Institutionalization of Human Rights: National Human Rights Institutions

Öz

The prevalence of national human rights institutions on a global scale corresponds to the post-Cold War era. Human rights norms that were 'internationalized' during the Cold War era were 'internalized' in the post-war period, leading to the formation of national protection mechanisms. The global prevalence of national human rights institutions, which are state institutions designed to protect and promote human rights, is explained by the internalization of these norms. These efforts to protect and develop human rights should be carried out on a national scale first. Indeed, national human rights institutions function as a ‘bridge’ between international norms and local practice. National human rights institutions are designed to encourage states compliance with their international legal obligations. However, discussions on the gradual creation of new institutional structures and their unification, especially on a European scale, have started to become widespread. These discussions are carried out through the unification of equality bodies and human rights institutions under a single institutional roof. These discussions present a general picture of the positive and negative aspects of single and multiple institutional structuring. There are discussions about the ‘activity area, duties and authorities, institutional structure and effectiveness’ of national human rights institutions that have become widespread on a global scale. Although there are criticisms of this institutional structure, it is obvious that ‘human rights institutions’ are necessary in order for international law standards to function locally. As a matter of fact, it is possible for national human rights institutions to perform an institutional function that prevents violations of rights and promotes human rights, by placing international human rights norms in public institutions.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Human Rights
• Institutionalization of Human Rights
• Decentralization of Human Rights
• National Human Rights Institutions
• Equality Bodies
• Impact Analysis of National Human Rights Institutions

İnsan Haklarının Kurumsallaşması: Ulusal İnsan Hakları Kurumları

Öz

Küresel ölçekte ulusal insan hakları kurumlarının yaygınlık kazanması, Soğuk Savaş sonrası döneme tekabül etmektedir. Soğuk Savaş döneminde ‘uluslararasılaşan’ insan hakları normları, savaş sonrası dönemde ‘içselleştirilerek’ ulusal koruma mekanizmalarının oluşmasına yol açmıştır. İnsan haklarını korumak ve geliştirmek amacıyla tasarlanmış kamu kurumları olan ulusal insan hakları kurumlarının küresel ölçekte yaygınlık kazanması bu normların içselleştirilmesiyle izah edilmektedir. İnsan haklarını koruma ve geliştirmeye yönelik bu kurumsal çabaların öncelikle ulusal ölçekte gerçekleştirilmesi gerekmektedir. Nitekim ulusal insan hakları kurumları, uluslararası normlar ve yerel uygulama arasında bir ‘köprü’ işlevi görmektedir. Ulusal insan hakları kurumları, devletlerin uluslararası yasal yükümlülüklerine uyumunu teşvik etmek amacıyla tasarlanmıştır. Ancak özellikle Avrupa ölçeğinde, yeni kurumsal yapıların aşamalı olarak oluşturulması ve bunların birleştirilmelerine yönelik tartışmalar yaygınlık kazanmaya başlamıştır. Bu tartışmalar, eşitlik kurumları ile insan hakları kurumlarının tek bir kurumsal çatı altında birleştirilmesi üzerinden gerçekleştirilmektedir. Söz konusu tartışmalar, tekli ve çoklu kurumsal yapılanmanın olumlu ve olumsuz yönlerine ilişkin genel bir tablo ortaya koymaktadır. Küresel ölçekte yaygınlaşan ulusal insan hakları kurumlarının ‘faaliyet alanı, görev ve yetkileri, kurumsal yapılanması ve etkililiğine’ yönelik tartışmalar bulunmaktadır. Her ne kadar bu kurumsal yapılanmaya yönelik eleştiriler söz konusu olsa da uluslararası insan hakları hukuku normlarının yerel ölçekte işlerlik kazanabilmesi için ‘insan hakları kurumlarının’ gerekliliği aşikardır. Nitekim ulusal insan hakları kurumlarının hak ihlallerini önleyici ve insan haklarını geliştirici bir kurumsal işlev icra edebilmesi uluslararası insan hakları normlarının kamu kurumlarına yerleştirilmesiyle mümkündür.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• İnsan Hakları
• İnsan Haklarının Kurumsallaşması
• İnsan Haklarının Yerelleştirilmesi
• Ulusal İnsan Hakları Kurumları
• Eşitlik Kurumları
• Ulusal İnsan Hakları Kurumlarının Etki Analizi

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