Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Law Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Maurer School of Law: Indiana University

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

2011

Human rights -- Africa

Articles 1 - 3 of 3

Full-Text Articles in Law

African Customary Law, Customs, And Women's Rights, Muna Ndulo Jan 2011

African Customary Law, Customs, And Women's Rights, Muna Ndulo

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

The sources of law in most African countries are customary law, the common law and legislation both colonial and post-independence. In a typical African country, the great majority of the people conduct their personal activities in accordance with and subject to customary law. Customary law has great impact in the area of personal law in regard to matters such as marriage, inheritance and traditional authority, and because it developed in an era dominated by patriarchy some of its norms conflict with human rights norms guaranteeing equality between men and women. While recognizing the role of legislation in reform, it is …


The "Right" To Be Trafficked, Charles Piot Jan 2011

The "Right" To Be Trafficked, Charles Piot

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

The post-Cold War dispensation in Togo, West Africa, ushered in a new lexicon of politically salient terms, among them droits de 1'homme. Initially deployed in the early 1990s by members of the political opposition to expose dictatorial abuse, this potent signifier then found its way into society at large and, spurred by NGO support, was taken up by women's groups in struggles over gender inequality. This essay explores droits de l'homme's itinerary in the villages of northern Togo where teenage children embraced the term in proclaiming their freedom from parental control. Ironically, the same children now leave their villages to …


The Human Right To Health And Hiv/Aids: South Africa And South-South Cooperation To Reframe Global Intellectual Property Principles And Promote Access To Essential Medicines, Erika George Jan 2011

The Human Right To Health And Hiv/Aids: South Africa And South-South Cooperation To Reframe Global Intellectual Property Principles And Promote Access To Essential Medicines, Erika George

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

The HIV/AIDS pandemic has had a devastating and disproportionate impact in countries of the Global South. The experience of an individual infected with HIV in Africa is very different than that of an individual infected with HIV in America. Life expectancy varies sharply. The ability or inability to access medicines essential for treatment accounts for much of the variance. This article examines how the rhetoric of human rights used in the context of South Africa's AIDS crisis resonated across the Global South, resulted in a powerful social movement for access to medicines, and contributed to important changes in international intellectual …