{
    "page_header": "About Dignity Rights",
    "top_image": "",
    "img_alt_text": "",
    "page_intro": "",
    "page_content": "<p>The Dignity Rights Institute works with partners locally and around the world to advance knowledge and capacity-building around the right to human dignity.</p>\r\n<p>Recent projects include:</p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Dignity Rights <strong>Handbooks</strong> for Judges and Civil Society Organizations</li>\r\n<li><strong>Petition</strong> to the Inter-American Human Rights Commission on behalf of children in Haiti</li>\r\n<li>Dignity-based <strong>proposals</strong> to reform indigenous constitutions.</li>\r\n<li><strong>Submission to the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights on the dignity rights of children in the face of climate change.</strong></li>\r\n<li><strong>White papers</strong> on environmental injustice, educational injustice, discrimination, and the dignity rights of vulnerable and marginalized communities around the world.</li>\r\n<li><strong>Reform proposals</strong> to improve conditions for people who are or have been incarcerated in Delaware.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</ul>\r\n<div style=\"background-color: #80b7ea; border-style: solid; padding: 2px;\">\r\n<p>\"The Dignity Rights Project seeks to make these voices heard and these injustices visible so that they can be addressed. It further seeks to make changes in law, policy, even in small day-to-day ways of doing things. Dignity is actionable through all sorts of channels that we will have to explore as well as create.\"</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\">- Catherine Dupr&eacute;, author <br />of <em>The Age of Dignity</em></p>\r\n</div>\r\n<p><strong>This year</strong>, students are working with the National Lawyers&rsquo; Guild Prisoner Advocacy Network to develop a Handbook for Dignity in the Criminal Justice System aimed at jailhouse lawyers, and other advocates, reformers, and policy makers.</p>\r\n<h3>Who We Are</h3>\r\n<p><strong>Erin Daly</strong> is Professor of Law, Widener University Delaware Law School (USA), and Vice President, Institutional Development, UNIFA (Universit&eacute; de la Fondation Aristide) in Haiti. She is the author of&nbsp;<a href=\"http://www.upenn.edu/pennpress/book/15052.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Dignity Rights: Courts, Constitutions, and the Worth of the Human Person</em></a><em>&nbsp;(Penn Constitution and Democracy Series</em>)&nbsp;and the co-author of&nbsp;<em>Reconciliation in Divided Societies: Finding Common Ground</em>&nbsp;(Penn Series on Human Rights). She also directs the <a href=\"http://gnhre.org/\">Global Network for Human Rights and the Environment.</a> She was interim dean of the Law School 2013-2015.The Dignity Rights Project is co-directed by <a href=\"ipl://20//WyIyOSJd////\">Erin Daly</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"ipl://20//WyIxMjIiXQ==////\">James R. May</a>.</p>\r\n<div style=\"float: left; width: 33%; padding: 5px;\"><img src=\"irl://1179//\" alt=\"dignity rights book collage\" width=\"95%\" /></div>\r\n<p><strong>James R. May</strong> is Distinguished Professor of Law, Widener University Delaware Law School (USA). He is the author or co-author and editor or co-editor of 10 books and more than 100 articles and chapters, including&nbsp;<em>Standards of Environmental Rights&nbsp;</em>(Cambridge University Press),&nbsp;<em>Principles of Constitutional Environmental Law</em>&nbsp;(American Bar Association) and co-editor of&nbsp;<em>Shale Gas and the Future of Energy</em>&nbsp;(Edward Elgar). May has been inducted into Phi Kappa Phi and the American College of Environmental Lawyers. His work focuses on comparative environmental constitutionalism and dignity rights.</p>\r\n<p>Together, they have written and edited numerous books including:</p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE ENVIRONMENT: INDIVISIBILITY, DIGNITY, AND LEGALITY, part of Encyclopedia of Environmental Law (forthcoming Edward Elgar Press 2019)</li>\r\n<li>IMPLEMENTING ENVIRONMENTAL CONSTITUTIONALISM (Cambridge University Press 2018)</li>\r\n<li>NEW FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL CONSTITUTIONALISM, (United Nations Environment 2017)</li>\r\n<li>JUDICIAL HANDBOOK ON ENVIRONMENTAL CONSTITUTIONALISM (United Nations Environment 3d ed. 2019)</li>\r\n<li>THE INTERNATIONAL LIBRARY OF CRITICAL WRITINGS ON LAW AND THE ENVIRONMENT: ENVIRONMENTAL CONSTITUTIONALISM (Edward Elgar 2016, 2 vols.)</li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/global-environmental-constitutionalism/EC9A67A5448AE555015CAA6579104C24\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CONSTITUTIONALISM</a> (Cambridge University Press 2015)</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p>Jointly and separately, they have also written numerous articles and chapters on environmental law, comparative constitutional and international law, and transitional justice.</p>\r\n<p><strong>SELECTED PAST AND PRESENT PARTNERS of the Dignity Rights Institute (Project) at Delaware Law</strong></p>\r\n<p><strong>American Bar Association Center for Human Rights, Dignity Rights Initiative &nbsp;(current)<br /></strong>Business and Human Rights Resource Center <br />Center for Applied Legal Studies, University of Witswatersrand, South Africa <br />Chester Environmental Partnership, Chester, U.S. <br />Coming Clean, Delaware<br />Dignity Media, Nepal<br />Delaware Concerned Residents 4 Environmental Justice<br />Environmental Law Institute<br />Lenape Indian Tribe, Delaware, U.S.<br />Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti/Bureau des Avocats Internationales, Boston, U.S. and Port-au-Prince, Haiti<br />Institute of Romani Culture in Albania (IRCA)<br />Jigme Singjigme Singye Wangchuck School of Law, Bhutan<br /><strong>National Lawyers&rsquo; Guild Prisoners Legal Advocacy Network (current)<br />Pakistan College of Law Dignity Rights Center (current)</strong><br /><strong>Pakistan Supreme Court (current) </strong>and High Court of Lahore, Pakistan<strong><br /></strong>PILnet, New York, U.S.<br />Refugee Legal Support &ndash; UK and Greece<br />SOMRAR &ndash; Human Rights in Somaliland<br />United Nations Environment (formerly UNEP)<br />United Nations International Organization for Migration<br />Universidad del Norte, Baranquilla, Colombia<br />Universit&eacute; de la Fondation Aristide, Haiti</p>\r\n<div style=\"width: 98%; background-color: #ffda00; border-style: solid; padding: 2px;\">\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 200%; color: #0062a3;\">&ldquo;Human dignity refers to the inherent humanness of each person. It is not an attribute or an interest to be protected or advanced, like liberty or equality or a house or free speech. Rather, human dignity is the essence of our being, without which we would not be human. Human dignity recognizes and reflects the equal worth of each and every member of the human family, regardless of gender, race, social or political status, talents, merit, or any other differentiator.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: right; font-size: 200%; color: #0062a3;\">-Erin Daly and James R. May,<br /><em>Dignity Rights: A Synopsis</em> (2017)</p>\r\n</div>\r\n<hr />\r\n<h3>About Dignity Rights</h3>\r\n<p>Human dignity recognizes the equal, inherent, and inalienable value of every person. It touches every important aspect of the human experience, from sexual and gender identity, to citizenship, equality and privacy, education and employment, healthcare, and more. In every aspect of life, people have the right to be treated with dignity. The field of dignity rights grew out of Erin Daly&rsquo;s book, Dignity Rights: Courts, Constitutions, and the Worth of the Human Person, which is the first book to catalogue the emerging jurisprudence of dignity on a fully global scale and to describe dignity&rsquo;s acceptance in law as a matter of actionable rights.</p>\r\n<p>Human dignity is now so important in law that it is recognized a foundational value and as a legal right in international law from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) to the Sustainable Development Goals (2015) and in most of the world's constitutions, as well as by the American Bar Association as the foundation of a just rule of law. Because it deals with the value and quality of human life and with how people interact with one another, it is integral to all aspects of law, both public and private. The ABA&rsquo;s <a href=\"https://www.americanbar.org/groups/human_rights/dignity-rights-initiative/dignity-in-practice/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dignity in Practice Project</a> includes essays drafted by Delaware Law School students on dignity in corporate law, bankruptcy law, employment law, intellectual property, real estate law, and criminal proceedings.&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>Learn more about the place of dignity in law from these <a href=\"https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f384e3445a5af3e6c13d27b/t/61d9af525e8e0701b548d717/1641656148101/Dignity+Handbook+FOR+CSO.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Handbooks</a> for judges and civil society drafted by Delaware Law School students.</p>\r\n<hr />\r\n<p><em>\"Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world&hellip;\"</em></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\">-Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948, Preamble</p>\r\n<p><em>\"The defense of the human person and respect for his dignity are the supreme purpose of the society and the State.\"</em></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\">-Constitution of Peru 1993, Title I, Chapter I, Article I</p>\r\n<p><em>&ldquo;Human dignity shall be inviolable. To respect and protect it shall be the duty of all state authority.&rdquo;</em></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><em>-</em>Basic Law of Germany, Article I</p>\r\n<p><em>\"To preserve human dignity and to respect free development of the personality is the core value of the constitutional structure of free democracy.\"</em></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><em>-</em>Constitutional Court of Taiwan, J.Y. Interpretation No. 603 (2005.9.28)</p>\r\n<p><em>&ldquo;The vote of each and every citizen is a badge of dignity and personhood. Quite literally, it says that everybody counts.&rdquo;</em></p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\">-August and Another v. Electoral Commission, South Africa (1999)</p>\r\n<hr />\r\n<p>Human dignity refers to the inherent humanness of each person. It is not an attribute or an interest to be protected or advanced, like liberty or equality or a house or free speech. Rather, human dignity is the essence of our being, without which we would not be human. Human dignity recognizes and reflects the equal worth of each and every member of the human family, regardless of gender, race, social or political status, talents, merit, or any other differentiator.</p>\r\n<p>As rendered in constitutions and enforced by constitutional courts, it is a legal right that can be and often is asserted against the state or others and enforced by a court. The right to dignity is recognized in more than 150 of the world's constitutions from all regions of the world: Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, Latin America and North America, and the Pacific. Today, few constitutions are adopted or meaningfully amended without adding a reference to human dignity. The modern concept of dignity applies to all persons. It functions as an equalizer: if everyone has dignity, then everyone is subject to the same obligations and is entitled to the same benefits under the law.</p>\r\n<p><a href=\"irl://1590//\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">READ MORE</a>&nbsp;(pdf)</p>\r\n<h5>Additional Resources</h5>\r\n<p><a href=\"https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1qTzxpkXyvnE3PTpj7PD8YwRF1IEsIQhzGMBNd3eWvxg/edit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Here is a database</a> of constitutional provisions referencing human dignity.</p>\r\n<p>We will soon be launching our <strong>DIGNITY RIGHTS LAW LIBRARY, </strong>an online, free database of the global caselaw.</p>\r\n<h5>Selected Readings</h5>\r\n<p>Laurie Ackerman,&nbsp;<em>Human Dignity: Lodestar for Equality in South Africa</em>, Juta &amp; Co. (2012)<br />Christiaan W.J.M. Alting von Geusau,&nbsp;<em>Human Dignity and the Law in Post-War Europe: Roots and Reality of an Ambiguous Concept</em>. Wolf Legal Publishers (2013)<br />Aharon Barak,&nbsp;<em>Human Dignity: The Constitutional Value and the Constitutional Right</em>,&nbsp;Cambridge University Press (2015)<br />Yechiel Michael Barilan,&nbsp;<em>Human Dignity, Human Rights, and Responsibility: The New Language of Global Bioethics and Biolaw,</em>&nbsp;MIT Press (2012)<br />Ernst Bloch,&nbsp;<em>Natural Law and Human Dignity,&nbsp;</em>MIT Press (1996)<br />Patrick Capps,&nbsp;<em>Human Dignity and the Foundations of International Law,</em>&nbsp;Hart Publishing (2010) &nbsp;<br />Sabine C. Carey and Mark Gibney,&nbsp;<em>The Politics of Human Rights: The Quest for Dignity</em>, Cambridge University Press (2010)<br />Drucilla Cornell,&nbsp;<em>Law and Revolution in South Africa: uBuntu, Dignity, and the Struggle for Constitutional Transformation</em>, Fordham University Press&nbsp;(2014)<br />Catherine Dupr&eacute;,&nbsp;<em>The Age of Dignity: Human Rights and Constitutionalism in Europe</em>, Hart Publishing (2015)<br />Marcus D&uuml;well and Jens Braarvig (eds.),&nbsp;<em>The Cambridge Handbook of Human Dignity: Interdisciplinary Perspectives</em>, Cambridge University Press (2014)<br />Edward J. Eberle,&nbsp;<em>Dignity and Liberty: Constitutional Visions in Germany and the United States,</em>&nbsp;Praeger (2002)<br />Charles Foster,&nbsp;<em>Human Dignity in Bioethics and Law,</em>&nbsp;Hart Publishing (2011)<br />Steven J. Heyman,&nbsp;<em>Free Speech and Human Dignity</em>,Yale University Press (2008)<br />Donna Hicks and Desmond Tutu,&nbsp;<em>Dignity: Its Essential Role in Resolving Conflict</em>, Yale University Press (2012)<br />George&nbsp;Kateb,&nbsp;<em>Human Dignity,</em>&nbsp;Harvard University Press (2011)<br />Goldewijk B. Klein,&nbsp;<em>Dignity and Human Rights: The Implementation of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,</em>&nbsp;Intersentia (2002)<br />Mark P. Lagon and Anthony Clark Arend,&nbsp;<em>Human Dignity and the Future of Global Institutions</em>, Georgetown University Press (2014)<br />David Luban,&nbsp;<em>Legal Ethics and Human Dignity,</em>&nbsp;Cambridge University Press (2009)<br />Jeff Malpas and Norelle Lickiss.&nbsp;<em>Perspectives on Human Dignity: A Conversation,</em>&nbsp;Springer (2007)<br />Aniceto Masferrer and Sa\u0301nchez E. Garci\u0301a,&nbsp;<em>Human Dignity of the Vulnerable in the Age of Rights: Interdisciplinary Perspectives,</em>&nbsp;Springer (2016)<br />Christopher McCrudden (ed.), Understanding Human Dignity (Proceedings of the British Academy) (2013)<br />Edmund D. Pellegrino, Adam Schulman, and Thomas W. Merrill.&nbsp;<em>Human Dignity and Bioethics,</em>&nbsp;University of Notre Dame Press (2009)<br />Michael L. Perlin,&nbsp;<em>A Prescription for Dignity: Rethinking Criminal Justice and Mental Disability Law,</em>&nbsp;Routledge (2016)<br />Michael Rosen,&nbsp;<em>Dignity: Its History and Meaning</em>, Harvard University Press (2012)<br />Jeremy Waldron and Meir Dan-Cohen,&nbsp;<em>Dignity, Rank, and Rights,</em>&nbsp;Oxford University Press (2012)<br />Jacob Weinrib,&nbsp;<em>Dimensions of Dignity: The Theory and Practice of Modern Constitutional Law,</em>&nbsp;Cambridge University Press (2016)<br />Alicia Ely Yamin,&nbsp;<em>Power, Suffering, and the Struggle for Dignity: Human Rights Frameworks for Health and Why They Matter</em>, University of Pennsylvania Press (2016)</p>",
    "callouts": [],
    "callouts_visual": [],
    "page_fact_display": "",
    "nav_callout_image": "",
    "nav_callout_overlay_color": ""
}