Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales

The CELS is an Argentine organization that works to protect and expand the effective exercise of human rights, justice and social inclusion at national and international levels. It was founded in 1979 as an urgent response to the enforced disappearances and other atrocities being committed during the country’s most recent dictatorship. After the return to civilian rule in 1983, while preserving its flagship work on transitional justice, CELS transitioned to an expanded agenda addressing violations under democracy and the structural causes of inequality and human rights violations on matters of citizen security, economic, social and cultural rights, judicial reform, prisons and criminal justice, mental health, migrants’ rights, freedom of expression, civilian control of the armed forces and, more recently, decent habitat and labour outsourcing.

CELS’s strategies include strategic litigation, alliance-building, applied research, foreign policy monitoring, promotion of standard-setting, identification of advocacy targets and spaces, development of policy proposals and position papers, political advocacy and media work.