Stigma and Exclusion to Rights and Dignity: a Human Rights Approach to Poverty
On 5 November 2013, Magdalena Sepúlveda Carmona, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights, addressed an audience at the Oxford Law Faculty on the subject of...
Lessons from the South African Constitutional Court: a duty of care for police in England and Wales?
Last month at the inquest of Rachael Slack, a 38 year-old woman stabbed to death by her ex-partner, the jury ruled that police failures had contributed ‘more than minimally’ towards...
European Court of Human Rights Says Dismissal of HIV-positive Employee is Incompatible with the Convention
In the case of I.B. v. Greece, the European Court of Human Rights held that the dismissal of an HIV-positive employee due to pressure exercised by his fellow employees on...
Bridging The Divide? Integrating the Functions of National Equality Bodies and National Human Rights Institutions in the EU
National equality bodies (NEBs) and national human rights institutions (NHRIs) play important roles in promoting respect for human dignity and fundamental rights in many European states. NEBs promote respect for...
The Tasmanian Dams Case, 30 Years On – Unfulfilled Promises
The landmark Australian Tasmanian Dams case celebrated its 30th anniversary in August 2013. This case was a turning point for Australia. It had significant implications both for the interpretation of...
The Bedroom Tax: the First Six Months
Editor’s Note: Over the past few weeks we have featured posts on various aspects of the controversial ‘bedroom tax’. Today, Justin Bates takes a closer look at the developing case...
The Need for ‘Hard Evidence’ of Public Sector Equality Duty Outcomes
The Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) Review report, published 6th September, was met with cautious relief. Until it was issued, many charity and campaigning groups were concerned the Duty, which...
Mmusi Ruling a Watershed Moment for Gender and Customary Law in Botswana and Beyond
On September 3rd, the Court of Appeal in Botswana decided that Edith Mmusi’s parents’ home belonged to her and her sisters. In doing so, Botswana’s highest court struck a blow...
Criminalising Cross-Dressing in Guyana: Quincy McEwan et al vs. Attorney General of Guyana
2013 has been a busy year for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights (LGBT) in the Commonwealth Caribbean. As noted in a previous post by activist and attorney-at-law Maurice Tomlinson,...
The Québec Charter of Values Project: Republican or Immigrant-phobic?
Tuesday, September 10 2013, the Government of Québec finally released its Strategy aimed at protecting the Values of the nation. It is important to say that this document is neither...
The CEDAW Committee Holds an Uncomfortable Mirror to the UK
On July 26th, 2013 the CEDAW Committee released concluding observations on the UK’s compliance with CEDAW. The UK is obligated to publicize the findings of the Committee, although the Concluding...
HIV and Caribbean Law: Case for Tolerance
In the western hemisphere, the Anglophone Caribbean maintains some of the most regressive anti-gay laws in the world. The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago as well as Belize both have...
