Human Rights Law Commons^™

Enforcing International Human Rights Law Against Corporations, Barnali Choudhury

All Papers

International human rights law is generally thought to apply directly to states, not to corporations since the latter is not a subject of international law. Some domestic courts are, however, enforcing these norms against corporations in domestic settings. Canadian courts have, for instance, recognized that corporations can be liable for breach of customary international law norms while UK courts have enforced international human rights norms indirectly against corporations relying on a combination of domestic corporate and tort law.

At the same time, some states are choosing to enforce international human rights norms against corporations using regulatory initiatives. These initiatives, known …

Climate Change, Corruption, And Colonialism: Solving The Conundrum With Regional Courts, Taylor Nchako

Northwestern University Law Review

It is no secret that climate change is the most pressing issue of our times. Global South countries, especially those in Africa, face challenges mitigating the worst impacts of climate change, adapting technological solutions, and continuing to develop their nation’s infrastructure and industry. Cameroon provides an archetypal example of the challenges many African countries face. Plagued by an economy that both exacerbates climate change and stands to collapse from it, Cameroon struggles with corruption that has roots in colonialism and neocolonialism. This corruption taints not only the forestry service and the executive branch, but the judiciary as well, leaving Cameroon’s …

Dean Melanie Leslie’S Office Hours, Melanie B. Leslie, Jocelyn Getgen Kestenbaum, Rebecca Ingber

Event Invitations 2023

Join Dean Leslie and meet two Cardozo professors on the frontline of global human rights initiatives, Professor Jocelyn Getgen Kestenbaum

Empowering Nigerian Youths For Social Change: The Convergence Of Civic Education, Media, Art, And Activism, Zainab Onuh-Yahaya

Biennial Conference: The Social Practice of Human Rights

This paper examines the intersection of civic education, art, and the media as powerful tools for activism, social change, resistance, and transformation, particularly in the context of Nigerian youths. Over the past few years, young Nigerians have emerged as a formidable force in advocating for social justice and good governance in what they have describes as fighting for their lives. Drawing on interdisciplinary perspectives, this study explores how the integration of civic education, media, art, and activism empowers Nigerian youths to address social injustices and inequalities, challenge the generations that have come before, and drive meaningful transformations.

The paper then …

Review Of The Book Denial Of Genocides In The Twenty-First Century, John A. Drobnicki

Publications and Research

Review of the book Denial of Genocides in the Twenty-First Century, edited by Bedross Der Matossian.

A Vicious Cycle: United States’ Failure To Protect Immigrant Women’S Reproductive Rights At The Irwin County Detention Center, Lizet Palomera Torres

Golden Gate University Law Review

The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) detained Jane Doe #15, an immigrant woman, at the Irwin County Detention Center (ICDC) in Georgia. During Jane’s time at ICDC, Doctor Mahendra Amin hastily examined her because she was experiencing severe pain in her pelvic area. Abandoning established professional and legal protocols for diagnosis and treatment, the medical staff scheduled Jane for surgery. Jane did not know what to expect from the surgery or what the medical personnel would do. After the surgery, the staff at ICDC neglected Jane’s care. She could not get out of bed on her own; …

What Do We Do With You: How The United States Uses Racial-Gendered Immigrant Labor To Inform Its Immigrant Inclusion-Exclusion Cycle, Tori Delaney

University of Cincinnati Law Review

No abstract provided.

Book Talk: Lawyer, Jailer, Ally, Foe, Jacob Burns Center For Ethics In The Practice Of Law, Cardozo Law Institute In Holocaust And Human Rights (Clihhr), Jessica A. Roth, Jocelyn Getgen Kestenbaum

Event Invitations 2023

Join Professor Jessica Roth and Professor Jocelyn Getgen Kestenbaum for a conversation with Eric L. Muller, author of the newly released book Lawyer, Jailer, Ally, Foe: Complicity and Conscience in America's World War II Concentration Camps.

Book Talk: Lawyer, Jailer, Ally, Foe, Jacob Burns Center For Ethics In The Practice Of Law, Cardozo Law Institute In Holocaust And Human Rights (Clihhr)

Flyers 2023-2024

No abstract provided.

Press Freedom Under Threat In Europe: Slapps And Democracy, Maya Oleary-Cyr

Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union

This paper critically examines the legal systems of European countries and their relationship to press freedom, particularly the vexatious legal threats used by government officials and corporations to silence journalists. These legal threats are known as SLAPPs (strategic lawsuits against public participation) and their use has increased exponentially in the last decade. Although the issue is global, this research analyzes the issue through the lens of Greece, Italy, and Hungary. As member states, each one of these countries has an obligation to uphold the democratic standards put forth by the EU. Journalists are a vital aspect of the democratic process …

The War In Ukraine And Legal Limitations On Russian Vetoes, Anne Peters

Articles

A veto exercised by a permanent member of the UN Security Council to shield that state’s own manifest and prima facie aggression from condemnation and collective action by the Council is legally flawed. The UN Charter can be reasonably interpreted as prohibiting such a veto and depriving it of legal force. This flows from Article 27(3) of the Charter, in conjunction with the prohibition of the abuse of rights, as a manifestation of the principle of good faith, and the obligation to respect the right to life, against the background that the prohibition has the status of jus cogens. These …

Table Of Contents, Seattle University Law Review

Seattle University Law Review

Table of Contents

The Violation Of Transgender Prisoners: The Violent Impact Of Gender Discrimination Experienced By Incarcerated Trans People In The United States Of America, Brooklyn Jennings Mx.

Access*: Interdisciplinary Journal of Student Research and Scholarship

U.S prison reform policies such as the Prison Rape Elimination Act pacify the government and the public into believing that prisons are a less harmful place for vulnerable inmates. However, thousands of transgender inmates in the United States experience extraordinary rates of violence and discrimination for their gender identity. There are difficulties in determining exact statistics of gender-based incidents of assault due to dueling structures of legal power and questionable support from prison authorities. However, from available information, trans inmates report dehumanizing prison environments that severely impact their wellbeing. This literature draws upon the current status of incarcerated trans inmates’ …

Breast Ironing: Analyzing The Rights Of The Girl-Child In The Context Of Cameroon’S Obligation Under International Human Rights Law, Olusola Babatunde Adegbite, Olaitan Oluwaseyi Olusegun

Buffalo Human Rights Law Review

Among the various forms of sexual violence perpetrated against the girl-child, breast ironing remains largely obscured due to its underreporting. Yet thousands of girls, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa where it is most prevalent, continue to suffer in silence. These girls are not just exposed to the immediate violence of this act, but they also carry the scar of this human rights violation for life. With the scholarly focus on the practice rather scant, the necessary legal response has also been checkmated. The goal of this article is to bring international focus to this problem by examining the practice in the …

Life Without Parole: An Eighth Amendment Analysis, Alexis Dicarlo

Buffalo Human Rights Law Review

This Article will analyze the constitutionality of life without parole under the U.S. Supreme Court’s test for categorical bans on sentencing practices. This article first addresses the cruelty of prison and how that affects individuals with life sentences specifically. Next, it will analyze life without parole under the Supreme Court’s Eighth Amendment analysis, starting with examining evolving standards of decency. In doing so, this article will address how the U.S. operates with respect to sentencing compared to the rest of the world. Importantly, it will engage in a culpability analysis, following the Supreme Court’s logic, that ultimately favors abolition of …

Addressing Root Causes: The Need For Ex-Ante Regulation In Business And Human Rights, Vidhya Karnamadakala

Buffalo Human Rights Law Review

With the rise of mandatory human rights due diligence (HRDD) laws across various jurisdictions, governments are turning to regulatory tools to tackle the transnational challenges of business and human rights. Yet, the dominant focus on an ex-post standard such as mandatory HRDD may not adequately address the root causes of rights abuses in commercial activities. The individualized ex-post enforcement model which underpins HRDD has limited potential to address the systemic infrastructure of exploitative business practices. The upstream purchasing and contracting practices which lead to human rights violations in supply chains are overlooked, and even reinforced, in such a model. Without …

Hate Speech, Historical Oppressions, And European Human Rights, Eva Nave

Buffalo Human Rights Law Review

Today, around 5 billion people communicate through the Internet. While the benefits of online communication are undeniable, we also witness the proliferation of online hate speech, often associated with an increase in offline violence. Internet intermediaries and public bodies have developed frameworks to counter online hate speech. However, current frameworks lack a standardized approach to the conceptualization of hate speech. Some conceptualizations are overbroad, and others are underinclusive; overbroad because they lead to the removal of legal content (e.g. removal tools deleting legal content posted by marginalized communities), and underinclusive as the context of posts by linguistic minorities is often …

The Forgotten: Nyc And School Segregation, Deja Graham

Buffalo Human Rights Law Review

School segregation is an issue of the past and present. Generations of Black and Brown Americans have attended schools that were inadequate and unequal to their white counterparts. This inequity in access to quality education has caused issues with diversity in professional fields, like the medical and legal fields. The lack of diversity in these fields are the results of decades of school segregation due to the government’s failure to eradicate the dual system of education. Since the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education, little progress has been made in providing Black and Brown children in metropolitan cities …

Connecting Nuclear Security To International Frameworks On Gender And Security, Kathleen A. Doty, Jessica S. Burniske

International Journal of Nuclear Security

The international community is slowly beginning to recognize the intersections between law and policy as it relates to international security—particularly arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament—and the body of human rights law that addresses gender equality. Notably absent from this discussion is the field of nuclear security. Despite its historical underpinnings as an inherently domestic activity, nuclear security is thoroughly grounded in international treaty law. However, nuclear security is often overlooked in the international security context and has not been well-situated in international instruments that address gender equality. We argue that gender equality in nuclear security should be understood as an …

The Human Rights Remedy Gap In Isds – The Potential Of The Hague Rules On Business And Human Rights Arbitration, Diane A. Desierto, Anne Van Aaken, Steven Ratner, Giorgia Sangiuolo, Martijn Scheltema, Katerina Yiannibas

Faculty Lectures and Presentations

The tensions between the protection of human rights and States’ obligations towards foreign investors has been the subject of extensive debates among States, civil society actors, business, and international organizations. The Hague Rules on Business and Human Rights Arbitration represent a recent effort to provide an avenue for resolving claims concerning human rights violations connected to business activities, including investment. These Rules may be linked to or incorporated in national investment laws, state contracts, or International Investment Agreements (IIAs). The Hague Rules aim to fill a currently existing gap in (access to) remedies for rightsholders and help both investors and …