Human Rights

Healthcare may not be thought of as a rule of law issue, but when the right to free healthcare is violated by corruption, counterfeit medicines, or discrimination, innocent people suffer. A seed grant from the World Justice Challenge in 2013 allowed the Cameroon Healthcare Access Program to tackle corruption in the healthcare system, where patients do not receive the free medicines they need and are asked to pay bribes for free services.

Since we released the WJP Rule of Law Index 2014 two weeks ago, on March 5th, our findings have been featured in over 20 languages—in more than 200 media outlets—worldwide. Following are a few notable mentions, but you can always check our media page for the most up-to-date information on where WJP is contributing to the rule of law conversation around the globe.  

Each year, thousands of children living on the streets of Bogotá, Colombia, are arrested and end up in juvenile detention centers. In 2013, with a seed grant from the World Justice Project, the Dutch-based Young in Prison partnered with Colombian-based Familia Araya to help incarcerated youth change their relationship with the rule of law.

“Effective rule of law helps reduce corruption, alleviate poverty, improve public health and education, and protect people from injustices and dangers large and small. Wherever we come from, the rule of law can always be strengthened.” - William H. Neukom, WJP President & CEO.  

On March 5th, the World Justice Project will launch the WJP Rule of Law Index® 2014, a report that measures how the rule of law is experienced by ordinary people around the world. Our latest release of the Index relies on surveys gathered from over 100,000 citizens and experts worldwide to offer a comprehensive look at a country’s performance in regards to fundamental rights, justice, security, corruption, governance, and other rule of law issues.

This year’s Davos rightly created some noise around the idea that businesses have an important role to play in protecting fundamental rights. A particular highlight was the publication of the B Team Leader’s statement (“B Team Leaders call for business to stand up for human rights”) supported by Richard Branson, Arianna Huffington, Mo Ibrahim and Professor Muhammed Yunus among others.

Legislators react. They don’t enact. A politician who declares a revolution is actually just announcing the phenomenon which he seeks to legislate can no longer be ignored. The real changes are made by people, by society, by individual choices and actions, not by political statements or election propaganda. The legislator simply updates the law to reflect the changes that the people have already made a reality through individual acts of autonomy and self-expression.