Report_Intern at a law firm

How Is International Human Rights Law Enforced?

           Though I hope to study about international welfare law as my major, and believe in quote “Let the welfare of the people be the supreme law”, I did not obtain much knowledge about human rights and law according to it. It was first time to hear the name Hong Ju Koh, or Hugo Grotius, which I should have been familiar with. Through this article, I could clarify and solidify my views about international welfare and human rights. It helped me find the ultimate reason I chose this as my major, and suggested a direction to go forward to achieve what I wish for.

          

           I did not know why I chose welfare law, I was just attracted as if enchanted. So it has been a difficult task to find out why. I just knew it instinctually that studying and working about welfare law and human rights matches with me well. Finally, after reading the article, I got the answer: because of its characteristic of being not enforced. Although there are some perspectives of human rights law that it is rather vague, toothless, and notoriously weak, that is not the truth. It does not have specific penalties like domestic laws, but it is kept by people through understanding a legal process called transnational legal process. Interaction, Interpretation, and Internalization of legal norms promote true obedience from the innermost conscience of every country and every citizen.

           Koh organized his article by answering two basic questions he set in the introduction. Transnational legal process explains why one person follows a rule, chooses to conform their conduct when convenient, aware of the rule and accept the rule, and adopt the behavior that is prescribed by the rule. I was not aware of these “hidden” processes of practicing human rights law. I thought that people keep the human rights through inborn ability not through these systematic and continual courses. This part of the article especially attracted me and enhanced my interest and curiosity to learn more about human rights as in forms of stated laws. Aside from that, I could acquire professional knowledge about general international laws, how they are enforced and practiced in real.

           Consolidating and actualizing my goal to set as an indicator of my overall studies, this article improved me to get in depth of the relationship between human rights, welfare and law. Through this internship courses I have taken, including the experiences in real courts and several discussions, I could be sure that welfare law is the way I should go and I want to go.