< Back to How we change systems

Intersections

When people live in poverty, nearly every aspect of their life is affected. Poverty shapes their experiences with our intersecting social systems, including the criminal justice system, civic and electoral systems, sports, and the arts.

Our work on advancing economic and social rights raises the question: what if we built all of our systems on a foundation of human rights?

image: scales of justice made of binary code (iStockphoto)

Criminal justice

The Canadian criminal justice system is complex, with multiple actors, various levels of government involved in its oversight and operations, and processes that are difficult to navigate for most individuals, especially without legal guidance.

Learn more

Right to education

Education empowers people and acts as an enabler for realizing your other rights.

Learn more

photo: crowd of people in front of tall buildings (iStockphoto)

Human rights cities

Cities are perfectly positioned to champion economic and social rights, given their responsibilities in corresponding policy and program delivery areas.

Learn more

Featured publications

Article

image: scales of justice with bright coloured portraits behind (iStockphoto)

Advancing justice: How racism and poverty degrade human rights and undermine the criminal justice system

Alex Bezzina

December 13, 2022

To deepen our understanding of the relationship between human rights, poverty, racism, and the criminal justice system, we had conversations with and published contributions by researchers and practitioners, as well as individuals with lived experience. The result was “Advancing justice,” a series of articles and podcast interviews.

Story

photo: children drawing together on a table

Rethinking education: What the pandemic teaches us about the role of schools

Bonnie Mah

July 28, 2021

We spoke with Annie Kidder of People for Education about what COVID-19 showed us about the way we think about schools, why we need to talk about education as a human right, and what we need to do next.

Report

photo: overhead photo of dense urban downtown (iStockphoto)

Human rights cities: The power and potential of local government to advance economic and social rights

December 10, 2020

A growing number of local governments from across the world are turning to human rights to affirm a vision of more equitable, inclusive, and sustainable communities. Such places may be broadly categorized as “human rights cities.”