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Title: Five years on. No justice for sexual violence in Darfur.
Author: Human Rights Watch
Source: New York, New York, Human Rights Watch, 2008 Apr. 44 p. (1-56432-302-1)
Abstract: Five years into the armed conflict in Sudan's Darfur region, women and girls living in displaced persons camps, towns, and rural areas remain extremely vulnerable to sexual violence. Sexual violence continues to occur throughout the region, both in the context of continuing attacks on civilians, and during periods of relative calm. Those responsible are usually men from the Sudanese security forces, militias, rebel groups, and former rebel groups, who target women and girls predominantly (but not exclusively) from Fur, Zaghawa, Masalit, Berti, Tunjur, and other non-Arab ethnicities. Survivors of sexual violence in Darfur have no meaningful access to redress. They fear the consequences of reporting their cases to the authorities and lack the resources needed to prosecute their attackers. Police are physically present only in principal towns and government outposts, and they lack the basic tools and political will for responding to sexual violence crimes and conducting investigations. Police frequently fail to register complaints or conduct proper investigations. While some police seem genuinely committed to service, many exhibit an antagonistic and dismissive attitude toward women and girls. These difficulties are exacerbated by the reluctance-and limited ability-of police to investigate crimes committed by soldiers or militia, who often gain effective immunity under laws that protect them from civilian prosecution. (excerpt)
Language: English
Keywords:
SUDAN | CRITIQUE | RECOMMENDATIONS | EVALUATION | WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT | INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS | POLICE | RAPE | REFUGEE CAMPS | FEAR | LITIGATION | JURISPRUDENCE | UN | INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION | Developing Countries | Africa, North | Africa | Economic Development | Economic Factors | Settlement and Resettlement | Migration | Population Dynamics | Demographic Factors | Population | Corrections Officers | Government | Political Factors | Sociocultural Factors | Crime | Social Problems | Residence Characteristics | Population Distribution | Geographic Factors | Emotions | Psychological Factors | Behavior | International Agencies | Organizations
Document Number: 326745

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Peer Reviewed

Title: Reproductive health in Iran: pragmatic achievements, unmet needs, and ethical challenges in a theocratic system.
Author: Mehryar AH; Ahmad-Nia S; Kazemipour S
Source: Studies in Family Planning. 2007 Dec;38(4):352-361.
Abstract: Since its revival in 1989, the reproductive health and family planning program of Iran has made great strides in raising the contraceptive prevalence rate and reducing fertility. The majority of couples are using modern methods promoted and provided by the national program, although a sizable proportion of couples continue to depend on the traditional method of withdrawal. The longstanding urban-rural gap in contraceptive prevalence rates has been reduced to about 10 percent, which is mainly the result of better-educated urban couples' continued practice of withdrawal. Despite its enormous success in meeting the needs of married couples, in narrowing the urban-rural gap in access to and use of modern contraceptives, and in reducing fertility, the Iranian family planning program is open to criticism for confining its target audience to married couples and failing to address the issue of abortion. The restrictive aspects of the program are often justified on the grounds of religious values and fear of encouraging sexual promiscuity. Because of the theocratic nature of the political system and the immense power enjoyed by Shiite ulama (religious leaders), no step can be taken to address these restrictions without their implicit support and approval. This study describes some of the ethical issues facing the reproductive health program of Iran and indicates how pragmatic approaches adopted by the ruling Shiite ulama to solve some of the social and medical challenges of a rapidly modernizing society may be extended to overcome ethical hurdles faced by the reproductive health program. (author's)
Language: English
Keywords:
IRAN | CRITIQUE | REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH | NEEDS | ETHICS | ISLAM | FAMILY PLANNING PROGRAMS | CONTRACEPTION | ABORTION LAW | JURISPRUDENCE | POLITICAL FACTORS | STERILIZATION, SEXUAL | Developing Countries | Middle East | Health | Economic Factors | Sociocultural Factors | Religion | Family Planning | Fertility Control, Postconception
Document Number: 322351 Notification

4.
Title: Towards non-discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation: The normative basis and procedural possibilities before the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights and the African Union.
Author: Murray R; Viljoen F
Source: Human Rights Quarterly. 2007 Feb;29(1):86-111.
Abstract: The African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, through the work of its Commission, has been interpreted in an increasingly dynamic fashion since its establishment in 1986. Through some innovative jurisprudence on the extensive range of rights available in the Charter, the Commission is starting to be taken seriously. However, one area that has been on the margins of international human rights law, sexual orientation, has also remained largely outside the consideration of the African Commission. This is despite the fact that violations continue against gays and lesbians across the African continent. This article seeks to outline how the African Charter regards the issue of gay and lesbian rights and how those working in this area can make use of the mechanisms available through the African Commission. (author's)
Language: English
Keywords:
AFRICA | AFRICA, SUB SAHARAN | AFRICA, NORTH | RESEARCH REPORT | HUMAN RIGHTS | HETEROSEXUALS | HOMOSEXUALS | JURISPRUDENCE | SOCIAL DISCRIMINATION | MORTALITY | HIV PREVENTION | GOVERNMENT | Developing Countries | Political Factors | Sociocultural Factors | Sex Behavior | Behavior | Social Problems | Population Dynamics | Demographic Factors | Population | HIV Infections | Viral Diseases | Diseases
Document Number: 312022

Peer Reviewed

Title: Child rights and child poverty: Can the international framework of children's rights be used to improve child survival rates?
Author: Pemberton S; Gordon D; Nandy S; Pantazis C; Townsend P
Source: PLoS Medicine. 2007 Oct;4(10):e307.
Abstract: The purpose of this short paper is to explain how the international framework of human rights can be better used to help reduce child poverty and improve child survival rates. It is estimated that over 10 million children in developing countries die each year, mainly from preventable causes. In approximately half of these deaths, malnutrition is a contributory cause. However, the World Health Organization has argued that seven out of ten childhood deaths in such countries can be attributed to just five main causes, or their combination. In addition to malnutrition, these causes are pneumonia, diarrhoea, measles, and malaria. Around the world, three of every four children seen by health services are suffering from at least one of these conditions. Many of these deaths could be prevented using readily available medical technologies at comparatively little cost. In 1997, the United Nations Development Programme estimated that the cost of providing basic health and nutrition for every person on the planet was $13 billion per year for ten years. To place this sum in perspective, in 2002, the United States population spent $30 billion on pizza and Europeans spent $12 billion on dog and cat food. (excerpt)
Language: English
Keywords:
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES | CRITIQUE | CHILD | CHILD HEALTH | MALNUTRITION | POVERTY | CHILD SURVIVAL | PNEUMONIA | DIARRHEA | MEASLES | MALARIA | HUMAN RIGHTS | NATURAL DISASTERS | ADVOCACY | JURISPRUDENCE | PROGRAM DESIGN | Youth | Age Factors | Population Characteristics | Demographic Factors | Population | Health | Nutrition Disorders | Diseases | Socioeconomic Factors | Economic Factors | Survivorship | Length of Life | Mortality | Population Dynamics | Pulmonary Effects | Physiology | Biology | Viral Diseases | Parasitic Diseases | Political Factors | Sociocultural Factors | Environment | Communication | Programs | Organization and Administration
Document Number: 322092

6.
Title: Justiciability of economic, social, and cultural rights in the inter-American system of protection of human rights: Beyond traditional paradigms and notions.
Author: Tinta MF
Source: Human Rights Quarterly. 2007 May;29(2):431-459.
Abstract: The separation of human rights into two distinct sets remains the underlying paradigm of most legal thinking produced on the subject of economic, social, and cultural rights. From this perspective international law appears as a static, rigid system of watertight legal compartments: even when acknowledging some interrelatedness, the compartments remain the rule nevertheless. This article is written from a perspective that takes a different view. Artificial separations are just that: artificial. Rights in real life are interwoven and each, in its own right, pose challenges to the legal mind, to provide a remedy. Justiciability is no longer a matter of perfectly dissecting and distinguishing the inseparable but of finding the key relations between apparently separate notions. Remedies can take "a myriad of forms." By looking into the practice of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights through the analysis of its case law, this article first provides a theoretical point of departure under general international law for understanding economic, social, and cultural rights as primary rules. It then analyses the current jurisprudence of the Court in its integrated approach to rights. It finally goes on to analyze the different manners in which this organ has been providing remedies for violations of these primary rules. From the implementation of interim measures in favor of HIV patients (right to health) to the development of doctrinal notions of the right to life including the right to a "dignified and decent existence" to its substantive approach to the interpretation of human rights under the American Convention, this article argues that the jurisprudence of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights-paradoxically coming from a poverty-stricken region-is contributing to a new era of effectively dealing with violations of economic, social, and cultural rights. (author's)
Language: English
Keywords:
AMERICAS | CRITIQUE | LOW INCOME POPULATION | PERSONS LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS | HUMAN RIGHTS | CULTURE | ECONOMIC FACTORS | JURISPRUDENCE | LITIGATION | COURT DECISION | Developed Countries | Developing Countries | Social Class | Socioeconomic Status | Socioeconomic Factors | HIV Infections | Viral Diseases | Diseases | Political Factors | Sociocultural Factors
Document Number: 317578

7.
Title: Pakistan recognises women's rights [editorial]
Source: Lancet. 2006 Dec 2;368(9551):1938.
Abstract: Every two hours, a woman is raped in Pakistan, with a quarter of the assaults being perpetrated by gangs. These shocking statistics from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan are thought to be substantial underestimates because the country's discriminatory laws deter women from reporting such crimes. However, Pakistan's approval of the Women's Protection Bill earlier this month offers hope that things may be set to improve. In 1979, the Hudood Ordinances were introduced to Pakistan. They form part of Sharia law, which aims to bring civil law into conformity with Islam, and include the crimes of Zina (sexual intercourse with anyone other than your lawful spouse) and Qazf (wrongful accusation of Zina). Rape cases are dealt with by the Sharia courts rather than the criminal courts, but under the Ordinances a woman's evidence is not admissible. So for a conviction of rape the perpetrator must either confess, or four men must testify to eye-witness accounts. If a woman makes a claim of rape that does not result in a conviction, she has effectively admitted to committing a Zina crime and can be charged as such--the maximum sentence is death by stoning. (excerpt)
Language: English
Keywords:
PAKISTAN | CRITIQUE | WOMEN | HUMAN RIGHTS | RAPE | SEX DISCRIMINATION | LEGISLATION | ISLAM | RELIGIOUS ASPECTS | JURISPRUDENCE | WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT | Asia, Southern | Asia | Developing Countries | Demographic Factors | Population | Political Factors | Sociocultural Factors | Crime | Social Problems | Social Discrimination | Religion | Women's Status | Socioeconomic Factors | Economic Factors
Document Number: 311052

8.
Title: HIV status as a mitigating factor in sentencing: A critical review.
Author: Bhamjee S; Strode A
Source: Obiter. 2006;27(2):391-396.
Abstract: Crime and punishment have always gone hand in hand. Over the centuries, courts have struggled with the difficult task of finding appropriate sentences. In doing so, they have had to deal with moral, social and other issues whilst striving to find a balance between society's right to have justice done, and the offender's right not to face an unnecessarily harsh sentence (S v Calitz 2003 1 SACR 116 SCA 121I-J). The rationale behind any particular sentence has historically been retributive (the court in pronouncing a sentence and imposing it, exacts the community's lust for "revenge" in a legally sanctioned manner); preventative (once removed from free society, the offender is prevented from continuing to behave in the socially reprehensible manner for which he or she was convicted); reformative (once in custody of the correctional service authorities, the offender will be given the opportunity to reform, returning to society as a better citizen); and deterrent (the sentence imposed upon the offender discourages others from embarking on the criminal path (S v Khumalo 1984 3 SA 327 (A) 330D-E ). In a recent decision by the Supreme Court of Appeal, S v Magida (2005 2 SACR 591 (SCA)), the court held that the appellant was entitled to a lesser sentence because she was HIV-positive, had developed full-blown AIDS and could die soon (par 21). This case is significant as it is the first time the Supreme Court of Appeal has dealt with the circumstances in which HIV status ought to be a mitigating factor in sentencing. Whilst it is argued that the court's decision is correct, it is regrettable that the court glossed over the complexities relating to HIV status as a mitigating factor. (excerpt)
Language: English
Keywords:
SOUTH AFRICA | LITERATURE REVIEW | PERSONS LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS | PRISONERS | CRIME | JURISPRUDENCE | COURT DECISION | PRISONS | STIGMA | LIFE EXPECTANCY | Africa, Southern | Africa, Sub Saharan | Africa | Developing Countries | Persons Living With HIV/AIDS | HIV Infections | Viral Diseases | Diseases | Social Problems | Sociocultural Factors | Political Factors | Litigation | Length of Life | Mortality | Population Dynamics | Demographic Factors | Population
Document Number: 318439

Peer Reviewed

Title: A demographic perspective on the Muslim world.
Author: Jones GW
Source: Journal of Population Research. 2006;23(2):243-265.
Abstract: A demographic perspective is relevant to understanding the position of Muslims in today's world. This paper examines the size and growth of Muslim populations, and whether most Muslims live in overwhelmingly Muslim countries. It also examines indices of poverty and human development for Muslim-majority countries, and the growth of the youth population; finally, it examines the key components of population growth: mortality and fertility. Mortality has declined sharply over the past 15 years in many Muslim countries, though not in all, and Muslim countries are no longer prominent among the 'outliers' with higher mortality than expected on the basis of their income levels. Fertility rates are also declining sharply in a number of major Muslim-majority countries, raising interesting issues about attitudes of different schools of Islamic jurisprudence, village-level religious leaders and ordinary Muslims towards contraception and abortion, as well as the role of socio-economic development and family planning programs in fertility declines. Despite these declines, past high fertility in many Muslim-majority countries leaves as a legacy a rapidly growing adolescent population and a burgeoning, inadequately educated labour force. (author's)
Language: English
Keywords:
GLOBAL | CRITIQUE | ISLAM | DEMOGRAPHY | FERTILITY | MORTALITY | SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT | FAMILY PLANNING PROGRAMS | POVERTY | CONTRACEPTIVE USAGE | ABORTION | JURISPRUDENCE | Religion | Sociocultural Factors | Social Sciences | Science | Population Dynamics | Demographic Factors | Population | Economic Factors | Family Planning | Socioeconomic Factors | Contraception | Fertility Control, Postconception | Political Factors
Document Number: 324061 Notification

10.
Title: Are nursery schools "nice places" for children with HIV / AIDS? The case of Karen Perreira v Buccleuch Montessori Pre-School and Primary (PTY) LTD.
Author: Richter M
Source: South African Law Journal. 2006;123(2):220-231.
Abstract: This note concerns the access of a child with HIV to a private nursery school. It considers a judgment of the High Court which found no discrimination in the conduct of the nursery school when it did not admit the child but recommended to the applicant that her enrolment be deferred. It should be noted at the outset that the judgment is ambiguous and even confusing in places. It does not, therefore, lend itself to a thorough analysis of tests for AIDS discrimination. However, it does raise a number of hypothetical questions about differentiation and unfair discrimination on the basis of a positive HIV status. These are the basis of this note. In this note I set out the judgment in Karen Perreira v Buccleuch Montessori Pre-School and Primary (Pty) Ltd & others (WLD) unreported case no 4377/02 of 21 October 20031 (the Buccleuch case), as well as the main arguments of the applicant and the respondents. I then make certain hypothetical assumptions about the judgment and proceed to argue on the basis of these that the application of established equality tests would produce a finding of AIDS discrimination. I begin by placing the Buccleuch case in the context and history of AIDS discrimination law and jurisprudence in South Africa. (excerpt)
Language: English
Keywords:
SOUTH AFRICA | CRITIQUE | CASE STUDIES | PERSONS LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS | CHILD | SOCIAL DISCRIMINATION | COURT DECISION | LEGISLATION | SCHOOLS | JURISPRUDENCE | CONSTITUTION | STIGMA | Africa, Southern | Africa, Sub Saharan | Africa | Developing Countries | Studies | Research Methodology | HIV Infections | Viral Diseases | Diseases | Youth | Age Factors | Population Characteristics | Demographic Factors | Population | Social Problems | Sociocultural Factors | Litigation | Political Factors | Education | Human Rights
Document Number: 318457

11.

Title: Health legislation.
Author: Gray A; Govender M; Gengiah T; Singh J
Source: South African Health Review. 2005 Aug;:16-31.
Abstract: Health legislation can encompass almost any legal instrument that has a bearing on the health of the individual or community. To comprehensively cover all possible aspects is thus beyond the scope of a publication of this nature. This chapter focuses on the most important event of the last year, the promulgation of most of the National Health Act (Act 61 of 2003) ('Health Act'). This is the fundamental piece of health legislation that will shape the future of the South African health system. While the past year has not seen a large number of new Acts, some have been amended or brought into effect. The Minister of Health has also announced a very ambitious legislative programme for 2005. A feature of the past year has been the number of very important legal challenges to aspects of new health legislation, notably relating to termination of pregnancy and both traditional / complementary and orthodox medicines legislation. (author's)
Language: English
Keywords:
SOUTH AFRICA | CRITIQUE | LEGISLATION | NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICES | HEALTH SERVICES ADMINISTRATION | ABORTION LAW | JURISPRUDENCE | COURT DECISION | CONSTITUTION | HEALTH POLICY | DRUGS | Africa, Southern | Africa, Sub Saharan | Africa | Developing Countries | Political Factors | Sociocultural Factors | Health Services | Delivery of Health Care | Health | Management | Organization and Administration | Fertility Control, Postconception | Family Planning | Litigation | Human Rights | Policy | Treatment | Medical Procedures | Medicine
Document Number: 321600 Notification

12.

Title: Lost children of Central Asia.
Author: Babakulov U; Domagalskaya N; Lyanskaya E; Pyatibratova A; Sadanov R
Source: London, England, Institute for War and Peace Reporting [IWPR], 2004 Jan 19. 14 p. (Reporting Central Asia)
Abstract: Child prostitutes may be virtually invisible in the Central Asia republics, but they are there if you look hard enough � in discreet clubs, private homes converted into brothels, and hanging around on street corners. In a wide-ranging investigation conducted in four of the five countries � Kyrgyzstan, Kazakstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan � IWPR discovered that teenage girls are bought and sold as commodities, and in some cases shipped off to become sex slaves in the Gulf. A high premium is placed on virginity, but the average price of sex with a minor ranged between one and 10 US dollars. Some of the worst cases involve parents selling their own daughters for gain or out of sheer desperation. (excerpt)
Language: English
Keywords:
KYRGYZSTAN | KAZAKHSTAN | UZBEKISTAN | TAJIKISTAN | ORPHANS AND VULNERABLE CHILDREN | ADOLESCENTS, FEMALE | CHILD ABUSE | SEX WORKERS | POPULATION AT RISK | SEXUAL TRAFFICKING | RECRUITMENT ACTIVITIES | JURISPRUDENCE | SEXUAL ABUSE | Asia, Central | Asia | Developing Countries | Youth | Age Factors | Population Characteristics | Demographic Factors | Population | Adolescents | Crime | Social Problems | Sex Behavior | Behavior | Research Methodology | Program Activities | Programs | Organization and Administration | Family and Household
Document Number: 191080

13.
Title: Issue paper: Review and assessment of HIV / AIDS strategies that explicitly include attention to rights with a focus on Latin America. Treatment, care, and support. [Documento de debate: Rese�a y evaluaci�n de las estrategias para VIH/SIDA que incluyen expl�citamente la atenci�n a los derechos y se orientan a Am�rica Latina. Tratamiento, atenci�n y apoyo]
Author: Carrasco E
Source: Geneva, Switzerland, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV / AIDS [UNAIDS]. 2004. Prepared for the 4th Meeting of the UNAIDS Global Reference Group on HIV / AIDS and Human Rights, August 23-25, 2004. [3] p.
Abstract: Human Rights have become the base for various strategies for HIV/AIDS in Latin America not only for prevention, but also treatment, care and support (TCS). All of these are the result of a gradual evolution to understand HIV/AIDS, not only as an infectious disease, but also as a complex Human Rights situation which comprises the individual and social rights. The evidences of this change find themselves explicitly in the jurisprudence, legislation, regional declarations and in the national strategic plans for HIV/AIDS. These human necessities related to HIV/AIDS have been linked with fundamental rights, which are inherent to mankind, such as: life, free transit, cruel treatment, equality - nondiscrimination, liberty and personal safety, privacy, health, free development of personality, work, social security and education. Behavior and discriminatory attitudes, socially tolerated for stigmatized groups and populations, such as: homosexuals, intravenous drug users and certain nationalities, which where affected by the epidemic at the very beginning, lead to a wider spectrum of the vision of human rights, once it was understood that these accepted attitudes, were as well, violation of the fundamental human rights of these populations. However the validity of the human rights has seen itself affected, thus their full enjoyment and observance has been neglected and at the same time, the deserved attention earned by the vulnerable populations, has been obviated. (excerpt)
Spanish Abstract: Los derechos humanos constituyen la base de varias estrategias para VIH/SIDA en Am�rica Latina no s�lo en prevenci�n, sino tambi�n en tratamiento, atenci�n y apoyo (TCS, treatment, care, support). Este enfoque es el resultado de una evoluci�n gradual de la comprensi�n del VIH/SIDA, como enfermedad infecciosa y a la vez como situaci�n compleja de derechos humanos que abarca derechos individuales y sociales. Las pruebas de este cambio se manifiestan en la jurisprudencia, la legislaci�n, las declaraciones regionales y los planes estrat�gicos nacionales para VIH/SIDA. Estas necesidades humanas en relaci�n con VIH/SIDA se han vinculado con derechos fundamentales, inherentes a la humanidad, por ejemplo: vida, libre tr�nsito, tratamiento cruel, igualdad -no discriminaci�n, libertad y seguridad personal, privacidad, salud, desarrollo libre de la personalidad, trabajo, seguridad social y educaci�n. Tener en cuenta la conducta y las actitudes discriminatorias, socialmente toleradas hacia los grupos y poblaciones estigmatizados, entre ellos: homosexuales, usuarios de drogas intravenosas y ciertas nacionalidades, afectadas desde el comienzo por la epidemia, condujo a un espectro m�s amplio sobre la visi�n de los derechos humanos, una vez que se comprendi� que esas actitudes aceptadas tambi�n constitu�an una violaci�n de los derechos humanos fundamentales de estas poblaciones. No obstante, la validez de los derechos humanos se ha visto afectada y, en consecuencia se ha dejado de lado su total vigencia y observancia; al mismo tiempo, se soslaya la merecida atenci�n que las poblaciones vulnerables han ganado. (extracto)
Language: English
Keywords:
LATIN AMERICA | NEEDS ASSESSMENT | JURISPRUDENCE | LEGISLATION | HIV INFECTIONS | DELIVERY OF HEALTH CARE | HUMAN RIGHTS | TREATMENT | Developing Countries | Americas | Evaluation | Viral Diseases | Diseases | Health
Document Number: 279868

14.
Title: Breaking the silence -- rape as an international crime.
Author: Ellis M
Source: [Unpublished] 2004. Presented at the Conference on Gender Justice in Post-Conflict Situations, "Peace Needs Women and Women Need Justice�. Co-organized by the United Nations Development Fund for Women [UNIFEM] and the International Legal Assistance Consortium. New York, New York, September 15-17, 2004. 5 p.
Abstract: In 1999, I stood among a sea of 20,000 desperate people on a dirt airfield outside Skopje, Macedonia, listening to one harrowing story after another. I had come to the Stenkovec refugee camp to record those stories and to help set up a system for documenting atrocities in Kosovo. The refugees with whom I spoke described being robbed, beaten, herded together and forced to flee their villages with nothing but the clothes they were wearing. Yet, what I remember most vividly are the lost expressions on the faces of the young women and girls in the camp. At first, they did not speak a word. Their silence acted as a veil, concealing crimes that they could not emotionally recollect. However, slowly, through time and comfort in speaking to female counsellors, their stories emerged. The brutality and systematic consistency of the sexual violence perpetrated on these women were mind-numbing. The widespread practice of rape against Muslim women was more than a consequence of war, it was an instrument of war with the intent of destroying the cultural fabric of a targeted group. This experience brought home to me a truism in international and national conflict: women suffer disproportionately to the atrocities committed against civilians. (excerpt)
Language: English
Keywords:
MACEDONIA | WORKSHOPS | UN | WOMEN | VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN | WAR | RAPE | CRIME | LAWS AND STATUTES | JURISPRUDENCE | Europe, Southeastern | Europe | Developing Countries | Education | International Agencies | Organizations | Political Factors | Sociocultural Factors | Demographic Factors | Population | Domestic Violence | Social Problems
Document Number: 321693

15.
Title: The international criminal court's protection of women: the hands of justice at work.
Author: Karkera TR
Source: Journal of Gender, Social Policy and the Law. 2004;12(1):197-231.
Abstract: Sexual violence against women during conflict and war has always had a place in history. However, protection against such genderbased violence found a place in international criminal statutes only after World War II. The Nuremberg Charter of the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg (�IMT�) did not criminalize rape but created the category of crimes against humanity, which today encompasses gender-based crimes such as rape. Nearly a year later, the International Military Tribunal for the Far East at Tokyo (�IMTFE�) included rape as a violation of war in the Tokyo Charter. While the significance of such prosecutable crimes in the Nuremberg and Tokyo Charters is arguable, the inclusion of rape as a war crime served as the foundation for the wide acknowledgment of genderbased crimes and crimes specifically targeting women. Consequently, an increased awareness of gender-based crimes is evident in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. This Comment analyzes the Rome Statute and the degree to which the International Criminal Court (�ICC�) protects women from gender-based violence. Part I discusses the history of international criminal courts and the path leading up to the need for the ICC. It also explores discussions at the Rome Diplomatic Conference that placed gender-based crimes under the ICC�s jurisdiction. Part II addresses the protection that women receive under the ICC as regulated by the Rome Statute, specifically Articles 7 and 8 (�the Articles�), which lend greatest protection to women. Part III applies the Rome Statute�s Articles 7 and 8 to two regions: the Democratic Republic of Congo (�DRC�) and Kosovo. (excerpt)
Language: English
Keywords:
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO | YUGOSLAVIA | CRITIQUE | CRIME | INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION | UN | GENDER ISSUES | RAPE | SEXUAL TRAFFICKING | WAR | SOCIAL PROTECTION | JURISPRUDENCE | Africa, Central | Africa, Sub Saharan | Africa | Developing Countries | Europe, Southeastern | Europe | Social Problems | Sociocultural Factors | Political Factors | International Agencies | Organizations
Document Number: 288728

16.
Title: Abortion policy and the economics of fertility.
Author: Levine PB
Source: Society. 2004 May-Jun;41(4):79-85.
Abstract: The debate about abortion typically involves issues of philosophy, religion, ethnics, and feminism. When does life begin? Does a fetus have rights? Do women have the right to control their own reproductive functions? These issues are clearly important in determining one's position regarding the policies that regulate access to abortion. Rarely, if ever, does the debate regarding abortion policy focus on the results of economic analysis. Yet an alternative perspective that focuses on the behavioral implications of abortion policy may yield important insights. In fact, the majority of Americans express views regarding abortion that are not directly consistent with the ideological extremes of either prolife or pro-choice. Public opinion polls routinely find that over half the population believes that abortion should be allowed under limited circumstances. If the circumstances are so important, then factors other than ideology must shape people's opinions. President Clinton expressed a more pragmatic view of abortion policy in his address to the 1996 Democractic National Convention, stating "abortion should not only be safe and legal, it should be rare." This perspective highlights the importance of behavior over ideology. What we would prefer, according to this view, is for women to avoid unwanted pregnancies in the first place. (excerpt)
Language: English
Keywords:
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA | SUMMARY REPORT | ABORTION LAW | POLICY | FERTILITY | ECONOMIC FACTORS | JURISPRUDENCE | Developed Countries | North America | Americas | Fertility Control, Postconception | Family Planning | Population Dynamics | Demographic Factors | Population
Document Number: 284195

17.
Title: African women, violent crime and the criminal law in colonial Zimbabwe, 1900-1952.
Author: Zimudzi TB
Source: Journal of Southern African Studies. 2004 Sep;30(3):499-517.
Abstract: This article contributes to the emerging historiography on violent female crime in Africa by examining African women's violent crime in colonial Zimbabwe using a feminist conceptual framework of female criminality. It attempts to reconstruct and analyse the experiences of violent African female offenders in the colonial legal system by focusing on colonial High Court judges' perceptions of African women as perpetrators of violent crime and on the female offenders' perceptions of their own criminality. Two interrelated issues constitute the central focus. First, the article aims to show that colonial judges' interpretations of violent African female criminality often sought to diminish these women's moral responsibility for their crimes and to deny the rational nature of their crimes. Judicial treatment of such accused women was also highly paternalistic and partly based on the offenders' conformity to traditional gender-role stereotypes. Second, the agency of violent African women is highlighted by arguing that, contrary to the opinion of colonial judges, such female offenders were rational agents who had an awareness of the legal merits of their cases and often made a conscious effort to exploit those aspects of the colonial criminal justice system which they believed could work in their favour. The courtroom demeanour of African female offenders and their interpretations of their own crimes are given particular focus. The article is based mainly on an analysis of High Court of Southern Rhodesia criminal records relating to the most preponderant violent crimes committed by African women. These were intra-familial murders, namely spousal murder, the murder of other men and women closely related to the female offender, and the murder of newborn twins. (author's)
Language: English
Keywords:
ZIMBABWE | HISTORICAL REVIEW | WOMEN | COLONIALISM | LAWS AND STATUTES | CRIME | VIOLENCE | JURISPRUDENCE | GENDER ISSUES | SOCIAL DISCRIMINATION | RACE RELATIONS | Developing Countries | Africa, Southern | Africa, Sub Saharan | Africa | Demographic Factors | Population | Political Systems | Political Factors | Sociocultural Factors | Social Problems | Behavior
Document Number: 299487

18.

Title: Working within Nigeria's Sharia courts. An interview with Ayesha Imam.
Source: Human Rights Dialogue. 2003 Fall;(10):22-24. Human Rights Dialogue, Series 2
Abstract: Until 1999, Muslim laws in Nigeria applied primarily to civil matters. Since the end of military rule in 1999, twelve of Nigeria's thirty-six states have extended Muslim, or Sharia, laws to criminal matters. The implementation of Sharia penal codes has raised a number of concerns among human rights and women's rights activists inside and outside Nigeria who argue that these laws adversely affect women. Human Rights Dialogue spoke with Ayesha Imam about the work of the Nigerian organization BAOBAB for Women's Human Rights in protecting women's rights in Nigeria within the context of Sharia law. (excerpt)
Language: English
Keywords:
NIGERIA | CRITIQUE | LEGISLATION | RELIGIOUS ASPECTS | JURISPRUDENCE | ISLAM | EXTRAMARITAL SEX BEHAVIOR | HUMAN RIGHTS | WOMEN'S RIGHTS | TREATIES | Developing Countries | Africa, Western | Africa, Sub Saharan | Africa | Political Factors | Sociocultural Factors | Religion | Sex Behavior | Behavior
Document Number: 319225

19.
Title: Appendix. [Ap�ndice]
Author: Center for Reproductive Rights; Universidad de los Andes. Facultad de Derecho
Source: In: Bodies on trial: reproductive rights in Latin American courts, [compiled by] Center for Reproductive Rights [and] Universidad de los Andes. Facultad de Derecho. New York, New York, Center for Reproductive Rights, 2003. :103-145.
Abstract: The analysis of the laws and judicial decisions of the countries studied was made through the lens of the legal and political standards established by the international community. The legal standards consist of the jurisprudence issued by United Nations committees charged with monitoring compliance with international human rights treaties and that produced by the bodies comprising the Inter-American System for the Protection of Human Rights. The human rights standards include the agreements reached in recent international conferences that resulted in the consolidation of the recognition of reproductive rights as human rights. (excerpt)
Spanish Abstract: El an�lisis de las leyes y los fallos judiciales de los pa�ses estudiados se realiz� desde la perspectiva de las normas legales y pol�ticas establecidas por la comunidad internacional. Las normas legales consisten de jurisprudencia emitida por comisiones de las Naciones Unidas que ten�an a su cargo la supervisi�n del cumplimiento de los tratados internacionales sobre derechos humanos, y producida por los organismos que componen el Sistema interamericano de protecci�n de los derechos humanos. Las normas sobre derechos humanos incluyen los acuerdos alcanzados en conferencias internacionales recientes que dieron por resultado la consolidaci�n en el reconocimiento de los derechos reproductivos como derechos humanos. (extracto)
Language: English
Keywords:
LATIN AMERICA | CATALOG | REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS | HUMAN RIGHTS | JURISPRUDENCE | TREATIES | COURT DECISION | WOMEN'S STATUS | DOMESTIC VIOLENCE | FERTILITY RATE | MATERNAL HEALTH | Developing Countries | Americas | Political Factors | Litigation | Socioeconomic Factors | Economic Factors | Crime | Social Problems | Birth Rate | Fertility Measurements | Fertility | Population Dynamics | Demographic Factors | Population | Health
Document Number: 195019

20.
Title: Argentina: rights missing from the courts. [Argentina: ausencia de derechos en los tribunales]
Author: Center for Reproductive Rights; Universidad de los Andes. Facultad de Derecho
Source: In: Bodies on trial: reproductive rights in Latin American courts, [compiled by] Center for Reproductive Rights [and] Universidad de los Andes. Facultad de Derecho. New York, New York, Center for Reproductive Rights, 2003. :21-36.
Abstract: The federal constitution as well as the civil and commercial procedural codes establish the petition for amparo (see infra human rights instruments) in such a manner that it represents a useful tool for the protection of human rights. The only institutional restriction is the requirement that it be brought before a judge who regularly hears petitions on the same subject. Despite the fact that the federal constitution is lacking explicit protection of rights, the direct incorporation into the constitution of the most important human rights treaties guarantees at least minimum protection of internationally recognized rights by Argentine courts. Provincial legal instruments, including constitutions, can be used as a tool to fill the vacuum in the Argentine legal system due to the lack of a federal bill of rights. The leadership exerted by the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires on the other provinces, and even the federal government, has been decisive in the recognition of fundamental rights and their legislative development. This is evident in the constitutional establishment and legislative development in Buenos Aires of a specific list of rights that are similar to the most progressive interpretations of international treaties and conventions. One example is the Reproductive Health and Responsible Procreation Law. (excerpt)
Spanish Abstract: La constituci�n nacional al igual que los c�digos de procedimientos civiles y comerciales establecen el recurso de amparo (v�ase instrumentos de derechos infrahumanos) de modo que represente una herramienta �til para la protecci�n de los derechos humanos. La �nica restricci�n institucional es el requisito de que se lo presente ante un juez que atiende recursos sobre el mismo tema con regularidad. A pesar de que en la constituci�n nacional la protecci�n de los derechos no est� expl�citamente estipulada, la incorporaci�n directa en la constituci�n de los tratados m�s importantes sobre derechos humanos garantiza al menos un umbral de protecci�n de los derechos internacionalmente reconocidos por parte de los tribunales argentinos. Los instrumentos legales provinciales, incluidas las constituciones, se pueden utilizar como herramientas para llenar el vac�o provocado por la falta de una declaraci�n de derechos estatal en el sistema legal argentino. El liderazgo ejercido por la Ciudad aut�noma de Buenos Aires sobre las restantes provincias, e incluso sobre el gobierno nacional, ha sido decisivo en el reconocimiento de los derechos fundamentales y de su desarrollo legislativo. Esto se manifiesta en el establecimiento constitucional y en el desarrollo legislativo en Buenos Aires de una lista espec�fica de derechos que se asemejan a las interpretaciones m�s progresistas de los tratados y convenciones internacionales. Un ejemplo es la ley de Salud reproductiva y procreaci�n responsable. (extracto)
Language: English
Keywords:
ARGENTINA | CRITIQUE | HUMAN RIGHTS | CONSTITUTION | LEGISLATION | JURISPRUDENCE | COURT DECISION | SOCIAL DISCRIMINATION | DOMESTIC VIOLENCE | REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS | ABORTION LAW | SOCIAL SECURITY | Developing Countries | South America, Southern | South America | Latin America | Americas | Litigation | Social Problems | Crime | Fertility Control, Postconception | Family Planning | Government Financing | Financial Activities | Economic Factors
Document Number: 195016

21.
Title: Chile: cult of formality. [Chile: el culto a la formalidad]
Author: Center for Reproductive Rights; Universidad de los Andes. Facultad de Derecho
Source: In: Bodies on trial: reproductive rights in Latin American courts, [compiled by] Center for Reproductive Rights [and] Universidad de los Andes. Facultad de Derecho. New York, New York, Center for Reproductive Rights, 2003. :37-49.
Abstract: A recurso de protecci�n, or petition for protection of constitutional rights, (see infra mechanisms for the protection for human rights) as established in the Chilean Constitution and the laws that regulate it, is an appropriate mechanism to guarantee the effectiveness of human rights. The courts have narrowly interpreted which rights can be protected by this mechanism and they have occasionally used some of these rights to safeguard those that are not as clearly protected. For example, in the case of a pregnant university student who was petitioning for the right to stay in school, the courts protected her right by invoking the property rights she assumed upon matriculation. Although Chilean law still maintains a prohibition on divorce and formally provides that the husband shall administer his wife�s assets, judges have generally protected women�s assets and have been very flexible regarding evidence in annulment proceedings. These enlightened attitudes demonstrate a desire of the legal system to respond effectively and justly to people�s needs. These progressive attitudes can be utilized in other areas, though the extent to which the protection of rights is subject to the whims of individual judges is troubling. (excerpt)
Spanish Abstract: Un recurso de amparo, o petici�n por la protecci�n de los derechos humanos (v�ase infra mecanismos para la protecci�n de derechos humanos) seg�n lo establece la constituci�n chilena y las leyes que la rigen, es un mecanismo adecuado para garantizar la efectividad de los derechos humanos. Los tribunales han interpretado restrictivamente los derechos que gozan de la protecci�n de este mecanismo y de vez en cuando han utilizado algunos de estos derechos para salvaguardar aquellos que no est�n protegidos con tanta claridad. Por ejemplo, en el caso de una estudiante universitaria embarazada que present� una demanda por el derecho de permanecer en la facultad, los tribunales protegieron su derecho mediante la invocaci�n de los derechos de propiedad que ella asumi� cuando se matricul�. Si bien la ley chilena a�n mantiene una prohibici�n sobre el divorcio y estipula formalmente que el esposo administrar� los activos de su esposa, los jueces generalmente protegen los bienes de las mujeres y han sido muy flexibles en relaci�n con las pruebas para los casos de anulaci�n. Estas actitudes inteligentes demuestran un deseo de que el sistema legal responda con eficacia y justicia a las necesidades de las personas. Actitudes progresistas como �stas pueden extenderse a otras esferas, aunque resulta preocupante el grado en el que la protecci�n de los derechos est� sujeta a los caprichos de cada juez. (extracto)
Language: English
Keywords:
CHILE | CRITIQUE | HUMAN RIGHTS | CONSTITUTION | LEGISLATION | PRIVACY | REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS | SOCIAL DISCRIMINATION | SOCIAL SECURITY | DIVORCE | JURISPRUDENCE | South America, Southern | South America | Latin America | Americas | Developing Countries | Behavior | Social Problems | Government Financing | Financial Activities | Economic Factors | Nuptiality
Document Number: 195013

22.
Title: Colombia: the tyranny of rights language. [Colombia: la tiran�a del lenguaje de la ley]
Author: Center for Reproductive Rights; Universidad de los Andes. Facultad de Derecho
Source: In: Bodies on trial: reproductive rights in Latin American courts, [compiled by] Center for Reproductive Rights [and] Universidad de los Andes. Facultad de Derecho. New York, New York, Center for Reproductive Rights, 2003. :51-73.
Abstract: The decisions of the Colombian high courts require that the
Spanish Abstract: Los fallos de los tribunales superiores de Colombia exigen que se comprenda la ley, tanto en la letra como en la pr�ctica, como una respuesta concreta a la din�mica social y que promueva el logro de la justicia en situaciones objetivas, m�s que de un modo abstracto mediante el texto de las leyes o la jurisprudencia. El Tribunal Constitucional ha sido el defensor m�s activo de la justicia real por sobre la te�rica y pionero en la intervenci�n judicial a trav�s del mecanismo de tutela. Esto ha mejorado el acceso de los sectores tradicionalmente marginados al sistema judicial. Adem�s, la interpretaci�n que los tribunales otorgan a los derechos ha contribuido a cambiar pr�cticas establecidas y perjudiciales de la sociedad colombiana. La Suprema Corte guarda una fuerte coherencia en su interpretaci�n progresista de los elementos en los delitos de violencia sexual. Adem�s ha establecido que la vida sexual de una v�ctima no es importante para la determinaci�n de si su libertad sexual ha sido violada en casos de supuesto abuso, que el testimonio de menores debe ser considerado y que no es necesario identificar demasiadas lesiones f�sicas para probar que una v�ctima resisti� el ataque. El Consejo de Estado ha reconocido la desigualdad que las mujeres experimentan en temas de reproducci�n y ha requerido que los empleadores apliquen la legislaci�n laboral general con ecuanimidad. Como resultado, el Consejo ha recomendado que del mismo modo en que se pueden despedir embarazadas por su incapacidad para trabajar, los trabajadores en el rubro administrativo, incluidos los empleados independientes, deben estar sujetos a normas laborales similares. (extracto)
Language: English
Keywords:
COLOMBIA | CRITIQUE | HUMAN RIGHTS | CONSTITUTION | LEGISLATION | JURISPRUDENCE | REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS | SEXUAL ABUSE | SOCIAL DISCRIMINATION | SOCIAL SECURITY | DOMESTIC VIOLENCE | PRIVACY | South America, Northern | South America | Latin America | Americas | Developing Countries | Crime | Social Problems | Government Financing | Financial Activities | Economic Factors | Behavior
Document Number: 195014

23.

Title: Introduction. [Introducci�n]
Author: Center for Reproductive Rights; Universidad de los Andes. Facultad de Derecho
Source: In: Bodies on trial: reproductive rights in Latin American courts, [compiled by] Center for Reproductive Rights [and] Universidad de los Andes. Facultad de Derecho. New York, New York, Center for Reproductive Rights, 2003. :7-19.
Abstract: This study provides a legal tool for advocates and is a source of information for research, lobbying and litigation. By providing an examination of the laws regarding sexual and reproductive rights and the manner in which judges have interpreted those laws, Bodies on Trial seeks to underscore judges� role in the application of laws intended to overcome the subordination of and discrimination against women. Specific Objectives: To facilitate the development of policies and to provide activists with strategies to promote the role of the judicial branch as protector and guarantor of women�s reproductive and sexual rights; To monitor the incorporation of international and regional human rights standards and systems of protection into sexual and reproductive guarantees at the national level; To contribute to the identification of the most effective mechanisms that non-governmental organizations (NGOs), law schools and the judicial branch can use to promote changes in judicial discourse so that reproductive rights are recognized in accordance with standards established by the international community. (excerpt)
Spanish Abstract: Este estudio ofrece una herramienta legal a los abogados defensores y constituye una fuente de informaci�n para la investigaci�n, el litigio y la acci�n de los grupos de presi�n. Mediante un an�lisis de las leyes relativas a los derechos sexuales y reproductivos y del modo en el que los jueces las han interpretado, Cuerpo y derecho (Legislaci�n y jurisprudencia en Am�rica Latina) busca destacar el papel de los jueces en la aplicaci�n de las leyes orientadas a superar la subordinaci�n de las mujeres y la discriminaci�n ejercida en su contra. Objetivos espec�ficos: Facilitar el desarrollo de pol�ticas y ofrecer a los activistas estrategias que promuevan el papel del poder judicial como protector y aval de los derechos reproductivos y sexuales de las mujeres; supervisar la incorporaci�n de normas y sistemas de protecci�n de derechos humanos internacionales y regionales a las garant�as sexuales y reproductivas a nivel nacional; contribuir con la identificaci�n de los mecanismos m�s efectivos que las organizaciones no gubernamentales (ONG), las facultades de derecho y el poder judicial pueden utilizar para promover cambios en el discurso pol�tico para que los derechos reproductivos se reconozcan de acuerdo con las normas establecidas por la comunidad internacional. (extracto)
Language: English
Keywords:
LATIN AMERICA | RECOMMENDATIONS | REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS | HUMAN RIGHTS | CONSTITUTION | LEGISLATION | JURISPRUDENCE | COURT DECISION | SOCIAL DISCRIMINATION | PRIVACY | WOMEN'S STATUS | Developing Countries | Americas | Litigation | Social Problems | Behavior | Socioeconomic Factors | Economic Factors
Document Number: 195015

24.
Title: Mexico: obsessed with honor. [M�xico: obsesi�n con el honor]
Author: Center for Reproductive Rights; Universidad de los Andes. Facultad de Derecho
Source: In: Bodies on trial: reproductive rights in Latin American courts, [compiled by] Center for Reproductive Rights [and] Universidad de los Andes. Facultad de Derecho. New York, New York, Center for Reproductive Rights, 2003. :75-89.
Abstract: The Mexican Constitution includes a broad list of rights, some established more recently than others. It also recognizes international treaties that are ratified by the state as superior to national laws. The action for unconstitutionality, although not for general public use, permits constitutional review. Additionally, any individual can petition for the unconstitutionality of laws in specific cases through amparo proceedings; amparo is also used to report actions of public officials that violate rights. It is important to clarify that these authorities� actions include the decisions of lower courts, providing a mechanism to reexamine cases where the rights violation can be attributed to an individual. Amparo proceedings allow the courts to intervene at the highest judicial level in the formation of everyday discourse as derived from constitutional language. Not only are amparo proceedings heard by the federal judiciary, but the Supreme Court also has the power to examine the most relevant cases for the purposes of establishing general doctrine on the interpretation of the constitution. The Supreme Court�s decisions on the rights analyzed here clearly reflect a will to include popular discourse. (excerpt)
Spanish Abstract: La constituci�n mexicana incluye una amplia lista de derechos, algunos de m�s reciente incorporaci�n que otros. Adem�s reconoce la superioridad de los tratados internacionales ratificados por el estado sobre la legislaci�n nacional. Las demandas por inconstitucionalidad, aunque no son de uso p�blico general, dan lugar a la revisi�n de la constituci�n. Por otra parte, cualquier persona puede presentar una demanda por inconstitucionalidad de las leyes en casos espec�ficos a trav�s de recursos de amparo; el recurso de amparo tambi�n se utiliza para denunciar actividades de funcionarios p�blicos que violan los derechos. Es importante aclarar que las acciones de estas autoridades incluyen las decisiones de los tribunales menores, suministrando un mecanismo para volver a analizar los casos en que la violaci�n de los derechos se puede atribuir a una sola persona. Los recursos de amparo permiten que los tribunales intervengan al m�s alto nivel judicial en la formaci�n del discurso cotidiano como producto derivado del lenguaje constitucional. Los recursos de amparo no s�lo son atendidos por el poder judicial nacional, sino que la Suprema Corte tambi�n tiene la facultad de evaluar los casos m�s importantes con el prop�sito de establecer la doctrina general sobre la interpretaci�n de la constituci�n. Las decisiones de la Suprema Corte sobre los derechos analizados en el presente trabajo reflejan la voluntad de incluir el discurso popular. (extracto)
Language: English
Keywords:
MEXICO | CRITIQUE | HUMAN RIGHTS | CONSTITUTION | COURT DECISION | WOMEN'S STATUS | JURISPRUDENCE | LEGISLATION | REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS | SOCIAL DISCRIMINATION | SOCIAL SECURITY | North America | Latin America | Americas | Developing Countries | Litigation | Socioeconomic Factors | Economic Factors | Social Problems | Government Financing | Financial Activities
Document Number: 195017

25.
Title: Peru: captive courts. [Per�: tribunales cautivos]
Author: Center for Reproductive Rights; Universidad de los Andes. Facultad de Derecho
Source: In: Bodies on trial: reproductive rights in Latin American courts, [compiled by] Center for Reproductive Rights [and] Universidad de los Andes. Facultad de Derecho. New York, New York, Center for Reproductive Rights, 2003. :91-101.
Abstract: The broad bill of rights in the 1993 constitution and the laws furthering constitutional protections for reproductive health constitute the main advantages of the Peruvian legal system. The Peruvian legal system also has the advantage of having multiple flexible and speedy mechanisms for the protection of rights. Additionally, the fact that all decisions denying protection of rights must be reviewed by the Constitutional Court opens the door for the active intervention of the court in the construction of a public discourse on human rights. The ombudsman�s office (Defensor�a del Pueblo) has been the government body most active in promoting, reporting and following up on women�s rights. The Peruvian high courts have defended the need to evaluate physical and psychological violence in accordance with criteria that are not limited by cultural and class differences. (excerpt)
Spanish Abstract: La amplitud de la declaraci�n de derechos de la constituci�n de 1993 y las leyes que ampliaron las protecciones constitucionales sobre salud reproductiva constituyen las principales ventajas del sistema legal peruano. Este sistema tambi�n cuenta con el beneficio de m�ltiples mecanismos flexibles y �giles para la protecci�n de los derechos. Adem�s, como el Tribunal Constitucional revisa todas los fallos que nieguen la protecci�n de los derechos, puede intervenir activamente en la construcci�n del discurso p�blico sobre derechos humanos. La Defensor�a del Pueblo ha sido el organismo gubernamental m�s activo en la promoci�n, la denuncia y el seguimiento de los derechos de las mujeres. Los tribunales superiores peruanos han defendido la necesidad de evaluar la violencia f�sica y psicol�gica de acuerdo con criterios que no est�n limitados por diferencias culturales y sociales. (extracto)
Language: English
Keywords:
PERU | CRITIQUE | HUMAN RIGHTS | CONSTITUTION | LEGISLATION | JURISPRUDENCE | REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS | SOCIAL DISCRIMINATION | SOCIAL SECURITY | PRIVACY | VIOLENCE | South America, Western | South America | Latin America | Americas | Developing Countries | Social Problems | Government Financing | Financial Activities | Economic Factors | Behavior
Document Number: 195018

26.

Title: Afghanistan: women and reconstruction.
Author: International Crisis Group
Source: Kabul, Afghanistan, International Crisis Group, 2003 Mar 14. [5], 32 p. (ICG Asia Report No. 48)
Abstract: The establishment of an Interim Administration for Afghanistan during the Bonn talks in December 2001 was heralded as offering Afghan women a chance to claim their place in public life and participate in the country�s development after systemic exclusion under the Taliban. Creation of a Ministry of Women�s Affairs, the commitment of substantial donor assistance to programs targeting women, and, most critically, the return of women to universities, schools, and government offices all portended a new day. Lost in the initial euphoria, however, was attention to the critical factors that had made past reform on women�s rights unsustainable and to the task of identifying strategies for mainstreaming gender issues in the development process as a whole. Without a coherent policy regarding gender and development on the part of both the international community and the Karzai government, donor assistance is being channelled to projects likely to prove at most symbolic. The Ministry of Women�s Affairs is the logical vehicle for developing strategies to embed gender in the planning activities of the line ministries. It has, however, been hobbled by lack of professional capacity and a hierarchical structure that impedes collaboration between its departments. This stems in part from its absorption of a communist-era women�s association, whose vocational training mission is ill suited to current challenges. In the words of a gender specialist in Kabul, the ministry is �functioning as a relatively large NGO�. The steps needed to make it more effective include re-staffing to develop research, program development, and budgeting capabilities; creation of links between its departments; and establishment of health, education, and gender advocacy and training departments. (excerpt)
Language: English
Keywords:
AFGHANISTAN | HISTORICAL REVIEW | RECOMMENDATIONS | WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT | WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT | WOMEN'S STATUS | GENDER ISSUES | POLITICAL FACTORS | POLITICAL SYSTEMS | GOVERNMENT | RELIGION | SOCIOECONOMIC FACTORS | JURISPRUDENCE | RELIGIOUS ASPECTS | Asia, Southern | Africa | Developing Countries | Economic Development | Economic Factors
Document Number: 182399

27.
Title: Is self-abortion a fundamental right?
Author: Alford SM
Source: Duke Law Journal. 2003 Mar;52(5):1011-1030.
Abstract: Kawana Ashley, an unwed, pregnant teenager, had reasons for wanting to terminate her pregnancy. Unfortunately for Ashley, she was twenty-five weeks pregnant and could no longer obtain a legal abortion because the fetus was viable. So, on March 27, 1994, she obtained a gun and shot herself across the abdomen in an attempt to terminate her pregnancy. Ashley was rushed to the hospital and survived her self-inflicted gunshot wound. Her fetus, however, had been struck by the bullet and died fifteen days later. Ashley was prosecuted for manslaughter and third-degree murder, but the Florida Supreme Court held that a pregnant woman cannot be charged with these crimes for self-aborting. The court held that, under Florida law, Ashley could self-abort at any time during her pregnancy, even when the fetus was viable. (excerpt)
Language: English
Keywords:
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA | FLORIDA | WOMEN | ABORTION | REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS | ABORTION LAW | JURISPRUDENCE | North America | Americas | Developed Countries | Demographic Factors | Population | Fertility Control, Postconception | Family Planning | Human Rights
Document Number: 284372 Notification

28.
Title: When you come to a fork in the road, take it?: Abortion, personhood, and the jurisprudence of neutrality.
Author: Beckwith FJ
Source: Journal of Church and State. 2003 Jun;:485-497.
Abstract: Yogi Berra is no Aristotle. But his unintentionally humorous aphorisms, recently collected by him and his family, teach us something about the nature of philosophical reasoning, and jurisprudence in particular, that in some ways reveals more of what we know about the way reality or knowledge operates than, let's say, the skeptical stipulations of professional philosophers. We laughed the first time we heard Yogi quoted as saying, "When you come to a fork in the road, take it." We laugh because we know that you must go down one road or the other; the fork, which is merely a shorthand way to describe the point at which the two roads meet at their termination, is not an option. You can't take a fork; you must take a road. Yet, the logical absurdity of Yogi's aphorism does not become less absurd if we were to apply it to the issue of abortion and substitute the two divergent roads with two contrary views of what it means for a human being to merit the protection of the law. One view picks out a decisive moment in human development--e.g., viability, sentience, self-consciousness-- before which a human being has no standing as a person under the law, while another view affirms that because a human being maintains absolute identity through change and thus endures as the same being over time --from conception, to viability, and until natural death--the law should protect human beings as long as they exist. According to the latter view, the actualization of a human being's potentials--that is, her "human" appearance, achievement of viability, and/or the exercise of her rational and moral powers as an adult--carry no moral, and thus no legal, weight, for they are merely the public presentation of functions latent in every human being from the moment she comes into being that she may lose and regain throughout her life without ceasing to be herself. However, when an esteemed jurist instructs us that his court opinion takes no position on which of these two views is correct, even though that opinion marks off one set of human beings as objects that may be killed without justification and marks off another set of human beings as subjects that may do the killing with the law's permission, he is no different than Yogi Berra saying, "when you come to a fork in the road, take it." Despite protestations to the contrary, the law is in fact drawing a line and instructing us who is and who is not a being entitled to the protections accorded by our political community. (excerpt)
Language: English
Keywords:
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA | LITERATURE REVIEW | ABORTION LAW | ABORTION | ATTITUDES | JURISPRUDENCE | North America | Americas | Developed Countries | Fertility Control, Postconception | Family Planning | Psychological Factors | Behavior
Document Number: 287177 Notification

29.
Title: Privacy rights and abortion outing: a proposal for using common-law torts to protect abortion patients and staff.
Author: Clapman A
Source: Yale Law Journal. 2003 Apr;112(6):1545-1576.
Abstract: This Note examines the possibility of using common-law privacy rights to cover gaps left by other forms of legal protection. Part II sorts out the various privacy interests at stake in the debate over abortion outing and takes stock of the conflicting interests of anti-abortion protestors, which courts must also weigh. Part III develops an account of which privacy interests might be protected through the common law. It will be clear from this account that, in its current form, the common law fails to match many of our intuitions about privacy, or, at best, is inconsistent. Part IV addresses constitutional limits and considerations. Part V concludes. (excerpt)
Language: English
Keywords:
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA | CRITIQUE | PROVIDERS WITH CLIENTS | ABORTION | PRIVACY | LEGISLATION | COURT DECISION | CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION | JURISPRUDENCE | HUMAN RIGHTS | VIOLENCE | North America | Americas | Developed Countries | Health Services | Delivery of Health Care | Health | Interest Groups | Political Factors | Behavior | Fertility Control, Postconception | Family Planning | Litigation | Ethics
Document Number: 287214 Notification

30.

Title: Policy paralysis: a call for action on HIV / AIDS-related human rights abuses against women and girls in Africa.
Author: Csete J
Source: Human Rights Watch. New York, New York, Human Rights Watch, 2003 Dec. 96 p.
Abstract: If it can be said, as it can, that by the year 2020, the number of deaths from AIDS in Africa will approximate the number of deaths, military and civilian combined, in both world wars of the 20th century, then it should also be said that a pronounced majority of those deaths will be women and girls. The toll on women and girls is beyond human imagining; it presents Africa and the world with a practical and moral challenge which places gender at the centre of the human condition. The practice of ignoring a gender analysis has turned out to be lethal...For the African continent, it means economic and social survival. For the women and girls of Africa, it's a matter of life or death. The story of the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa, which has already claimed more than 20 million lives, is one of massive neglect and denial. Millions of Africans had already died before the continent�s AIDS epidemic even registered on the global radar screen or was publicly recognized as a problem by decision-makers in affected countries. It took even longer for Africa and the world to notice that in this epidemic, unlike AIDS in other regions of the world, women and girls became ill and died in greater numbers than men and boys. Sadly, policymakers still are not taking into account the extent to which AIDS prevalence in Africa is a direct result of relentless human rights abuses that women and girls suffer because of their gender. (excerpt)
Language: English
Keywords:
AFRICA, SUB SAHARAN | RECOMMENDATIONS | WOMEN'S STATUS | CHILD, FEMALE | ORPHANS AND VULNERABLE CHILDREN | SEX WORKERS | HUMAN RIGHTS | HIV INFECTIONS | SEXUAL ABUSE | POVERTY | SOCIAL DISCRIMINATION | JURISPRUDENCE | DOMESTIC VIOLENCE | FEMALE GENITAL CUTTING | HARMFUL TRADITIONAL PRACTICES | Africa | Developing Countries | Socioeconomic Factors | Economic Factors | Child | Youth | Age Factors | Population Characteristics | Demographic Factors | Population | Sex Behavior | Behavior | Viral Diseases | Diseases | Crime | Social Problems | Traditional Health Practices | Culture | Family and Household
Document Number: 191259


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