The goal, naturally, is accountability - having people's claim to having their rights respected in a way that can be planned, measured and monitored. Richard Jolly There are a number of indicators that measure social progress and social achievement that show whether human rights are being enjoyed. You can also look at countries' constitutions, at their laws, at whether they have signed on to international treaties, and more. Statistical indicators can reveal whether the most basic conditions that human rights address are being met in all people's lives. Lack of data can also be revealing.
Statistics make it possible to actually debate outcomes.
But indicators need to be better used to set specific and realistic goals for progress, not un-assessable declarations of grand intentions. No culture's values justify the violation of human rights. The West does not have a monopoly on struggles for social progress. The call for human rights has come, for centuries, from all cultures. These are issues of social justice, human dignity and freedom that all people are claiming in all cultures.