The number and rate of human rights abuse claims increased as a country’s human rights practices worsened, declined as domestic “opportunity structures” became available, and increased with the cultural empowerment of individuals. Since World War II, the idea that all individuals possess rights simply because they are human has gained widespread play. However, the reality is that states continue to neglect or abuse those rights. Through a binomial and event history analysis, this study examined the number of petitions filed under the Optional Protocol annually between 1976 and 1999 for 82 countries. This was done in an attempt to understand the properties of states that prompt individuals to file claims of human rights abuse. References