On the occasion of Human Rights Day 2024

Author: Laura Hofmann

Editor, Springer Nature

There’s a cliché that says: It’s darkest before the dawn. Each year on 10 December, we commemorate the anniversary of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Today, 76 years later, this year’s Human Rights Day theme is, “Our Rights, Our Future, Right Now.” And Springer Nature, as part of our focus on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), actively supports researchers working directly on these issues.

The theme of this year’s Human Rights Day aims to put the focus back on the ground level — on what human rights mean to people, their tangible impact, and concrete tools. 

The 2024 Human Rights Day

The UN proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10th, 1948 — just three years after the end of World War II — and we celebrate Human Rights Day on the anniversary of that day each year. On this 76th anniversary, the theme of “Our Rights, Our Future, Right Now” spotlights the importance of human rights to everyone, every day. 

In advance of Human Rights Day, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights published his vision for this year’s celebration, focusing on eight specific areas. These are:

1. An inclusive, global constituency for rights 
2. Peacebuilding and security 
3. Building a human rights economy
4. Grounding environmental action in human rights
5. Strengthening governance
6. Technology and science that uplifts all
7. Meaningful inclusion of youth and children in decision-making, and 
8. Strengthening our human rights system.

The Intersection of Human Rights Day and SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions 

The preamble of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights sets out that “recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world”. This makes promoting human rights and inherent part of the Sustainable Development Goals’ (SDGs’) agenda, especially SDG 16. SDG 16 is dedicated to the promotion of peace, justice, and strong institutions.

Springer Nature’s Human Rights Portfolio

The researchers we work with (from across disciplines), and the work they publish with us, cover the whole range of research into human rights protection, tying directly into Human Rights Day 2024’s themes. Springer Nature’s portfolio reflects the importance and tangible nature of human rights and, today, we can highlight research on the themes including “Human Rights in the Digital Age,” “Strengthening Human Rights at the Constitutional Level,”, “Gender-Based Violence,” and “Protecting Vulnerable or Marginalized Groups.”

Some examples of the books we have published — some of which you will also find on this page, include: Human Rights in the Digital Age: This theme covers titles that respond to the challenges of technological advancements, the legal regulation, and the incorporation of human rights in solutions in the digital field. Titles include:

• Handbook on Cyber Hate — The Modern Cyber Evil edited by Anne Wagner, Sarah Marusek (2024) 
• Children’s Rights and Criminal Justice in the Digital Age by Wendy O'Brien (2024)  
• The Rule of Law in Cyberspace edited by Carlos Blanco de Morais, Gilmar Ferreira Mendes, Thomas Vesting (2022) 
• From Encryption to Quantum Computing — The Governance of Information Security and Human Rights by Ot van Daalen (2025). 

Strengthening Human Rights at the Constitutional Level: Our titles address the promotion of the rule of law and ensuring equal access to justice for all, tying in with SDG Target 16.3. Titles offer comparative perspectives and insights from national contexts and address strengthening governance: 

• Writing Constitutions — Volume 2: Fundamental Rights edited by Wolfgang Babeck, Albrecht Weber (2024) 
• The Responsibility of a Constitution for the Future edited by Rainer Arnold, Toni Fickentscher (2024) 
• Rule of Law in Europe edited by Filipe Marques, Paulo Pinto de Albuquerque (2024) (OA) 
• Indigenous Peoples and Constitutional Reform in Australia — Beyond Mere Recognition by Bede Harris (2024)  
• Engaging with Human Rights – How Subnational Actors use Human Rights Treaties in Policy Processes by Jonathan Miaz and Evelyne Schmid (shared authorship), Matthieu Niederhauser, Constance Kaempfer, Martino Maggetti (2024, open access). 

Gender-Based Violence: You’ll find research addressing responses to gender-based violence, both in a global context, as well as with a specific focus on the Global South.

• Gender-Based Violence and Femicide in South Africa by Tameshnie Deane (2024)  
• Violence in Intimate Spaces — Law and Beyond edited by Pinki Mathur Anurag, Santwana Dwivedy (2024) 
• The Palgrave Handbook of Violence in Africa edited by Obert Mlambo and Ezra Chitando (2024). 

Protecting Vulnerable or Marginalized Groups: Protecting marginalized groups needs a global approach. Our publishing programme includes research that, on one hand, includes perspectives on and solutions to discriminatory policies and laws. On the other hand, the programme also highlights the meaningful inclusion of vulnerable or marginalized groups.

• Gender Equality in Conditional Cash Transfer Designs — A disappearing policy recipe in Latin America and the World Bank? by Nora Nagels (2024) 
• Inclusive Education Developments in Africa edited by Ngozi Chuma Umeh (2024) 
• Children in Conflict with the Law — Rights, Research and Progressive Youth Justice by Ursula Kilkelly, Louise Forde, Sharon Lambert, Katharina Swirak (2023) 
• Children in Migration and International Family Law — The Child’s Best Interests Principle at the Interface of Migration Law and Family Law edited by Stefan Arnold, Bettina Heiderhoff (2024).  

You’ll also find even more essential research in Springer Nature’s ongoing book series, including: 

• Palgrave Critical Studies in Human Rights and Criminology  
• Interdisciplinary Studies in Human Rights
• Human Rights Interventions 
• Gender, Justice and Legal Feminism 
• Studies in Global Justice 
• Sustainable Development Goals Series

as well as in the journals we publish, for example:

• Jindal Global Law Review 
• American Journal of Criminal Justice 
• Human Rights Review
• Feminist Legal Studies 

Add your voice to Springer Nature’s Human Rights programme

The work that human rights researchers publish with Springer Nature are part of the efforts to create a better day. Editors from across Springer Nature have curated human rights-related research on a dedicated hub, which I invite you to explore.

Here you’ll also read about how you can work with our editors to publish your research, too. Partner with a publisher that is committed to amplifying SDG research— we would look forward to working with you.

Explore human rights-related publications and more on our dedicated hub.