The Professional Identity of the Human Rights Field Officer

Book excerpt: The important and groundbreaking volume, The Professional Identity of the Human Rights Field Officer, completes the study of human rights field work begun in the earlier The Human Rights Field Operation: Law Theory and Practice (2007: Ashgate). Building on the critique of the field’s historical development and current situation featured in the earlier volume, O’Flaherty, Ulrich and their fellow contributors focus on the specific responsibilities of the individual human rights officer, and concentrate on vital issues of professionalism beyond the confines of any specific organization. Their expansion of the analysis in the case studies section of the first volume has resulted in an up to date global edition of significant academic interest to anyone within the field of human rights law.