Human Rights Law Commons^™

What Italian Sexual Violence Law Can Teach Us Law In The #Metoo Era, Rachel A. Van Cleave

Publications

On International Women’s Day, with women facing challenges on equal pay, reproductive rights, sexual harassment and violent sexual assault, the topic of sudden, forced and unwanted kisses initially seems trivial, unworthy of consideration. However, Alva Johnson’s recent civil complaint against Donald Trump for kissing her on the side of her mouth, raises the question of whether such conduct should be criminal in the United States.

Human Rights Abuse And Violations In Nigeria: A Case Study Of The Oil-Producing Communities In The Niger Delta Region, Dr. Ifeanyi I. Onwuazombe

Annual Survey of International & Comparative Law

Human rights abuses and violations in Nigeria in general and in the oilproducing communities in particular cut across the entire spectrum of rights. The abuses come in different forms and could be direct or indirect. The inhabitants of the Niger Delta region are subjected to regular rights abuses and violations by the state security agents and the oil corporations. The perpetrators of rights violations are hardly or never held accountable or brought to justice due to the myriad of problems besetting the judicial institutions. Besides, there is an apparent lack of trust and confidence in the courts and general apathy …

The Effectiveness Of International Law: Torture And Counterterrorism, Ogechi Joy Anwukah

Annual Survey of International & Comparative Law

This paper sets out to address the following question: to what extent has international law effectively curtailed the practice of torture in a democratic society within the context of the ‘war against terror’? This paper will first provide an overview of the current regime of international law prohibiting torture. Next, this paper will discuss the absolute ban on torture and violations that have occurred in the name of the ‘war against terror.’ This paper will then address the consequences of the use of torture as a counterterrorism measure. Finally, this paper will critically analyze the effectiveness of international law on …

Review Of: Benedetta Faedi Duramy, Gender And Violence In Haiti: Women's Path From Victims To Agents, Jaya Ramji-Nogales

Reviews of Faculty Publications

Jaya Ramji-Nogales reviews Professor Duramy's book, Gender and Violence in Haiti: Women's Path from Victims to Agents (Rutgers University Press, 2014).

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back: A Brief History Of Legal Discriminations Against Women In Iran And The Violations Of International Human Rights, Delaram Farzaneh

Annual Survey of International & Comparative Law

In recent years Iran has primarily been under international scrutiny because of concerns over its development of a nuclear program. However, there have been other developments in Iran that also raise grave concerns among the international community. Since the 1990s, the Rights of Women have been one of the major categories of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Iran. The current direction of the Iranian government, with regard to improving women’s fundamental rights, seems to be back to the “good old days” rather than towards modernizing and humanizing strict patriarchal law. To best understand these current backward steps, it is …

Reconciling Three Countries’ Current Laws With Human Rights In The Face Of International Law, Stacey Alicia Maalej Rusnak

Annual Survey of International & Comparative Law

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [UNHCR] has published a landmark treatise to serve as a guide for adjudication of refugee claims made by LGBTI individuals. This treatise, known as Guidelines on International Protection No. 9, states that sexual orientation or identity is a protected category and that persecution based on those factors is grounds for refugee status and protection. This article discusses current violations of this protection in three countries: Uganda, Russia, and Nigeria. I shall first examine the relevant international law, and then review the history and current laws of each country. Finally, there is a comparative …

Impediments To Human Rights Protection In Nigeria, Jacob Abiodun Dada

Annual Survey of International & Comparative Law

The promotion and protection of human rights have engaged the attention of the world community, and though the African country of Nigeria has subscribed to major international human rights instruments, violations continue to occur with disturbing frequency and regularity in that nation. Why is this so? This article examines the multifarious and multidimensional impediments which have hamstrung meaningful enjoyment of human rights in Nigeria. It points out the shortcomings of the dualist model under the Nigerian Constitution and stresses the objectionable wide amplitude of the derogation clauses. It also makes suggestions for reform.

Cite as: 18 Annl. Survey Int'l. Comp. …

Adjudicating Non-Justiciable Rights: Socio-Economic Rights And The South African Constitutional Court, Eric C. Christiansen

Publications

This paper begins with an examination of social rights in the South African constitutional drafting process. Following a review of the traditional arguments against the justiciability of socio-economic rights, it then examines the South African Constitutional Court cases addressing social rights, focusing on four primary cases: the antecedent case Ex parte Chairperson of the Constitutional Assembly: In re Certification of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 and three substantive social rights cases, Thiagraj Soobramoney v Minister of Health, KwaZulu-Natal, Government of Republic of South Africa v Irene Grootboom and Others, and Minister of Health v Treatment Action …

Current International Legal Problems In The Pursuit Of Extradition Requests: The Practice Of Saudi Arabia, Ayedh Hadi Alotaibi

Theses and Dissertations

Extradition is an ancient legal practice which has in recent decades become both increasingly controversial and increasingly important. Traditionally, the controversies and exigencies of the extradition process have focused on the two sovereign states (sending state and receiving state) involved in the process. The third actor, the extraditee or subject of the process, was accorded comparatively little attention and almost nothing in the way of individual rights. The emergence of an international human rights movement in the aftermath of World war II encouraged a new focus on the extraditee as not merely a subject of the extradition process but as …

Ending The Apartheid Of The Closet: Sexual Orientation In The South African Constitutional Process, Eric C. Christiansen

Publications

This paper will briefly examine the process of creating a new South African Constitution in the 1990s. Nearly a decade of talks preceded the adoption of South Africa's first multi-racial democratic constitution in 1994. These talks and the subsequent drafting conventions created an astonishing document, stunning in its novelty in South African history, in its expressed values, and in its fundamental compromises. Part Three draws on a wide variety of primary documents from disparate sources to offer an original historical reconstruction of the inclusion of sexual orientation protections in the policy documents, Bill of Rights drafts, and constitutional proposals of …