Shining a Light in the Darkness: How The Karnataka Model Bridges Economic Divides and Advances Human Rights
OHRH Blog
by Jehosh Paul
1d ago
In a world where the economic divide between the rich and poor is ever widening, recent Oxfam reports have highlighted the widening chasm between the affluent and the impoverished in India, revealing a scenario where prosperity is a privilege of the few. Amidst this challenging backdrop, the state of Karnataka has emerged as a beacon of hope and change. Known as the ‘Karnataka Model’, the state’s innovative approach weaves together governance and social welfare through its five guarantee schemes. This model not only showcases the potential of targeted state-led interventions to uplift millions ..read more
Visit website
The UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief: Key reports, themes, and issues
OHRH Blog
by Farrah Raza
1d ago
The right to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FORB) continues to be one of the most important and vulnerable human rights globally. Evidence of rising incidents of racial and religious discrimination, including antisemitism and Islamophobia, demonstrate the continued need for robustly protecting religious freedom by state parties, governmental institutions, private actors, and civil society. This blog highlights key aspects of the current UNSpecial Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief Professor Nazila Ghanea’s initial scene setting report of the mandate entitled Landscape of freedom of re ..read more
Visit website
Shamima Begum – A Disappointing Precedent for the Protection of Victims of Trafficking
OHRH Blog
by Kirsten Larson
3d ago
As the face of the UK’s counter-terrorism response, the Shamima Begum case continues to shine a spotlight on the critical intersection of counter-terrorism measures and the problem of human trafficking. The recent decision by the UK Court of Appeal regarding Begum’s citizenship deprivation under section 40 of the British Nationality Act 1981 further underscores the need for a comprehensive understanding of trafficking dynamics within the context of terrorism. In February 2015, Begum left her family in the UK to travel to Syria and align herself with the Islamic State (ISIS), an UN-designated t ..read more
Visit website
The Aberdeen housing crisis: Cementing housing rights in Scotland
OHRH Blog
by Justin Winchester
1w ago
In February 2024, hundreds of residents of privately and council-owned houses in Aberdeen began being moved out of their homes after around 500 homes were found to have been constructed using reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC). RAAC is a lightweight, porous version of concrete commonly used between 1950 to 1990 that is vulnerable to water ingress, decay and collapse. This unenviable catastrophe has demanded a re-examination into what housing rights are and do, three aspects of which I explore.   Austerity kills: Policy versus rights   As a start, the crisis highli ..read more
Visit website
Undermining the Right to Seek Asylum: Analysing the Proposed US Border Measures’ Impact on the Fundamental Human Rights of Migrants
OHRH Blog
by Philip Collins
1w ago
A 370-page bill that emerged earlier this year out of backroom negotiations between the US Senate and the White House would entrench into law some of the most restrictive asylum and immigration policies the US has seen in well over 30 years. Entitled the Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act 2024 (HR 815), the bill joins a similar proposition made last summer by the U.S. House of Representatives known as HR 2, or the Secure the Border Act 2023. If passed, these restrictions would add to the heavy burden asylum-seekers already face in light of the Biden Administration’s ‘2 ..read more
Visit website
If Frozen Embryos Are Unborn Children Then What Is IVF’s Future in the United States?
OHRH Blog
by Anne Marie Lofaso
1w ago
In Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022), the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade(1973), and the fate of reproductive freedom fell to the political whims of state legislators. As of January 2024, 14 states have banned abortion in nearly all circumstances, judges have blocked bans in three other states, seven states have placed a gestational limit on abortions ranging from six to 12 weeks, six states have maintained their pre-Dobbs laws, and twenty states plus the District of Columbia have added additional protections. The post-Dobbs world thus created chaos. Que ..read more
Visit website
The Fundamental Rights of Trans and Nonbinary Minors in Schools: Challenges in Canada
OHRH Blog
by Robert Leckey and Florence Ashley and Samuel Singer
1w ago
The pernicious instinct to roll back the rights of trans and nonbinary folks for political gain has drifted north from the USA to Canada. Three provinces have recently announced reductions to the capacity for trans and nonbinary minors to decide the name and gender used for them in school. Legal challenges against these policies call for refining our understanding of children’s and youths’ fundamental rights in this context. Requirements for parental consent before schools honour students’ self-identification have been set up in New Brunswick and Saskatchewan. Alberta has promised to follow su ..read more
Visit website
The Enshrinement of Abortion in the French Constitution. Kairos: Dobbs as a window of opportunity? (Part I)
OHRH Blog
by Stéphanie Hennette Vauchez
2w ago
On 8 March 2024, the sealing ceremony for the 25th amendment to the French Constitution of 1958 took place at the ministry of Justice in Paris, marking the inclusion in the Constitution of the “guaranteed freedom” for women to abortion. This two-part blog examines the enshrinement of abortion in the French Constitution. In the first part, the blog offers recounts of the parliamentary debates that led to the final vote on March 4. The second part argues that, while the amendment can be celebrated as a pioneering move, caution is also in order in terms of assessing the exact scope of the amendme ..read more
Visit website
The Enshrinement of Abortion in the French Constitution. Phronesis: after the celebration, a call for caution (Part II)
OHRH Blog
by Stéphanie Hennette Vauchez
2w ago
The first part of this blog examined the process that led to the amendment that enshrined abortion in the French Constitution. In this second part, it is argued that, while the amendment can be celebrated as a pioneering move thanks to the successful ways in which members of the Parliament have seized a historical window of opportunity, caution is also in order in terms of assessing the exact scope of the amendment. Let us imagine that, tomorrow, the Parliament were to reduce the legal time frame for abortion from 14 to 12 weeks. Is it certain that the Conseil constitutionnel would declare suc ..read more
Visit website
Tide Turning on Australia’s Inadequate Climate Policy? A Challenge from First Nations Peoples in the Torres Strait
OHRH Blog
by Madeleine McGregor
2w ago
The low-lying islands of Zendath Kes (Torres Strait) are the frontlines of the climate crisis. Without action, climate change will soon make these islands uninhabitable, rendering First Nations Guda Maluyligal people Australia’s first climate refugees and extinguishing thousands of years of traditional culture. Meanwhile, Australia remains among the world’s the highest GHG emitters per capita, despite the 2022 Human Rights Committee decision that Australia’s failure to adapt to climate change constitutes a violation of Torres Strait Islanders’ rights under the ICCPR. Traditional Owners of the ..read more
Visit website

Follow OHRH Blog on FeedSpot

Continue with Google
Continue with Apple
OR