Human Rights
The ACLU Human Rights Program (HRP) is dedicated to holding the United States accountable to international human rights laws and standards as well as the rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.
What you need to know
Learn more about the Human Rights Program
The Latest
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Failed War on Drugs Policies Won't Stop the Overdose Crisis, But Harm Reduction Can Save Lives
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Three Ways the Media Introduces Bias to the Immigration Debate
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What We're Focused On
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Human Rights and Criminal Justice
The ACLU works in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and the laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.
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Human Rights and Immigration
The ACLU works in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and the laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.
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Human Rights and Labor Trafficking
The ACLU works in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and the laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.
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Human Rights and National Security
The ACLU works in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and the laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.
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Human Rights and Privacy
The ACLU works in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and the laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.
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Human Rights and Racial Justice
The ACLU works in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and the laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.
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Human Rights and the Death Penalty
The ACLU works in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and the laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.
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Human Rights and Women's Rights
The ACLU works in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and the laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.
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Treaty Ratification
The ACLU works in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and the laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.
What's at Stake
In 1948, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the foundational document of the modern human rights system. Since then, the United States has provided global leadership on many human rights issues. But its embrace of the rights enshrined in the UDHR has been partial and selective.
The ACLU Human Rights Program (HRP) is specifically dedicated to holding the U.S. government accountable to universal human rights principles and rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. HRP is part of a reemerging movement of U.S.-based organizations that use the international human rights framework in domestic rights advocacy.
To this end, HRP conducts human rights research, documentation, and public education, and it engages in advocacy and litigation before U.S. courts and international bodies, including the United Nations and regional human rights mechanisms (such as the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights).
By invoking international human rights norms and strategies, the ACLU has been able to make advances where concerns had previously been dismissed by the courts. Having adopted an integrative approach to human rights advocacy that incorporates human rights documentation, international advocacy, and coalition building, in adÂdition to utilizing domestic litigation and legislaÂtive strategies, HRP is strengthening ACLU work to advance human rights in the United States.
In 1948, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the foundational document of the modern human rights system. Since then, the United States has provided global leadership on many human rights issues. But its embrace of the rights enshrined in the UDHR has been partial and selective.
The ACLU Human Rights Program (HRP) is specifically dedicated to holding the U.S. government accountable to universal human rights principles and rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. HRP is part of a reemerging movement of U.S.-based organizations that use the international human rights framework in domestic rights advocacy.
To this end, HRP conducts human rights research, documentation, and public education, and it engages in advocacy and litigation before U.S. courts and international bodies, including the United Nations and regional human rights mechanisms (such as the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights).
By invoking international human rights norms and strategies, the ACLU has been able to make advances where concerns had previously been dismissed by the courts. Having adopted an integrative approach to human rights advocacy that incorporates human rights documentation, international advocacy, and coalition building, in adÂdition to utilizing domestic litigation and legislaÂtive strategies, HRP is strengthening ACLU work to advance human rights in the United States.