Evaluation in human rights: critical analysis of qualitative proposals in international and interamerican human rights monitoring systems

Abstract

The United Nations and the Organization of American States have developed systems of human rights indicators to monitor the states commitments by the ratification of international Covenants and Protocols. In addition to the classic quantitative indicators, these systems proposes to incorporate “qualitative indicators” and “qualitative signs of progress”, although they show certain differences in their construction and conceptualization. The aim of this work was to develop a critical analysis of these proposals of including qualitative methodologies in human rights monitoring systems. To do so, we review the defining aspects of qualitative research and evaluation, as well as the ontological, epistemological and axiological assumptions that link them to the interpretative-comprehensive paradigm. On that basis, we argued that static, standardized and a-priori constructed indicators appear as a contradiction in terms of a qualitative research / evaluation proposal based in the interpretative-comprehensive paradigm. By contrast, we emphasize the importance of recovering local people perspectives, through inductive approaches that tighten the rights recognized in international documents with the realities, perceptions and senses that emerge in the specific socio-historical contexts in which they materialize. We conclude that this type of evaluation would contribute to restore the emancipatory political potential of human rights, by redefining people’s role as subjects of rights and place them at the center of monitoring processes.