Digital Commons Network^™

The Reactionary Road To Free Love: How Doma, State Marriage Amendments And Social Conservatives Undermine Traditional Marriage, Scott Titshaw

Scott Titshaw

Much has been written about the possible effects on different-sex marriage of legally recognizing same-sex marriage. This article looks at the defense of marriage from a different angle: It shows how rejecting same-sex marriage results in political compromise and the proliferation of “marriage light” alternatives (e.g., civil unions, domestic partnerships, or reciprocal beneficiaries) that undermine the unique status of marriage for everyone. In the process, it examines several aspects of the marriage debate in detail. After describing the flexibility of marriage as it has evolved over time, the article focuses on recent state constitutional amendments attempting to stop further development. …

The Law Of Indicators On Women’S Human Rights: Unmet Promises And Global Challenges, Marta Infantino

Marta Infantino

Global indicators on human rights (HRs) aim to measure HRs scores against HRs standards. In other words, they aim to measure legal phenomena against legal benchmarks.

Despite HRs indicators’ reliance on legal knowledge, lawyers have so far neither made substantial contributions to their production, nor studied in depth the legal implications of their uses. The current state-of-the-art in the world of HRs indicators is the result of an ongoing process led by bureaucrats, economists, statisticians, and activists with limited legal training. It is these actors who are developing a new body of professional knowledge, and a new technology of governance …

A Case Study On Burying Alive Of Two Women In Balochistan, Sohail Ahmed Ansari Advocate

Sohail Ahmed Ansari Advocate

Violence against women is present in a variety of forms in Pakistan. From domestic abuse & sexual harassment to child marriages and honour killing; a range of anti-women atrocities are carried out. Pakistani women face systematic discrimination from the day they are born. The patriarchal mindset of society refuses to recognize them as human beings deserving of equality, human rights and justice. Unfortunately in some parts of Balochistan a brutal custom of justice prevails; where the women are treated as trading objects. They are being tried without hearing their cause. They are not allowed to plea their case. They are …

Migration And Disaster-Induced Displacement: European Policy, Practice, And Perspective, Michael D. Cooper

Michael D. Cooper, Esq.

Over the last decade, a series of devastating natural disasters have killed hundreds of thousands of people, displaced millions, and decimated the built environment across wide regions, shocking the public imagination and garnering unprecedented financial support for humanitarian relief efforts. Some suggest that disaster migration must be supported by the international community, first as an adaption strategy in response to climate-change, and second, as a matter of international protection. This study surveys the current state of law as it relates to persons displaced by natural disaster, with a specific focus on the 27 member states of the European Union plus …

Towards Determining Legal Parentage By Agreement In Israel, Yehezkel Margalit

Hezi Margalit

In Israel as in other parts of the world, families, parenthood, and relations between parents and children have changed dramatically over the past few decades. So, too, developments in modern medicine have enhanced the ability to separate sexuality from fertility and parenthood. Many researchers feel that the legal system has not kept pace with these changes, and that traditional models of familial relationships no longer provide adequate tools for dealing with them. In order to bridge the gap between a desired social status and current law, a growing number of parents seek to regulate the status, rights, and obligations of …

Determining Legal Parenthood By Agreement As A Possible Solution To The Challenges Of The New Era, Yehezkel Margalit

Hezi Margalit

Over the past decades, we witnessed changes in the matrimonial and parenting institutions. Medical innovations have further created ethical-legal dilemmas. It is, therefore, essential to create a theory and framework that will determine ways to deal with the resulting dilemma in a fully developed manner. This paper surveys the current, conflicting shifts in family structure and the definition of legal parenthood. In it, I deal with the importance and various aspects of defining legal parenthood. I will also focus on the singularity of this dilemma as it is increasingly apparent in the various fertility treatments. I present the sociological-legal roots …

There Is But One Sword That Defends The Rights Of Man- Bringing Lgbt Rights Out Of The Closet, Jonathan M. Bhagan

Jonathan m Bhagan

Introduction. International norms of human rights are a powerful force for interpreting, protecting and growing rights on the domestic plane. Courts throughout the Commonwealth already look to international norms to flesh out rights, whether they are found in the constitutional jurisprudence of other common law states in Treaties or Treaty based case law. While some schools of jurisprudence claim that International and Domestic law are two separate spheres , throughout the paper it will be shown that judges have consistently looked to foreign and International Law as inspiration and support for their decisions in key human rights cases. This trend …

Gang And Cartel Violence: A Reason To Grant Political Asylum From Mexico And Central America, Jillian Blake

Jillian Blake

This Essay argues that the United States should view the migrants fleeing violence in Mexico and Central America as refugees. This Essay will describe the nature of the threat from gangs and cartels, present the major arguments for granting gang-based asylum under international refugee law, and describe how the U.S. courts and government have interpreted those arguments. The final section of this Essay will offer an interpretation of refugee law that both bridges the gap between traditional interpretations of the Refugee Convention and also addresses a pressing need to adapt its original meaning to present-day conflicts in Latin America. This …

Africa, Mark J. Calaguas

Mark J Calaguas

The Africa Committee's contribution to the 2011 Year-in-Review issue of the American Bar Association Section of International Law's quarterly journal, The International Lawyer.

Mere Ritual Or Gradual Change: Why Has Asia Failed To Establish Regional Human Rights Institutions Thus Far?, Buhm Suk Baek

Buhm Suk Baek

This paper reviews all the major initiatives to establish regional human rights institutions (RHRIs) in Asia and concludes that, for the last twenty years, Asian governments’ efforts to create RHRIs have been ritualistic, with non-legally binding promises and temporal discussions, but without any concrete actions. After analyzing the major initiatives, this paper identifies five main factors that have hindered the establishment of a regional human rights system in Asia. It concludes that those obstacles result not from a different understanding of fundamental human rights under the already existing international human rights legal system, but mainly from political considerations. Thus, this …

Rhris, Nhris And Human Rights Ngos, Buhm Suk Baek

Buhm Suk Baek

This paper reviews the characteristics of human rights NGOs and their evolving role within the existing international and regional human rights mechanisms, and further, in Asia, the way in which they have worked together for better human rights practices and the establishment of regional human rights institutions (RHRIs) in this region. It also examines the role of human rights NGOs in strengthening human rights protection systems at the national level, especially in cooperation with national human rights institutions (NHRIs). My broad argument is that not only have they contributed to strengthening the international human rights system, but have also been …

A Recipe For Change: Constitutional Reform In Saint Lucia, Amit Chhabra, Damian Greaves

Amit Chhabra

In spite of relative peace over the years in the English-speaking Caribbean, recent debate has centered on whether certain constitutional charters should be amended or replaced in their entirety. This movement presents the first major opportunity for these British Commonwealth nations to re-examine their governments’ parliamentary underpinnings so as to account for adequate protections of civil liberties and inter-branch checks; moreover, it is an opportunity to disallow “the law to become the hostage of history.” Too often, “constitutional reform” is cited as an essential course of action, whereas an expansion of the body of law and improvements in enforcement of …

Legal Approach To Domestic Violence In Malaysia And Nigeria: An Expository Study Of Experience In Selected Jurisdiction, Abdulkadir Bolaji Abdulkadir

Abdulkadir Bolaji Abdulkadir

No abstract provided.

Conceptualizing The Right Of Children To Adaptable Education, Shulamit Almog, Lotem Perry-Hazan

Dr. Lotem Perry-Hazan

The contention put forward here is that conceptualization of the right to adaptable education, derived from international human rights law, may be a key factor in interpreting and reviving the notion of multiculturalism in education. We will begin by analyzing three interrelated dimensions of the right to adaptable education: adaptability to the children's circles of cultural affiliations, adaptability to the children’s preferences, and adaptability to the changes of time. We will continue by describing the need to balance between the right to adaptable education and other features of the right to education - available education, accessible education and acceptable education …

Too Rough A Justice: The Ethiopia-Eritrea Claims Commission And Civil Liability For Claims For Rape Under International Law, Ryan S. Lincoln

Ryan S. Lincoln

The developments in international law prohibiting rape during armed conflict have grown at a rapid pace in recent decades. Whereas rape had long been considered an inevitable by-product of armed conflict, evolution in international humanitarian law (IHL) has relegated this conception mostly to the past. The work of international criminal tribunals has been at the forefront of this change, developing the specific elements of the international crime of rape, and helping to change the perception of rape in international law. Violations of IHL, however, also give rise to civil liability. Despite the advances with respect to rape made in the …

Reciprocal Antidiscrimination Arguments, Yofi Tirosh

Yofi Tirosh

This Article addresses a common characteristic of antidiscrimination law: To what extent should one antidiscrimination campaign be held accountable for other, related, discriminatory structures that it does not and cannot purport to correct? Plaintiffs in antidiscrimination cases are sometimes expected to account for the larger social context in which their claim is made. Defendants invoke this larger context as a way of rebutting the discrimination claim, by arguing that the plaintiff’s claim has “discriminatory residue” that would exacerbate related discriminatory structures. For example, in a case in which same-sex couples seek the right to contract with surrogate mothers, the defendant …

The Shelters In Israel For Survivors Of Human Trafficking, Daphna Hacker

Daphna Hacker

No abstract provided.