Blog
Promoting dialogue between human rights researchers, practitioners and policy-makers from around the world.
Original contributions on recent human rights law developments across the globe, including case law, current litigation, legislation, policy-making and activism are welcome.
To contribute, read our guidelines or contact our editorial team: oxfordhumanrightshub@law.ox.ac.uk
Angela Powditch 5th May 2017
The 61st Commission on the Status of Women (CSW61) concluded 24 March 2017 at the UN’s Head Office in New York. One of the agreed conclusions of this forum on ‘women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work’ was to strongly condemn gender-based violence (including domestic violence), recognising that such violence can affect the […]
Surya Rajkumar 1st May 2017
On the 8th of February 2017, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law an amendment that relegated domestic violence, as previously discussed on this blog, to an administrative offence. This post will argue that the new law lacks any persuasive justification and does not comply with Russia’s international human rights obligations. Under the new law, […]
Camilla Pickles 5th April 2017
Pregnancy and childbirth can trigger the violation of a number of rights including bodily and psychological integrity, equality, dignity, and privacy. This concern is particularly relevant when women are funnelled into facility-based obstetric care which is over-medicalised; not women-centred; and marred by paternalism, and harmful and discriminatory gender stereotypes. In some facilities, ‘care’ is coercive […]
Marianna Muravyeva 23rd February 2017
The Russian bill providing for what has been called the ‘decriminalisation of domestic violence‘ passed a second reading in the Russian State Duma and was approved by the Federation Council on 1 February without much opposition from the senators. It is official now: assault against any family members not resulting in any serious injury is […]
Brian Bird 2nd September 2016
On August 3, 2016, the government of Canada announced a National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (the “Inquiry”). The Commission’s mandate is “to examine and report on the systemic causes behind the violence that Indigenous women and girls experience and their greater vulnerability to that violence”. The Commission has also been […]