Human Rights Guide

The Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Slovakia is coming up with an innovative online Human Rights Handbook, which is available on our website.

The manual is intended for the common user, and aims to provide initial guidance concerning situations of alleged human rights violations and their enforcement. However, the manual is not intended to replace professional legal assistance. The goal is to provide the user with guidance on how to seek legal assistance and which institutions to turn to in individual situations.

The innovativeness of the manual mainly lies in the fact that it is user-friendly, clear, and easy to control. It approaches the issue of human rights through specific topics, which are complemented by case studies from practice. In addition, the manual is constantly being developed and updated in order to comply with the currently valid legal standards.

The handbook was created in cooperation with the Baltic Human Rights Institute in Riga. In addition to the main partner from Latvia, non-governmental organizations from eight other countries of the European Union – Estonia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Croatia and France – are participating in the international project. The project was supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Erasmus+ Program of the European Union, and the Ministry of Culture of Latvia.

Collaborating partners gradually process individual thematic areas and adjust them according to the currently valid legal order and administrative practice of their own country. The handbook contains clear references to sources, legislation and jurisprudence at the national, European and international level. The manual also contains information on national and international human rights institutions and mechanisms, as well as organizations providing assistance in the event of violations of an individual’s human rights.

The project is currently entering the next phase, when the manual will be supplemented with additional topics, information and resources.