During the end of year break, do check out the recordings from the OxHRH Seminars:

The Historical Roots of the Equality Clause in the South African Constitution: Prof Shireen Hassim (University of Witswatersrand) gives a fascinating seminar refuting claims that the South African constitution is a colonialist document. She traces historical feminist documents to show the role that ALL women played in developing equality law.

Prisoner Voting Rights: The Constitutional and Policy Case for Complying With the European Court of Human Rights: Sir Jeffrey Jowell QC (UCL) argues that not implementing the European Court of Human Rights judgments against the UK blanket ban on prisoner voting violates the international rule of law. He also argues that disenfranchising prisoners violates the domestic common law principles of equality and the proper use of representative democracy.

What are Human Rights?: A conversation between Kate O’Regan, Director of the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights at the University of Oxford, and Sandy Fredman, Professor of Law, University of Oxford and Director of the Oxford Human Rights Hub on the nature and scope of human rights, the interaction between domestic, regional and international human rights instruments and the role of judges when interpreting human rights.

The Challenge of Human Rights Advocacy: Francesca Klug (LSE) noted that it not a time for human rights advocates to despair but to be crystal clear. She argues that at the end of the Cold War, UK human rights advocates turned the lens on domestic laws and policies and this is when the backlash began. It has resulted in a divergence between civil liberty campaigns and human rights.By focusing on the protection of minorities and relying too heavily on legal frameworks human rights advocates are often isolated and human rights become vulnerable. She advocates for a return to strong normative arguments that forcefully and persuasively demonstrate the value and importance of legal protection of human rights.

We look forward to hosting more thought-provoking seminars in 2017!