Find the latest training manuals on using a human rights framework in focus areas published by The Advocates. All publications are free to the public and are available in PDF format on our website. Hard copies can be printed and sent by mail for a specified fee. For questions or requests, please contact Education Director, Sarah Herder at [email protected]. 

*Permission is granted to individuals, organizations and businesses to use publications for non-commercial purposes with proper attribution and citation to The Advocates for Human Rights.*

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Paving Pathways for Justice & Accountability: Human Rights Tools for Diaspora Communities: Designed for advocates of all backgrounds and experience, Paving Pathways to Justice & Accountability: Human Rights Tools for Diaspora Communities  provides a full menu of useful resources and step-by-step guidance for diaspora community groups and individuals who want to use human rights monitoring, documentation, and advocacy in their work to change policy and improve human rights conditions in their countries of origin. The contents of this manual were shaped by the requests for assistance and guidance that The Advocates for Human Rights routinely receives from diaspora communities, as well as by input from human rights defenders in the Global South.  With background information, key questions to consider, case examples, templates, and practitioners’ tips, this manual provides tools to combat human rights abuses and promote the full realization of human rights. While this manual was created to facilitate the inclusion of diaspora voices in efforts to hold governments accountable for human rights, the resources can be used by human rights defenders and civil society organizations throughout the world.  To download the full publication, click here.

Discover Human Rights: A Human Rights Approach to Social Justice: This manual, intended for U.S. social justice advocates, provides concrete steps for integrating international human rights principles into their work. The manual helps frame the issues on which they work in terms of international human rights standards. It also helps advocates identify human rights-based strategies that they can use to ensure these rights are fulfilled for all people. This manual is designed to accompany The Advocates’ training session of Discover Human Rights. It also provides participants with a reference to use in their organizations and communities. Using a participatory methodology, the manual combines short presentations with interactive activities including large group discussions, small group work, and role plays. In addition, the manual incorporates case study examples of best practices drawn from the experiences of social justice organizations around the United States and provides tools such as organizational assessments and implementation models to help organizations create an action plan for using human rights principles in their operations and advocacy work.

A Practitioner’s Guide to Human Rights Monitoring, Documentation, and Advocacy: This manual provides guidance on how to use a human rights framework to work for social change in the United States. The manual walks practitioners through every step in the human rights documentation process, from establishing the project and objectives to setting up the interviews to writing a report and making recommendations. Each section goes in-depth, posing questions and considerations to readers so they can best structure the process to suit their needs and resources. The manual also helps practitioners plan how to push forward recommendations using strategies from education and lobbying to litigation and international human rights mechanisms. Finally, the manual helps organizations understand how they can use human rights in their work for social change. The Advocates produced this manual at the request of the US Human Rights Network and with funding from the U.S. Human Rights Fund.

Pro Bono Representation Manual: An Overview of Asylum Law and Procedure: This manual is a brief guide to asylum practice designed for volunteers of the Advocates for Human Rights who are handling pro bono aslyum cases. This manual does not discuss all aspects of asylum practice or immigration practice related to asylum proceedings. Additional sources, including applicable statutes and regulations, should be consulted throughout preparation of any asylum case. Immigration law changes quickly, and practitioners are cautioned to ensure that current law and procedure are followed at all times.