The declaration of rape as an emergency in Sierra Leone needs to address legal ambiguities in order to combat the scourge of rape and gender-based violence
In February 2019, President Bio of Sierra Leone declared a state of emergency to combat rape and sexual violence. However, if the declaration is to have full effect, ambiguities and...
Marriage of the Girl Child in Iran
In February 2019, the news of an 11-year-old girl being married to a man who was almost 50 years old, caused severe criticism of the Iranian Civil Code, which allows...
Workers of the Fireworks Factory of Santo Antônio de Jesus and their family members vs. Brazil and why we need to talk about socioeconomic gender inequality
In 1998, there was an explosion at an irregular, high-risk fireworks factory in the city of Santo Antônio de Jesus, Brazil, which led to 64 deaths and left six people...
Sexual Violence in Conflict 2019: Insights from Sudan and Algeria
The 19th of June is celebrated as the UN International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. In this context, Security Council Resolution 1820, in 2008, recognized sexual...
López Soto v Venezuela: The Inter-American Court of Human Rights’ answer to violence against women
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights’ (IACtHR) feminist answer to torture and sexual enslavement in its September 2018 López Soto v Venezuela judgment is unprecedented. López Soto is the first...
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...
