The entry of women into the legal profession under British colonial rule
This year sees the centenary of the abolition of the legal barriers to women’s entry into the legal profession in the United Kingdom. The Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 (UK),...
An Indian High Court Recognises Transgender Individuals’ Right to Marry
On April 22, 2019, in a significant decision for India’s transgender community, the Madras High Court in Tamil Nadu upheld the right of a trans-woman and a man to register...
Sexual Harassment at Work: Reflections on its Nature, Persistence and on the Changing Legal Landscape – Prof Sandy Fredman and Dame Laura Cox
This joint conversation between Professor Sandra Fredman and Dame Laura Cox, moderated by Hon Judge Jennifer Eady is a joint OxHRH event in collaboration with the Association of Women Judges...
Still the second sex: Some feminist reflections on the new General Comment of the UN Human Rights Committee on the right to life
In October 2018 the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Committee (HRC) adopted general comment (GC) 36 on the right to life, replacing GC 6 and GC 14. Latter documents date...
Gym Use and Changing Rooms: the illegality and chilling effect of (trans)gender segregation
A recent, high-profile article published on HuffPost claimed that the popular leisure group – David Lloyd Leisure – had decided to exclude all trans persons from their preferred gender segregated...
“Social will” as important as political will for implementing human rights
What has been largely overlooked in the human rights theory and practice is what I would call the lack of “social will” as the twin concept of the lack of...
Antwerp Court muddies the waters: Belgian Burkini Ban Justified
On 18 December 2018, the Antwerp court of first instance held that the burkini ban in the Antwerp Police Regulations does not constitute discrimination based on religion. As opposed to...
The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2018: A Tale of Reneged Promises
On April 15, 2014, the Indian Supreme Court in National Legal Services Authority (‘NALSA’) v. Union of India recognised transgender persons as the ‘third gender’. The Court gleaned their extensive...
India’s New Transgender Bill and its Discontents
The government of India attempted to take a progressive step to protect the rights and dignity of transgender persons by introducing the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill 2016. This...
Universal jurisdiction to the rescue: a way forward for victims of Franco-era crimes of gender-based violence?
Between the years of 1960 and 1974, Spanish lawyer and feminist activist Lidia Falcón O’Neill was detained seven times by security police on behalf of the Franco government, because of...
The Indian Anti-Trafficking Bill, 2018: A Misguided Attempt to Resolve the Human Trafficking Crisis in India
The controversial Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2018 (The Bill), is slated for debate and approval by the Indian Parliament’s upper house (Rajya Sabha) in its winter...
Working Together: Human Rights and the Sustainable Development Goals (with Sandra Fredman)
The United Nations adopted the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015. They aim to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all people. The goals provide policy objectives for...
