A civil right is an enforceable right or privilege, which if interfered with by another gives rise to an action for injury. Examples of civil rights are freedom of speech, press, and assembly; the right to vote; freedom from involuntary servitude; and the right to equality in public places.

Civil rights refers to two related but different terms. In civil law jurisdictions, a civil right is a right or power which can be exercised under civil law, which includes things such as the ability to contract. In civil law jurisdictions, lawsuits between private parties for things such as breach of contract or a tort are usually expressed in terms of infringement of a civil right.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a landmark piece of legislation in the United States that outlawed segregation in schools, public places, and employment. First conceived to help African Americans, the bill was amended prior to passage to protect women, and explicitly included white people for the first time.

The post-war era marked a period of unprecedented energy against the second class citizenship accorded to African Americans in many parts of the nation. Resistance to racial segregation and discrimination with strategies such as civil disobedience, nonviolent resistance, marches, protests, boycotts, "freedom rides," and rallies received national attention as newspaper, radio, and television reporters and cameramen documented the struggle to end racial inequality.

The FBI is the lead agency for investigating violations of federal civil rights laws…and we take that responsibility seriously. Why? Because as Director Mueller has said, “When just one of us loses just one of our rights, then the freedoms of all of us are diminished.”

Milestones in the modern civil rights movement.

The concepts of "civil rights" and of "civil law" are both functions of the concept of "civil society": Civil society is that sphere of private action free of government control. It is not free of government action, because government action secures the nature of civil society by the protection of persons against criminal wrongs.

Has federal antidiscrimination law been effective in moving women and minorities into management? Early studies show that government affirmative action reviews improved the numbers, and rank, of blacks, but evidence of what has happened since 1980 is sparse. There is little evidence that civil rights lawsuits improved the employment status of women or African Americans. We examine establishment-level effects of compliance reviews and lawsuits on the percentage of women and blacks in management.

The Voting Rights Act, adopted initially in 1965 and extended in 1970, 1975, and 1982, is generally considered the most successful piece of civil rights legislation ever adopted by the United States Congress. The Act codifies and effectuates the 15th Amendment's permanent guarantee that, throughout the nation, no person shall be denied the right to vote on account of race or color.

This website provides information and resources on civil rights, such as affirmative action, voting rights, housing, welfare and more.

Every person has the right to a fair trial both in civil and in criminal cases, and the effective protection of all human rights very much depends on the practical availability at all times of access to competent, independent and impartial courts of law which can, and will, administer justice fairly.

Without free and fair elections, there can be no democratic society, and without that constant accountability of government officials to the electorate, there can, in fact, be no assurance of any other rights. The right to vote, therefore, is not only an important individual liberty; it is also a foundation stone of free government.

Civil rights are the fundamental liberties that all Americans should enjoy as a matter of basic morality, as well as Constitutional protection. Several organizations exist to protect one aspect or another of our civil rights and liberties. But the American Civil Rights Union (ACRU) is dedicated to protecting our fundamental rights and liberties across the board.

The Citizens' Commission on Civil Rights is a bipartisan organization established in 1982 to monitor the civil rights policies and practices of the federal government and to seek ways to accelerate progress in the area of race relations and on other civil rights issues.

The federal government created America’s historic 1964 Civil Rights Act during a period of low immigration. The primary goal was to create equal opportunities for African Americans by ending Jim Crow discrimination in the South.

The mission of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is to investigate complaints alleging that citizens are being deprived of their right to vote by reason of their race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin, or by reason of fraudulent practices; to study and collect information relating to discrimination or a denial of equal protection of the laws under the Constitution because of race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin, or in the administration of justice.

The Civil Rights Division is committed to upholding the civil and constitutional rights of all Americans, including some of the most vulnerable members of our society. Founded in 1957, we celebrate our 50th Anniversary next year. Our proud mission remains vitally important today. The federal anti-discrimination statutes that we enforce reflect some of America’s highest ideals and aspirations: equal treatment and equal justice under law.

The right to a fair trial is a norm of international human rights law designed to protect individuals from the unlawful and arbitrary curtailment or deprivation of other basic rights and freedoms, the most prominent of which are the right to life and liberty of the person.

This website contains the complete text of the European Union Charter of Fundamental Rights, as signed and proclaimed by the Presidents of the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission at the European Council meeting in Nice on 7 December 2000.

One of the main areas of focus of the Institute is the protection of fundamental civil and political rights in the former Soviet states and in regions of current or recent conflict within Europe. In these contexts, the Institute carries out research, provides consultancy and training, and maintains an international human rights litigation practice.

Data protection is a type of privacy protection manifesting in special legal regulation. Data protection right ensures a person the right of disposal over all data in connection with his personality. This way it serves to sustain the protection of privacy in a world where the possibility of collecting, storing and conciliation of large pools of data is widely available.

Behind closed doors, representatives of the Council of Ministers of Justice (JHA Council), representatives from the Commission and the leaders in the European Parliament of the social-democrat and Christian-democrat groups have agreed to introduce an unprecedented law (directive) on mandatory data retention in the EU.

European Digital Rights was founded in June 2002. Currently 28 privacy and civil rights organisations have EDRI membership. They are based or have offices in 17 different countries in Europe. Members of European Digital Rights have joined forces to defend civil rights in the information society. The need for cooperation among organizations active in Europe is increasing as more regulation regarding the internet, copyright and privacy is originating from European institutions, or from International institutions with strong impact in Europe.

This paper asks what effects Europeanization has on the citizenship rights of the people of the United Kingdom's different jurisdictions. It uses T H Marshall’s threefold division of social rights- into civil, political, and social rights- as its framework.

These explanations were originally prepared under the authority of the Praesidium of the Convention which drafted the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. They have been updated under the responsibility of the Praesidium of the European Convention, in the light of the drafting adjustments made to the text of the Charter by that Convention (notably to Articles 51 and 52) and of further developments of Union law. Although they do not as such have the status of law, they are a valuable tool of interpretation intended to clarify the provisions of the Charter.

This handbook is designed to provide readers with an understanding of how legal proceedings at national level must be conducted in order to conform with the obligations under Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

In essence, the incorporation of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (the Convention) into UK law by the Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA) creates a general right to respect for privacy where none previously existed. Article 8 offers general protection for a person’s private and family life, home and correspondence from arbitrary interference by the State.

The Treaty on European Union (also known as the ‘Maastricht Treaty’) gives every citizen of the Union the right to vote and stand as a candidate in municipal and European elections in the country where he or she lives, under the same conditions as nationals of that country.

While paying great attention to the people's right to existence and development, China has also laid stress on ensuring that its citizens enjoy various civil and political rights according to law and that socialist democratic politics be practised and developed.

Chinese lawmakers and legal experts said in Beijing Wednesday that the draft civil code which sets out protection for the rights to human dignity and private property, will help push forward China's human rights protection.

Though the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Taiwan share a common cultural heritage, their political separation since the late nineteenth century has led to divergent paths of development, evident in their distinct civil legal systems. This article examines the historical development of these civil legal systems, compares their similarities and differences, and evaluates the possibilities for future cooperation between PRC and Taiwanese legal systems.

This Law is formulated in accordance with the Constitution and the actual situation in our country, drawing upon our practical experience in civil activies, for the purpose of protecting the lawful civil rights and interests of citizens and legal persons and correctly adjusting civil relations, so as to meet the needs of the developing socialist modernization.

Translation of civil rights according to Japanese law.

As the Constitution clearly states that Singaporeans have the right to peaceful assembly as in 14.1.b, one would wonder why the police would normally reject any applications for peaceful public demonstrations in Singapore, regardless of whether it is from political parties, politicians or just any citizens?

An Ordinance to provide for the incorporation into the law of Hong Kong of provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as applied to Hong Kong; and for ancillary and connected matters.

The Armenian government should lift new restrictions on freedom of assembly and cease detaining opposition supporters participating in peaceful protests.

Given the disparate nature of economies and cultures in Asia and the Pacific islands it is unsurprising that there's wide range of legislation (or lack of legislation) and practice compared to Europe.

The Hong Kong government continues to invoke the 1976 reservation to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) entered by the United Kingdom government in relation to Hong Kong. This paper focuses on a major argument proposed by the Hong Kong government before the United Nations Human Rights Committee (HRC) on the issue of universal suffrage.

Freedom Force International is a network of men and women from all parts of the world who are concerned over loss of personal liberty and expansion of government power. They are not mere complainers. They have a plan to do something about it. They also share a common belief in The Creed of Freedom, which is a statement of principles that guide them in their mission to build a better world.

The right to freedom of movement is a fundamental human right which has found expression and won endorsement in a varied range of human rights and humanitarian protection instruments.

The International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) assists countries pursuing accountability for past mass atrocity or human rights abuse. The Center works in societies emerging from repressive rule or armed conflict, as well as in established democracies where historical injustices or systemic abuse remain unresolved.

Adopted and opened for signature, ratification and accession by General Assembly resolution 2200A (XXI) of 16 December 1966. Entry into force 23 March 1976, in accordance with Article 49.

One of the most critical ways that individuals can influence governmental decision-making is through voting. Voting is a formal expression of preference for a candidate for office or for a proposed resolution of an issue. Voting generally takes place in the context of a large-scale national or regional election, however, local and small-scale community elections can be just as critical to individual participation in government.

Universal jurisdiction is the principle that every country has an interest in bringing to justice the perpetrators of grave crimes, no matter where the crime was committed, and regardless of the nationality of the perpetrators or their victims.

Several articles of the Constitution of El Salvador protect the right to privacy, which includes the inviolability of the home, the right to honor, personal and family intimacy, and the right to one's own image. The Constitution also protects the inviolability of any kind of communications by expressly prohibiting wiretapping and provides that any intercepted communication cannot be used in any proceeding, except in insolvency and bankruptcy proceedings.

Latin American democracies are based on the idea of self-government and self-collective determination. That means, among other things, that the law receives its authority from the fact that people consent government’s decisions because that government was elected by them and represents them. However, as we all know, the people do not speak in one voice and in order to identify its political will.

The individual complaints before a Constitutional Court have a long tradition in the history of the Law. The first complaint that existed, and perhaps the most famous, is the Habeas Corpus (which is roughly translated as "you should have the body"). It originated on the Middle Ages in England and it is a writ issued by a court commanding that a person held in custody is brought before a court so that it may determine whether the detention is legal.

This Web site is dedicated to the free flow of information and to the interplay between information, human rights and press freedom in Latin America. The project grew out of the landmark conference, Human Rights, Press Freedom and 21st Century Latin America, held at Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA in November 1999.

Democratic governments cannot last long without respect for the rule of law. Today, Latin America faces this important challenge. Despite over two decades of democracy in most countries, the consolidation of long-lasting democratic government hinges upon ensuring broad-based respect for and access to the rule of law.

Articles written by attorneys and experts worldwide discussing legal aspects related to Civil Rights including: constitutional law, consumer law, discrimination, human rights, native populations, privacy law, public law and sexual harassment.

Constitutional law deals with constitutions as they set out the general framework of government. Government entities and specific provisions providing for human rights and civil rights, which are part of some constitutions, are set out in the appropriate sections.

The rights of consumers are becoming increasingly important around the world. Governments have passed numerous laws to assure that end users have the same rights as manufacturers and providers of services.

Human rights: basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled such as civil and political rights, the right to life and liberty, freedom of thought and expression, equality before the law, social, cultural and economic rights, including the right to participate in culture, the right to food, the right to work, and the right to education.