Discipline and Punish: How Anti-Beggary Laws in India are used to Criminalize Transgender Persons
The Delhi High Court in a landmark judgment (Harsh Mander v. Union of India and Karnika Sawney v. Union of India) has held the Bombay Prevention of Begging Act, 1959,...
The Sabarimala Temple Ban: An ‘Untouchable’ Rule
On 1st August, 2018, the Supreme Court of India concluded its hearing on a crucial matter regarding the Sabrimala Temple in the State of Kerala. The case deals with the...
Promoting ‘Gender Ideology’: Constitutional Court of Bulgaria Declares Istanbul Convention Unconstitutional
On July 27 Bulgaria’s Constitutional Court ruled that the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (often called the “Istanbul Convention”) contravenes the...
Women’s Rights and the Proposed Changes to the Gender Recognition Act
In this post we use the word women to refer to individuals born as women (also known as ‘natal women’). The current government consultation on proposed changes to the Gender...
Argentine Senate Rejects Bill on Abortion: The Way Forward
The Argentine Senate has recently rejected, by a 7-vote margin, a Bill passed by the Chamber of Deputies on the voluntary interruption of pregnancy. The Bill was heavily debated both...
In Unregulated Spaces: Empowering Female Migrant Workers from India
On 4 May 2018, Sheeja Das, an Indian migrant worker, was forced to jump off her employer’s residence in Muscat, Oman, to save herself from on-going violence. Sheeja broke her...
The Restitution of Conjugal Rights in Indian Law violates the Right to Privacy
In 1983, the Indian Supreme Court held that the right to privacy did not guarantee the autonomy of an individual over her own body, and so the restitution of conjugal...
Indian High Court’s Recognition of a Person’s Right to Live as Transgender – A Bitter-Sweet Pill
In a recent judgement by the Kerala High Court, the court refused to issue a writ of habeas corpus and dismissed a mother’s plea to compel her daughter, referred to...
Female Genital Mutilation as a Question of Gender Equality (with Brenda Kelly)
In September 2015, the UN adopted the Sustainable Development Goals to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all people. For the first time, these goals explicitly aim...
Justice Brett Kavanaugh and the Future of Women’s Reproductive Rights
President Trump recently named Justice Brett Kavanaugh as his Supreme Court nominee. Although the nomination awaits confirmation from the Senate, an analysis of Justice Kavanaugh’s record suggests that he could...
Pakistan’s New Transgender Law: Lessons To Be Learnt
The Pakistan Supreme Court in 2009 recognised transgender persons as the third sex in Pakistani society. However, since then, Pakistan has repeatedly failed to protect its transgender citizens and the...
HM Chief Inspector v Interim Executive of Al-Hijrah School: Religious Conviction is Not a Solvent of Legal Obligation
The most interesting feature of the case of HM Chief Inspector v Interim Executive of Al Hijrah School [2018] IRLR 334 is the split between the reasoning of the majority...
