ESCR-Net Partnership

Northeastern faculty and students have been major contributors to the case law database administered by the International Network for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR-Net), a collaborative initiative of more than 280 NGOs, social movements and advocates across more than 75 countries working to build a global movement to make human rights and social justice a reality for all. Northeastern law students — under Professor Lucy Williams’ supervision — have sifted through significant international social and economic rights cases from India, Colombia, Argentina, the United Kingdom, the European Union and South Africa, among others. Students pare down the cases, often more than 150 pages long and not in English, into 30 lines and provide research on the significance and ongoing implementation of the decisions, providing secondary sources discussing the cases in both English and Spanish.

“This has been a great learning experience for our students about how social and economic rights are understood outside the US,” said Williams. “At the same time, we’re providing a tangible resource for social justice activists in countries without major libraries and access to what is going on in the rest of the world.”