Law Commons^™

Justice For All? Protecting The Public Interest In Investment Treaties, Alessandra Arcuri, Francesco Montanaro

Boston College Law Review

Investment arbitration has come increasingly under fire because of its design flaws. There is an emerging consensus that investment treaty arbitration not only falls short of ensuring a sufficient degree of transparency of arbitral proceedings and impartiality of arbitrators, but also that its institutional architecture is unjustifiably asymmetric, entrusting foreign investors with significant rights while no protection is afforded to the host states’ constituencies. In response to these criticisms, several states have attempted in recent years to reform the rules governing investor-state arbitration. A perusal of recently concluded international investment agreements, however, reveals that the reform efforts so far have …

I Wanna Design For Somebody (Who Needs Me): The Intersection Of Humanitarian Engineering, Choice-Of-Law, And Technology Transfer In Kenya, Sean Patrick Mcginley

Boston College Law Review

A significant technology gap exists between developed and developing countries. Though developing countries have started to self-innovate, they do not possess adequate means to fulfill their right to develop, which the UN recognizes as an essential human right. For developing countries to exercise this right, developed countries must transfer technology. Humanitarian engineers have confronted this challenge without any international guidance or regulation, as no uniform system for international technology transfer agreements exists. To remedy this inadequacy, scholars have proposed the characteristic approach, which suggests that the contents of the contract, rather than the parties’ locations, should control the choice of …

Sorting Out Concern: European Attitudes Toward Human Trafficking, Jennifer Cheek M.S., Lindsey Peterson Phd

Societies Without Borders

No abstract provided.

Global Human Rights Organizations And National Patterns: Amnesty International's Representations Of Darfur, Joachim J. Savelsberg Phd

Societies Without Borders

This article investigates the contribution of International Non-Governmental Organizations to the social construction of knowledge about episodes of mass violence. The focus is on the dynamics between global and national forces, explored through a case study of Amnesty International and the mass violence that unfolded in the Darfur region of Sudan during the first decade of the 21st century. Interviews with Amnesty staff and volunteers, supplemented by an examination of Amnesty websites, suggest that the organization succeeds in generating a relatively unified representation, reflective of its goal to promote human rights, but that it can succeed only by granting leeway …

Radical Right-Wing Parties In Western Europe And Their Populist Appeal: An Empirical Explanation, Peter Doerschler Phd, Pamela Irving Jackson Phd

Societies Without Borders

In a majority of Western European countries, the vote share cast for radical right-wing populist parties in national elections was over 10% by 2015, reaching 46% in Austria’s 2016 presidential election. Policy agendas of national governments have also moved to the right, demonstrating greater restrictiveness on immigration and skepticism toward the EU. With data from the Chapel Hill Expert Survey, European Social Survey, Multiculturalism Policy Index, and Parliaments and Governments Database, we extend current models of electoral support for far-right parties by assessing whether the ethnic majority’s sense of discrimination and safety help explain the allure of the right-wing message. …

Comparing Ignorance: Imagined Immigration And The Exclusion Of Migrants In The Us And Western Europe, Daniel Herda Phd

Societies Without Borders

There exists a well-documented tendency among citizens to perceive immigrant populations as much larger than indicated by official statistics. This misperception has been linked to desires to halt the flow of immigration or restrict immigrants’ rights, raising concern about the consequences of pervasive faulty information. However, ignorance extends beyond questions of population size. There are also many qualitative misperceptions upon which individuals base their opinions about foreigners. In particular, citizens are likely to hold incorrect perceptions about the legal status of the typical immigrant (i.e., documented vs undocumented). The current study takes a unique approach by simultaneously examining both quantitative …

Determinants Of Open Attitudes Towards Foreign Nationals In Japan, Shigemi Ohtsuki Phd

Societies Without Borders

With a declining birth rate and aging population, Japan needs to open the door to immigrants to maintain its workforce. “Multicultural Coexistence,” or “tabunka-kyosei” in Japanese, is commonly used to describe the relationship between Japanese people and foreign nationals in Japan. Unfortunately, the definition of the term is unclear. This study defines multicultural coexistence based on two conceptions, namely “willingness for communication” and “support for or opposition to the equality of rights.” The analyses are based on quantitative data of a sample of 1,823 Japanese persons and 292 foreign national persons (immigrants) living in the industrial city of Tokyo (Hamura …

Immigrant Voices: How Do Patterns Of Expressive Forms Of Civic Engagement Differ Across Immigrant Generation?, Renee Stepler Ma, Hiromi Ishizawa Phd

Societies Without Borders

Prior research suggests that immigrants in the U.S. are less likely to civically engage than the native-born, but few studies have systematically examined whether levels of expressive engagement differ by immigrant generational status – particularly in the case of contacting a public official and boycotting or buycotting products for political or social reasons. Using the Current Population Survey, November 2011 and 2013 Civic Engagement Supplements, this study examines whether these forms of expressive engagement differ across immigrant generational status, and by race and ethnicity within immigrant generations. In accord with classical assimilation theory, the findings show that the first generation …

Social Inclusion In A Context Of Global Migration - Introduction, Loretta E. Bass Phd

Societies Without Borders

No abstract provided.

Struggles Over Universal Human Rights, Brian K. Gran Phd

Societies Without Borders

No abstract provided.

Sexual Violence Against Women In An Armed Conflict, Nowsheen Altaf Dar, Benish Mehraj

Violence Against Women conference

Documentation of life under militarization has mostly been done by “men writing about men.” The need to have a gendered perspective of conflict and war was only recently introduced in the academic discourse after the collective violence against the women of Bosnia and Rwanda in the 1990s was given the attention it deserved by the international media. In Kashmir, women are subjected to violence through physical, sexual, and mental harassments. The very nature of the conflict has pushed Kashmiri women to the wall, putting the burden of violence on their shoulders. Women face physical and sexual assault at checkpoints, during …

Submission: 2018 Legislative Review Of Export Development Canada, Sara Seck, Keith Macmaster, Penelope Simons

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

This submission to the 2018 review of Export Development Canada is informed in part by a conference and policy meeting that we hosted in October 2017 on the subject of extractive industries and the human rights of women and girls, at the Human Rights Resource Education Centre in Ottawa. This submission will reflect on some of the insights that emerged from the conference and policy meeting, as well as our own prior and subsequent research. Our submission will focus primarily on Theme 5: Corporate Social Responsibility and Human Rights, which asks whether, in fulfilling its mandate, EDC reflects the expectations …

Session 2: The U.S. Perspective, Peter K. Yu, Allan Adler, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, Mickey Osterreicher, Michael Wolfe, Aurelia J. Schultz

Peter K. Yu

This panel provides an overview of the current state of protection of moral rights in the United States, including discussion of the “patchwork” approach of federal and state laws, as well as judicial opinions.

A Study Of Six Nations Public Library: Rights And Access To Information, Alison Frayne

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Contemporary Indigenous public libraries play a critical role in providing access to information in Indigenous communities. My research focuses on the relationship between rights and access to information for individuals and communities within the context of Indigenous public libraries. I use a qualitative case study methodology of the Six Nations Public Library (SNPL) in Ohsweken, Ontario, Canada. Interviews were conducted with SNPL patrons and library management and with off-reserve participants from government and library associations.

I analyse four themes, library governance, rights, library value and access to information, which are outcomes of the SNPL case study findings. This analysis reveals …

“Protecting Children”: A Welcome Addition To Efforts To Redress Wartime Harms, Diane Marie Amann

Popular Media

This essay is the second in an online mini forum that Just Security is hosting on the new book, Protecting Children in Armed Conflict.

Re: Dhs Docket No. Iceb-2018-0002; Rin 1653-Aa75, 0970-Ac42; Comments In Response To Proposed Rulemaking: Apprehension, Processing, Care, And Custody Of Alien Minors And Unaccompanied Alien Children, Katherine Kaufka Walts Jd, Diane Geraghty

Center for the Human Rights of Children

No abstract provided.

The Authoritarianization Of U.S. Counterterrorism, Sahar F. Aziz

Washington and Lee Law Review

No abstract provided.

Updates To The Uncitral Legislative Guide On Privately Financed Infrastructure Projects, Brooke Guven, Motoko Aizawa

Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment Staff Publications

CCSI, jointly with The Observatory for Sustainable Infrastructure, submitted comments to the UNCITRAL Secretariat regarding updates to the UNCITRAL Legislative Guide on Privately Financed Infrastructure Projects. CCSI’s comments focused on the need for an updated guide, which will now refer to Public Private Partnerships, to holistically and systematically incorporate considerations of: (1) sustainable development and the SDGs, (2) rebalancing of the public versus private nature of PPPs, (3) transparency, participation, accountability, and remedy, (4) empirical evidence-based assessments of contexts in which PPPs may be desirable, (5) objectives of investment and PPPs, (6) human rights, (7) labor, (8) climate change, …

An Environmental Justice Critique Of Biofuels, Carmen G. Gonzalez

Carmen G. Gonzalez

U.N. Sovereign Immunity: Using The Haitian Experience To Transition From Absolute To Qualified Immunity, Brianna Sainte

University of Miami Law Review

The United Nations (“U.N.”) has been looked at globally and historically as an international organization that has given aid to millions of people in the hopes of promoting peace and reducing human rights violations. It is no surprise then that many countries have welcomed U.N. troops with open arms in the hopes of stabilizing communities. However, instead of receiving aid, imagine receiving a deadly disease. Imagine having the nearby river that has been your only source of water for drinking, laundry, and bathing for decades turned into a waste dump. It is from that river turned waste dump that you—and …

The Bring Your Own Tampon Policy: Why Menstrual Hygiene Products Should Be Provided For Free In Restrooms, Elizabeth Montano

University of Miami Law Review

Like toilet paper, menstrual hygiene products, such as tampons and pads, are necessities for managing natural and unavoidable bodily functions. However, menstrual hygiene products widely receive separate treatment in restrooms across the globe. While it would be absurd today to carry a roll of toilet paper at all times, it is considered necessary and common sense for all menstruators to carry menstrual hygiene products at all times, for approximately forty years, in case of an emergency. This is the “Bring Your Own Tampon” (“BYOT”) policy and it is a violation of human rights and equal protection.

This Note seeks to …

We Are All Farkhunda: An Examination Of The Treatment Of Women Within Afghanistan's Formal Legal System, Ashley Lenderman

Indiana Journal of Constitutional Design

In this paper, I will examine three cases of violence against women that went through the Afghan formal legal system: the case of Farkhunda, the Paghman district gang rape case, and the case of Sahar Gul. In the first Part, I will discuss the formal legal system framework on which the cases are based. In the second Part, I will discuss the cases in detail. In the third Part, I will describe neo-liberal, reformist, and neo-fundamentalist approaches to interpretation of Islamic law, and I will then draw out pieces of the decisions from the three cases that closely match these …

Cracking Down On Cages: Feminist And Prison Abolitionist Considerations For Litigating Solitary Confinement In Canada, Winnie Phillips-Osei

Master of Laws Research Papers Repository

Guided by prison abolition ethic and intersectional feminism, my key argument is that Charter section 15 is the ideal means of eradicating solitary confinement and its adverse impact on women who are Aboriginal, racialized, mentally ill, or immigration detainees. I utilize a provincial superior court’s failing in exploring a discrimination analysis concerning Aboriginal women, to illustrate my key argument. However, because of the piecemeal fashion in which courts can effect developments in the law, the abolition of solitary confinement may very well occur through a series of ‘little wins’. In Chapter 11, I provide a constitutional analysis, arguing that solitary …

Human Rights Litigation Against Corporations After Jesner V. Arab Bank, Patrick C. Reed

Publications and Research

In this paper, Dr. Reed explores issues of corporate civil liability for human rights violations. The paper analyzes the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Jesner v. Arab Bank where the Court rejected federal subject-matter jurisdiction over corporate defendants under the Alien Tort Statute. The paper then moves beyond the Supreme Court ruling to identify potential legal exposure for corporations outside the Alien Tort Statute.

The Role Of Transnational Identity And Migration, Enid Trucios-Haynes

Enid F. Trucios-Haynes

No abstract provided.

Much Ado About Nothing?: Local Resistance And The Significance Of Sanctuary Laws, Alyssa Garcia

Seattle University Law Review

This Comment explores the current constitutional discourse of sanctuary laws and compares their various components. Part I provides background on the basic policy components of sanctuary laws and modern policies. Part II explores and compares the substantive legal and political value of sanctuary laws. This section will first assess the impact of sanctuary policies on existing immigration and constitutional law. In doing so, specific sanctuary jurisdictions involved in litigation, Seattle, San Francisco, and Chicago, and their likelihood of withstanding preemption under existing doctrine will be compared. The impact sanctuary laws may have on the Tenth Amendment will next be discussed. …

A Life Absolutely Bare? A Reflection On Resistance By Irregular Refugees Against Fingerprinting As State Biopolitical Control In The European Union, Ziang Zhou

Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union

In a legally transitory category, irregular refugees- experience a double precariousness. They risk their lives to travel across treacherous seas to Europe for a better life. However, upon the long-awaited embarkation on the European land, they are exposed once again to the precariousness of the asylum application. They are “powerless”, “with no rights” and “to be sacrificed” as Giorgio Agamben and Hannah Arendt suggested in their respective understanding of a “bare life”, la nuda vita. In light of the administrative difficulties in managing asylum application, the European Union introduced the “Dublin Agreement”, which stipulates mandatory biometric data collection for …

Emerging Best Practices For The Management And Treatment Of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, And Intersex Youth In Juvenile Justice Settings, Brenda V. Smith, Hayley Gorenberg, J. Rhodes Perry, Lisa Belmarsh, Shaena Johnson, Steven Jett, Rebecca Walters, Macarena Saez, Dana Shoenberg, Terry Schuster, Josh Delaney, Karen Bachar, Mykel Selph, Mark Seymour, Sharita Gruberg, Chris Daley, Mark Yarhouse

Reports

In 2016 according to the U.S. Department of Justice, 856,130 youth were arrested and 45,567 juveniles were held in 1,772 residential juvenile facilities across the country. Detained and confined youth share many characteristics: most are from poor communities and lack access to quality health care. Mental illness and sexually transmitted infections are prevalent. Compared to their non-confined counterparts, incarcerated youth also experience higher rates of substance abuse and homelessness, are educationally behind their peers, are disproportionately identified as needing special education services, and are more likely to have had traumatic experiences (including sexual and emotional abuse) and injuries including traumatic …

Access To Justice, Rationality, And Personal Jurisdiction, Adam N. Steinman

Vanderbilt Law Review

After more than twenty years of silence, the Supreme Court has addressed personal jurisdiction six times over the last six Terms. This Article examines the Court's recent decisions in terms of their effect on access to justice and the enforcement of substantive law. The Court's new case law has unquestionably made it harder to establish general jurisdiction-that is, the kind of jurisdiction that requires no affiliation at all between the forum state and the litigation. Although this shift has been justifiably criticized, meaningful access and enforcement can be preserved through other aspects of the jurisdictional framework, namely (1) the basic …

Sub-Saharan Africa Coverage, Human Rights Brief

Human Rights Brief Fall 2018 Regional Coverage

No abstract provided.