RightsUp: The Oxford Human Rights Hub Podcast

International human rights law should protect and promote every individual’s human rights. But the reality is that international covenants on human rights appear remote and unattainable for the vast majority of ordinary people. This perception is supported by the structure of international human rights law, which is based on agreements between States and on the expectation that States will be true to their obligations in relation to the human rights of their own citizens. This podcast, however, recounts how international human rights can become a collaborative project, with individuals and civil society working from the grassroots upwards and from the international sphere downwards to develop and enforce human rights obligations on States.The subject matter of this journey is one of central importance: the care and education of the youngest amongst us. Our interviewees today have been a part of a process of advocating for and advancing the protection of early childhood education as a human right through collaborative ‘top-down’ and ‘bottom-up’ approaches. We will be speaking with project partners from a variety of organisations who share their experience of shaping human rights law interpretation and enforcement through practical advocacy, particularly on the right to ECCE.In the first episode of this series we speak to Professor Alan Stein, Senior Research Fellow in Global Health and Public Policy, who specialises in early childhood development, Olivier De Schuter, advisor to the UN special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights and Professor Sandy Fredman, Professor of Law at Oxford University and Director of the OHRH. RightsUp is brought to you by the Oxford Human Rights Hub.The Executive Producer is Meghan Campbell.This episode was produced, edited and hosted by me, Sophie Smith.Music for this series is by Rosemary Allmann.Subscribe to this podcast wherever you like to listen to your favourite podcasts.

‘Rights in Crisis’, is a new RightsUp series from the Oxford Human Rights Hub in collaboration with the Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development.The series will feature topics on human rights and related issues in India with experts sharing their insights.In our third episode for this series we discuss cash transfer schemes, in particular, unconditional cash transfer schemes. While these schemes are often designed to enhance women’s financial inclusion and autonomy, they could also reshape women’s relationship with the state. In this episode, we will explore how these initiatives navigate the fine line between empowerment, dependence and the gendered expectations that shape public policy.Want to know more?Women’s work, never done, now paid: Assessing Tamil Nadu’s Urimai Thogai schemeA Right to Care, A Right to Welfare: A Study of the Kalaignar Mahalir Urimai ThittamValuing Care, Recognising Rights, Reimagining WelfareRevaluing Unpaid Work through Unconditional Cash Transfers: The Case of the Orunodoi Scheme in AssamFrom Guarantees to Rights: Assessing Karnataka's Experiment with Basic income and Basic ServicesRightsUp is brought to you by the Oxford Human Rights Hub.This episode is in collaboration with the Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development.Executive produced by Meghan Campbell.Hosted by Almas Shaikh and Aradhana Cherupara Vadekkethil.Produced and edited by Sophie Smith.Music for the series is by Rosemary Allman.

In the second episode of this two-part series, Justin Winchester speaks to Dame Laura Cox KC — a Justice of the England and Wales High Court between 2002 and 2016, and former Chairperson of the Bar Council Sex Discrimination Committee — about women's equality in the United Kingdom. Join us for a reflective discussion prompted by Baroness Harman’s 2025 Independent report on bullying, harassment, and sexual harassment at the Bar.RightsUp is brought to you by the Oxford Human Rights Hub.Executive produced by Meghan Campbell.Hosted by Justin Winchester.Produced and edited by Sophie Smith.Music for the series is by Rosemary Allman.

In the first episode of this two-part series, Justin Winchester speaks to Dame Laura Cox KC — a Justice of the England and Wales High Court between 2002 and 2016, and former Chairperson of the Bar Council Sex Discrimination Committee — about women's equality in the United Kingdom. Join us for a reflective discussion prompted by Baroness Harman’s 2025 Independent report on bullying, harassment, and sexual harassment at the Bar.RightsUp is brought to you by the Oxford Human Rights Hub.Executive produced by Meghan Campbell.Hosted by Justin Winchester.Produced and edited by Sophie Smith.Music for the series is by Rosemary Allman.

‘Rights in Crisis’, is a new RightsUp series from the Oxford Human Rights Hub in collaboration with the Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development. The series will feature topics on human rights and related issues in India with experts sharing their insights.In our second episode for this series, Prof. Anup Surendranath and Prof. Jon Yorke, moderated by Dr Aradhana Cherupara Vadekkethil, critically assess the legal, moral and procedural dimensions of capital punishment and its broader human rights implications. At a time when judicial scrutiny of capital punishment in India is intensifying, and global conversations on justice and state power are shifting, this discussion offers timely insights into the ethical and constitutional questions surrounding the death penalty.Want to know more?See https://thesquarecircleclinic.org/.