Although India is not party to the 1951 United Nations Convention on the Rights of Refugees, this does not preclude it from its Principle of Non-Refoulement, or prohibition of refoulement,...
A Regression of Rights? The Exclusion of LGBTQI+ Individuals from the Supreme Court of India’s Sexual Harassment Regulations
On 7 November 2023, the Supreme Court of India declined a petition seeking to amend the Gender Sensitization and Sexual Harassment of Women at the Supreme Court of India (Prevention,...
The UK’s First Country Visit under the Istanbul Convention. Part I: Systemic Challenges and Institutional Inertia
This blog marks the culmination of the 16 Days of Action for the Elimination of Violence against Women, seeking to call to end violence against women and girls around the...
75 Years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: What Its Legacy Represents Today
This post marks International Human Rights Day on the 10 December, the anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I write this from Ukraine, where I...
The Decriminalisation of Marital Rape: How India Continues to Refuse Justice to its Married Women
India is disappointingly one of the fewest countries in the world today that explicitly decriminalises marital rape, despite being a signatory of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Exception...
A Potential Avenue for Justice: The Possibility of International Criminal Responsibility for Gender-Based Violence caused by Climate Change
Climate change is leading to the rapid degradation of land, forcing communities to abandon their homes in search of habitable land. This forced migration disproportionately affects women, resulting in increased...
Combatting Femicide in Latin America: The Urgent Need for a Stronger Legal Framework
In March 2023, an Argentine court convicted two men for the 2016 rape and murder of 16-year-old Lucia Perez, a pivotal case in the Ni Una Menos movement against violence...
Parental Leave, Equality and Dignity in South Africa: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
On 25 October 2023, the Johannesburg High Court of South Africa in Van Wyk v Minister of Employment and Labour [2023] ZAGPJHC 1213 declared certain provisions of the Basic Conditions...
Community Sentencing: A Positive Shift in the Indian Criminal Justice System
A number of alternatives to custodial sentences have been introduced in the Indian criminal justice system, with progress being made over time towards open prisons, probation, and rehabilitation centres. Yet...
Democratic Descent in Niger: From Hope to Uncertainty
In the first peaceful democratic transition of power since the independence of Niger, Mohammed Bazoum was elected President by constitutional elections in 2021. Just two years later he was overthrown...
Forgotten and Forsaken Victims: The Perpetual Tragedy of Women in Warfare
Amidst persistent tension and growing conflict in the Middle East and in Ukraine, videos of the atrocities faced by women are being widely circulated on social media. These events have...
The Fundamental Knot: Why a Hands-Off Approach by the Indian Judiciary Poses a Challenge to Marriage Equality in India
The Supreme Court of India on 17 October 2023 delivered its long-awaited judgement on the legality of same-sex marriages in the country. The 3:2 majority verdict refused to recognise the...