer där de berättat om sina upplevelser av att vara med i en VSLA-grupp. Det teoretiska ramverket har en liberal såväl som postkolonial feministisk utgångspunkt. Uppsatsens frågeställningar analyseras genom Martha Nussbaums Capabilities Approach och Gayatri Chakravorty Spivaks tankar om den subalterna. Uganda National Farmers Federation (UNFFE) började arbeta med finansiell inkludering 2010 och 2014 implementerade de Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA) i sitt arbete. Denna studie finner att VSLA-grupper, vilka arbetar med hjälp av HRBA har en positiv effekt på de intervjuade kvinnornas livsomständigheter. De socioekonomiska effekterna har varit positiva, kvinnorna har fått större kontroll över sina förhållanden och VSLA-grupperna har haft en empowering effekt.

One of the most prevalent human rights violations in the world is Violence Against Women and Girls. It is estimated that 1 in 3 women, which is equal to 736 million women, have been experiencing sexual and/or physical violence in her lifetime since the age of 15. Previous research states that women with intellectual disabilities are more vulnerable to Gender Based Violence (GBV) than other women in Tanzania. A minor field study was done in Tanzania with the ame to; finding how women with intellectual disabilities are more vulnerable than other women in Tanzania, understand how the society's support for abused women with disabilities can be improved in Tanzania and to find how stakeholders perceive that violence against women with intellectual disabilities can be prevented. The study has been carried out by holding key informant interviews with employees of NGOs, lawyers and teachers that work for these women's rights in different ways in Tanzania. To analyze the empirical material, the Human rights based approach has been made made into an analytical framework by identifying and defining the key concepts: capability, functionings and freedom and with the perspective of Leave no one behind. The findings show that poverty, cultural beliefs and beliefs in witchcraft, among other things contribute to the fact that women with intellectual disabilities are extra vulnerable in Tanzania. They are at great risk of being locked up, become victims of human trafficing, subjected to rape and murder.  Society should raise awareness that GBV is illegal and wrong to improve the situation of women with intellectual disabilities. The police and healthcare workers should be better trained to respond to women with special needs who have been subjected to violence or sexual violence. The government could also give these women support to be able to work on their own terms. Through work, the women get a better life and meaning, which reduces the risk that she will be exposed to GBV. To prevent violence against these women the government should offer availability to adapted and inclusive schools with trained staff who know the needs of disabled children. If these kids can go to school with others, people with disabilities will be normalized and the stigma will reduce. To conclude, women with intellectual disabilities are extra vulnerable in Tanzania and much can be done to improve their situation.