Civil Society Academics and activists warn that the “global gag rule,” which prohibits funding for organizations that provide abortion services and was implemented by United States President Trump on Monday, will have a chilling effect on civil society programs in Latin America offering family planning, contraception, HIV/Aids, and abortion services. [Guardian] This week, United Nations experts called for the release
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IACtHR Holds Bolivia Responsible for Forced Sterilization in Landmark Judgment
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) examined for the first time the issue of informed consent to medical treatment and forced sterilization, in its judgment in I.V. v. Bolivia, released last week. [IACtHR Press Release (in Spanish)] The case involves a Peruvian refugee who was sterilized by a tubal ligation performed without her informed consent in a Bolivian public
Read moreJanuary 2017: Child Rights and Social Rights Committees in Session
In the month of January, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child and the European Committee of Social Rights will convene to assess States’ compliance with their human rights obligations by reviewing State reports and assessing individual complaints. In addition, three UN special rapporteurs will conduct country visits and the UN Working Group on the issue of
Read moreFirst Older Persons’ Rights Convention Enters into Force in Americas
The Inter-American human rights system will soon welcome the entry into force of the world’s first binding convention on the rights of older persons. Costa Rica deposited its ratification of the Inter-American Convention on Protecting the Human Rights of Older Persons on December 12, 2016. [OAS Press Release; IACHR Press Release] Costa Rica is the second OAS Member State—following Uruguay—to
Read moreMigrants Detained in Libya Face Serious Rights Abuses, UN Reports
A new report from the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights details rights abuses against migrants held in detention in Libya. Published on December 13, 2016, “Detained and dehumanized”: Report on Human Rights Abuses Against Migrants in Libya, summarizes information gathered from migrants held in detention centers that are mostly run
Read moreNews Clips- December 16, 2016
Civil Society Canada issued guidelines this week on supporting human rights defenders. [ISHR] Two UN Special Rapporteurs noted this week that the human rights defenders in the Occupied Palestinian Territory are frequently arbitrarily arrested and detained. [OHCHR Press Release] Protesters at a film festival in south India were arrested this week after refusing to stand for the national anthem. [Guardian]
Read moreDecember 2016: United Nations and Regional Human Rights Bodies in Session
In the month of December, various universal and regional bodies will be in session. Three United Nations treaty bodies will meet to engage with States regarding their treaty obligations related to torture, racial discrimination, and enforced disappearances. Seven UN special rapporteurs and one working group will conduct country visits, and three working groups will meet in Geneva, Switzerland to discuss
Read moreUN Working Group Releases Opinions on 21 Arbitrary Detention Cases
The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) recently released 21 opinions adopted during its August 2016 session, relating to 58 individuals in detention in 17 countries. [OHCHR Press Release] The opinions covered several topics within the WGAD’s mandate, including the treatment of minors in detention, the right to a fair trial, the rights to freedom of expression and
Read moreNews Clips – November 4, 2016
Civil Society Two girls in Morocco are facing charges of homosexual conduct after they were seen kissing. [Guardian] Thousands protested this week against the United Nation’s peace proposal to end the conflict in Yemen. [Al Jazeera] Several UN experts called on the Democratic Republic of the Congo to put an end to the ban on protests that has been in
Read moreUN Pledges Assistance to Haiti Cholera Victims, Avoids Legal Responsibility
In the wake of a new cholera outbreak in Haiti following Hurricane Matthew, the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced a plan to raise 400 million dollars to treat and eradicate this disease and to provide financial assistance to affected communities and individuals, including victims of the 2010 outbreak that killed over 9,500 people and infected 800,000 others. [NY
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