Close to Home: Case Studies of Human Rights Work in the United States

Published by the Ford Foundation in 2004, this publication presents 13 case studies of human rights work in the United States. Funded by Ford grants, these US organisations use traditional human rights tools - such as fact-finding, litigation, organising and advocacy - in an effort to reduce poverty, promote workers' rights and environmental justice, abolish the death penalty, and end discrimination.

Close to Home is designed for activists, funders, and policy makers seeking different perspectives and tools - in the form of case studies - to guide efforts toward positive social change in their communities. These case studies are organised into the following categories:

1. Domestic and International Litigation
2. Education, Organizing and Documentation
• To cite one example included here, the Women's Rights Network engaged in a project that "involved survivors of domestic violence in documenting and analyzing their own experiences in human rights terms, an approach that led to their active participation in the subsequent advocacy effort and their formation of local support groups to highlight the role of domestic violence in child custody disputes. 'We saw participation as a human right in and of itself," said Carrie Cuthbert, the network's cofounder.'"
3. Multidimensional Advocacy (Part III)
4. A Total Social Change Model: Two Thematic Case Studies

An Appendix includes contact details for each of the programmes highlighted for those seeking follow-up communication and additional information.

Together the case studies are intended to shed light on the emerging human rights movement in the United States. One of the book's editors comments, "We hope this report will contribute to the on-going discussion of the role international law and multilateral institutions should play in U.S. policies and will expand support for the growing movement to bring human rights closer to home."

The Ford Foundation is an independent, nonprofit grant-making organisation whose goals include "strengthening democratic values, reducing poverty and injustice, promoting international cooperation and advancing human achievement." With headquarters in New York (USA), the foundation has offices in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, and Russia.

This publication is available on the Ford Foundation website, where it may be downloaded in PDF format part-by-part (size of each part and estimated download time - for a 56K modem - are provided). Printed copies are available free of charge until existing stock has been distributed; please see contact details, below.