Our approach to development

Taking a rights-based approach to international development

Every day, the human rights of millions of people around the world are abused because of the way governments act, or fail to act.

International human rights law deals first and foremost with the protection of individuals – and in some cases groups – against these violations of individual rights.

The work of International Service helps give people greater control over their lives – often referred to as ‘empowering’ people. We also work with governments and states to support them in fulfilling their obligation to ensure equal rights for all.

Putting a rights-based approach into action

In West Africa, International Service is working with nearly 200 young people aged between 17 and 27 who have been living on the streets. We are supporting them to get the skills and training they need to set up businesses. As a result, some have gone back to school part-time whilst others have been able to send their siblings to school. Better education and the skills to make a living means that none have returned to life on the streets.

We promote the full inclusion of everyone in society. From our experience we know that women, children and people with disabilities are often excluded from the everyday world, and are denied access to education, healthcare and employment.

In Burkina Faso, we have been campaigning for disabled children to be included in the national education system, and for civil service jobs to be opened up to people with disabilities. Whilst in Bolivia and Brazil, we have been instrumental in linking government departments with disabled people’s organisations.

Our Development Workers provide effective advocacy for discriminated groups, legal aid and advice, training for local NGO workers, research and documentation, and the promotion of good governance. We help those who face discrimination and poverty gain access to services, and have a say in how their society is run.

The chart below shows some of the characteristics of a rights-based approach to development work:

Focus is on:	Focus is not on:
The process of the work: who a project works with, how it works with them, and how it helps achieve change and progress	Putting a preconceived project into action
Emphasising rights Everyone is entitled to rights. Everyone is entitled to claim their rights. Everyone has a responsibility to respect, protect and fulfil the rights of those around them	Emphasising the immediate needs of groups and individuals Emphasising the moral responsibility of the rich towards the poor
Empowering individuals and groups to claim their rights	Seeing individuals and groups as victims
Being entitled to assistance	Being deserving of assistance
The root causes of what denies people their rights, and how this creates the problems they experience