The Evolution of Human Rights in the African Great Lakes Region during the 1990s and the 2000s

Abstract

The protection of human rights is one of the top priorities of the modern Western world, and the global North operates a variety of tools in areas of particular concern for law enforcement. The study aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the evolution of human rights in the 1990s and the 2000s in the African Great Lakes region, based on reports by Human Rights Watch. Despite the improvement in the protection of human rights, the study concludes with disappointing facts and correlations. One of the main argument blames local governments who interpret human rights as a forced regime visualised by the Western world. At the same time, the study outlines possible solutions for the future and claims that the prerequisite for promoting human rights would be the extension of the political sphere to civilians who are becoming increasingly aware of their rights and are expressing the need for a more ‘Western’ milieu.