Social, Economic, And Cultural Rights

Abstract Human rights have traditionally been divided into two kinds: civil and political rights and social, economic and cultural rights. Civil and political rights have been understood to refer to rights which protect individuals against intrusion by the state, while socioeconomic rights concern rights to protection by the state against want or need. This divide is mirrored in the structure of international human rights instruments, with civil and political rights protected by the International Convention for Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and socio-economic rights protected by the International Convention for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). Similarly, the Council of Europe instruments are divided into the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which protects civil and political rights, and the European Social Charter (ESC) which protects socio-economic rights.