Is it social movements that construct human rights?

What is the relationship between social movements and human rights? ‘Movement’ is used very loosely in the human rights literature in a way that is primarily normative, to legitimate ideals of global justice. The most influential analysis of the construction of human rights by non-state actors has been in terms of transnational advocacy networks. Here I discuss how the focus on elite transformation in these studies might be supplemented to study social movements. Above all it is necessary to distinguish between INGOs, NGOs and GROs. Can INGOs like Amnesty, Human Rights and Oxfam be part of social movements? Studying how human rights circulate between elites and in grassroots organisations opens up a rich field of investigation for anyone interested in collective action in our globalizing times.