We Are Never Out of the Hands of Men: The Contagious Diseases Act
In the 19th century, the Contagious Diseases Acts were passed in the UK and Ireland to curtail the spread of venereal disease among military personnel in certain cities. In this...
Re-victimizing Victims of Sexual Assault: UK Child Benefit Laws
In the last few years, the UK has been relentlessly pursuing austerity measures and drastically reducing welfare expenditure. Today, as part of this trend, the government has restricted access to...
Emerging concerns for human rights in childbirth: Imposed evidenced-based care as obstetric violence?
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...
The Religious Views of Judges and Human Rights Adjudication: A Reply to Bamforth and Barber
Two blog contributions have recently discussed the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the US Supreme Court and what should be made of his conservative and theologically-derived views supported by...
Understanding Direct Discrimination Suffered ‘As a Female Muslim’ in Achbita
The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) delivered its long-awaited decision in Samira Achbita v G4S Secure Solutions NV on 14 March 2017. The referring Court had asked...
A Legal Battle for Transgender Rights in America Is Postponed, But Not For Long
On March 6, 2017, the United States Supreme Court sent back to the lower courts a case that would have decided whether national anti-discrimination laws covering schools protect transgender students....
Direct Discrimination and Indirect Discrimination: Headscarves and the CJEU
The decision of the CJEU in Achbita has been much anticipated as the first full judgment of the Court on discrimination based on religion and belief under Directive 2000/78. Although...
What the Trump Presidency Means For Gender Discourse Development
The Trump Administration’s gender-related policies have been characterized by some as a “war against women.” An analysis of these policies—as set within the broader socio-political context of President Trump’s campaign...
Courts Recognizing Transgender Rights
On 6th of February 2017, a law which discriminated against transgender people was amended for the first time in India. This marks a significant victory for the transgender rights movement...
Is Russia “Decriminalising Domestic Violence?”
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...
Child marriage and sexual assault of children in Turkey – does public opinion matter?
The issue of child marriage and sexual abuse of children in Turkey has once again been placed in the spotlight, resulting in wide news coverage. Turkey counts among the countries...
Let’s Talk About Sex Education and Human Rights in Schools
RightsUp #RightNow is a series of mini episodes in the RightsUp podcast series that explores current events dealing with human rights issues. On 11 January, members of a public bill...