A Decolonial Jurisprudence in Making – the Right of a Woman to Dissolve a Marriage in Pakistan
Recently, the Supreme Court of Pakistan handed down a judgment, titled Dr. Seema Hanif Khan v.Waqas Khan and others, that may prove more significant than its immediate legal consequences suggest....
When The Shield Becomes A Sword: The Abuse Of Involuntary Treatment Provisions For Mentally Ill Persons In India
The involuntary admission and treatment of persons with mental illness is a breach of privacy and autonomy. It can also be a dehumanising experience for the patient and there have...
Un-“sexing” Sex as a Ground for Anti-Discrimination
There has been significant commentary on UK Supreme Court’s (UKSC) decision which held that the terms “man”, “woman” and “sex” under the Equality Act 2010 (EA) only refer to a...
Rethinking the POSH Act in India: Expanding sexual harassment to include sex-based harassment at the workplace
In India, the primary legislative instrument aimed at creating safe and dignified workplaces for women is the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (‘POSH...
Can’t Fathers Feed their Babies? Critiquing the Indian Supreme Court’s order on gendered infant-care in public
In February 2025, the Supreme Court of India passed a landmark order in Maatr Sparsh, An Initiative by Avyaan Foundation v. Union of India, acknowledging the intertwined legal rights of...
Discarding the Marital Rape Exemption: From Fundamental Rights to Vulnerability Theory
Recently, in Gorakhnth Sharma v. State of Chhattisgarh, the Chhattisgarh High Court acquitted a man, who allegedly forced anal intercourse on his wife resulting in fatal injuries, of all charges...
Gender and Justice: Navigating the Arguments Around Prenatal Sex Detection in Bangladesh
The High Court Division (HCD) of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh has directed authorities to adhere to guidelines that discourage (without prohibiting) the disclosure of a foetus’s sex for non-medical...
ECtHR’s Judgment in N.Ö. v Türkiye: A Missed Opportunity to Address the Structural Gender Inequalities
On 14 January 2025, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR or the Court) issued a significant judgment on sexual assault in the case of N.Ö v Türkiye. The case...
UKSC to decide what ‘Woman’ means in the Equality Act 2010
The UK Supreme Court (UKSC) is poised to deliver its judgment in For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers, examining whether ‘woman’ under the Equality Act 2010 (EA) includes trans...
A Road to Safety: Addressing Domestic Violence in Sindh, Pakistan
An increasing number of Pakistani women are turning to legal avenues to address domestic violence (DV). However, significant implementation gaps remain. The province of Sindh adopted a comprehensive roadmap to...
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: The Evolving Jurisprudence on Cyberviolence against Women at the European Court of Human Rights
On 3 December 2024, the European Court of Human Rights (Court) delivered judgment in MŞD v Romania, its third judgment concerning cyberviolence against women following Buturugǎ v Romania and Volodina...
Closing the Gender Pay Gap “Once and for All”: Labour’s Proposed Reforms to GPG Reporting in the UK
The UK’s gender pay gap (GPG) has been declining over time, falling from 27.5% in 1997 to 14.3% in 2023. Nevertheless, at the current rate of decline, it will take...
