“Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home - so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighborhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm, or office where he works. Such are the places where every man, woman, and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world.”

-Eleanor Roosevelt

Introduction Millions have suffered crimes against humanity. Millions are left poor, without any of the basic needs to survive. Millions more suffer in forced labor. Other millions are discriminated on because of their race, gender, and nationality. When do these millions become less, or none for that matter? When will crimes against humanity stop? When will one’s race not matter? “The idea of human rights has a long history, but only in the past century has the international community sought to galvanize a regime to promote and guard them” (Council on Foreign Relations, 2013, 1). Particularly, since the United Nations was created in 1945, the world community has cooperated to codify human rights in a universally recognized regime of treaties, institutions, and norms. Although the concept of human rights is theoretical, how it is applied has a direct and enormous impact on daily life worldwide. An elaborate international system has been developed and continues to be developed. National governments are striving to promote human rights within their own borders as well as internationally, not only cooperating on the global scale, but also across bilateral