NAME: TAFADZWA

SURNAME: DHENYA

REG NUMBER: R158915C

PROGRAMME: BACHELOR OF SOCIAL WORK HONOURS DEGREE

COURSE: SOCIO-EONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 1(HSW 201)

LECTURER: DR MABVURIRA

DUE DATE: 26 SEPTEMBER 2016

QUESTION: EXAMINE THE HUMAN RIGHTS APPROACH TO

DEVELOPMENT

The Human Rights Based Approach aims to overcome the deficits of other approaches, by
addressing structures that may cause underdevelopment such as inequality in power. Darrow.M
and Thomas. A (2005), explain that a right based approach treats development issues as matters
of obligation and right, rather than discretion or charity. It focuses on raising levels of
accountability in the development process by identifying claim- holders (and their entitlements )
and corresponding duty bearers (and their obligations).Accountability ,together with
participation , transparency and non-discrimination are by researchers generally agreed on core
principles that characterize the approach. According to Gready .P (2008), by applying these
principles to development, the human rights based approach is believed to result in a more equal
development co-operation and sustainable results. The rights referred to are the ones stated in
the United Nations Universal Declaration on Human Rights of the right to life and the human
rights based approach integrates with the international human rights framework ,by perceiving
development as the realization of those rights (Crawford .G 2010).Thus, the human rights based
approach merges the field of development. and human rights ,by making use of human rights
tools in development .The human rights based approach to development is however criticized by
most scholars for being merely rhetorical. According to Kindornay .S et al (2012), it is argued to
be well developed in theory, but not translated into practice to the same extent. Thus a human
right based approach is criticized to a lesser extent for being theoretical in nature.

To examine means to study something carefully in great detail .A human rights-based approach
is a conceptual framework for the process of human development that is normatively based on
international human rights standards and operationally directed to promoting and protecting
human rights. It seeks to analyze inequalities which lie at the heart of development problems and
redress discriminatory practices and unjust distributions of power that impede development
progress According to Sen. A (1999), development involves reducing deprivation or broadening
choice. Narayan. D et al (2000), further elaborates the concept of deprivation as representing
multidimensional view of poverty that include hunger, illiteracy, illness and poor health,
powerlessness, voicelessness, insecurity, humiliation and a lack of access to basic infrastructure.

There are two main rationales for a human rights based approach : the intrinsic rationale
,acknowledging that a human rights based approach is the right thing to do morally or legally
and the instrumental rationale ,recognizing that a human rights based approach leads to better
and more sustainable human development outcomes .Empirical evidence and practice show the
vital importance to development of many human rights outcomes such as improved girls
education (Bhalla .S et al (2003) ), enhanced security to tenure (World Bank 2005), and ensuring
womens equal access to land and the importance of civil and political rights for good
governance (Isham .J et al 1997).This approach focuses on the excluded and marginalized
individuals especially women. Development can only occur if women are empowered because
poverty is a result of disempowerment and exclusion. The promotion of womens rights is an
important integral part of the approach and requires explicit recognition. Gender mainstreaming,
on the other hand, is a complementary and mutually reinforcing approach to the human rights
based approach, as it focuses on the promotion of equality between men and women .Gender
mainstreaming calls for the integration of a gender perspective in development activities, with
the ultimate goal of achieving gender equality. Thus empowering all people to be able to make
decisions about their lives will it be possible to reduce poverty and achieve development.

The Human Rights Council of Australia considers participation to be most central in a human
rights approach to development .A human rights approach implies that participation is a right and
not an instrument to increase the acceptance of programs and projects that are brought to the
people .Participation in this sense is empowerment and implies that people have the right to
determine their path of development .For participation to occur other human rights are needed
like the right to education and information since one needs to be fully informed about a certain
project before they agree or partake .Without education one would not know whether the
programs being implemented will change their dilemmas or not. Thus participation as a human
right empowers people and this empowerment implies that people have the right to make their
own decisions and determine their own path of development.
A human rights based approach strengthens accountability in the development process by
highlighting the fact that human rights imply human duties. The improvement of quality of life

and the eradication of social injustices are tasks that everybody has, individually and collectively,
the right and the duty to pursue. Human rights obligations may lay on the state, non -state actors
(Non-Governmental Organizations), and individuals and the international community as a whole.
Duty bearers have an obligation to respect, protect and fulfill the respective human rights, this
obligation however does not necessarily mean that they must provide certain services for
example food or water. In some case the duty to fulfill certain rights requires the duty bearer to
facilitate that certain rights are realized by , for example strengthening peoples ability to meet
their own needs .This could include , for example , the creation of conditions in which the market
can supply certain services that right-holders demand .However in some cases where the
enabling conditions fail to provide access to rights for all rights-holders ,the duty bearer has an
obligation to take concrete steps to directly provide these services. Thus accountability as a
principle of a human rights based approach to development enable duty bearers to strengthen
peoples ability to meet their own needs.

On the other hand, a human rights based approach has been criticized for being well developed
in theory but not translated into practice to the same extent.Uvin .P (2007), argues that since the
emphasis has been on the rhetorical part of the discourse, its meaning is still unclear. He states
that several NGOs struggle with implementation, but it remains uncertain whether it will lead to
actual change in programs and for the poor. Banik.D (2010), believes that the approach have not
shown its potential due to insufficient institutions in developing countries and lack of support
from political leaders to renew development thinking discourage practical implementation.
Some political leaders are not in full support of this approach since it somehow affect their
political positions and they also do not want completion ,they want to always remain superior.
Dammam .S (2007), states that elaboration of the human rights-based approach to development
is still in its early stages. Human right lawyers, the UN human rights bodies, the academia,
nongovernmental organizations and the international development community have found
themselves in unfamiliar territory trying to define its content and apply it in practice. Since the
human rights approach to development is still in its early stages it is difficult to implement it,
thus it has been criticized for being theoretical.
In conclusion , one can conclude that the human rights based approach to development is of great
importance since human rights reinforce and demand that poverty reduction be the primary goal

of development policy making .Through empowerment individuals are able to make decisions
about how to go about development. On the other hand ,the human rights based approach is
criticized for being theoretical , that is the approach is not being implemented for changes to take
place and this approach is also resource demanding in terms of time and money so developing
countries cannot adopt this approach since they have limited resources.

Reference

Banik. D (2010): Support for human rights-based development: reflections on

the Malawian experience, The International Journal of Human Rights.
Bhalla .S, Saigal .S and Basu .N (2003), Girls Education is it: Nothing Else Matters (much).World Bank
Working Paper.

Crawford. G (2010): Decentralization and struggles for basic rights in Ghana:

Opportunities and Constraints, The International Journal of Human Rights.
Damman. S (2007): Indigenous Vulnerability and the Process Towards the
Millennium Development GoalsWill a Human Rights-Based Approach Help? In
International Journal on Minority and Group Rights.
Darrow. M and Thomas. A (2005): Power, Capture and Conflict: A call for
Human Rights Accountability in Development Cooperation in Human Rights
Quarterly.
Gready. P (2008): Rights-based approaches to development What is the value
added? .In Development in Practice.
Isham .J, Kaufman .D and Pritchett .L (1997), Civil Liberties, Democracy and the Performance
of Government Projects. The World Bank Economic Review
Kindornay. S, Ron .J and Carpenter .C (2012): Rights-Based
Approaches to Development: Implications for NGOs, in Human Rights Quarterly
Narayan .D, Patel .R, Kai .S, Rademarcher .A and Schulte, S.K (2007), Voices of the Poor: Can
Anyone Hear Us. New York: OUP
Sen. .A (1999), Development as Freedom, New York; Alfred .A Knopf
Uvin. P (2007): From the Right to Development to the Rights-Based Approach:
How 'Human Rights' Entered Development, in Development in Practice, Vol. 17,