On July 23, 2015, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW Committee) adopted a general recommendation on women’s access to justice, noting that the right of access to justice for women is essential to the realization of all the rights in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). See Committee
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Political upheaval and human rights violations in parts of Africa and the Middle East, particularly in Eritrea, Kosovo, and Syria, are increasing migration flows to Europe at an unprecedented rate. While the European Union (EU) received approximately 626,000 applications for asylum in 2014, Germany alone is expected to receive 800,000 applications this year. [Financial Times: Germany] Europe has not yet
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In June 2015, the Working Group on Death Penalty and Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Killings (Working Group) of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) met in Kigali, Rwanda to develop a General Comment on Article 4 (right to life) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, also known as the Banjul Charter (Charter). This meeting
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On August 17, 2015 the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) commenced its 14th session in Geneva, Switzerland. During this session, which will end on September 4, the Committee will review the reports of Brazil, the European Union, Gabon, Kenya, Mauritius, Qatar, and Ukraine and adopt concluding observations. The Committee will also review reports submitted by
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On August 5, 2015, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) published its report “Towards the Closure of Guantanamo,” which examines the human rights situation of detainees at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. See Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Towards the Closure of Guantanamo (Report), 2015. The report concludes that detainees are subject to indefinite detention; torture and
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On August 3, 2015 the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) commenced its 87th session in Geneva, Switzerland. During this session, which will end on August 28, the Committee will review the State reports of Colombia, Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, Macedonia, the Netherlands, Niger, Norway, and Suriname. The Committee will also review reports submitted by civil
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On July 14, 2015, the United Nations Human Rights Committee met in Geneva for a half day general discussion to begin the process of developing a general comment on Article 6 (Right to Life) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). See UN Human Rights Committee, Draft General Comment No. 36: Article 6 (Right to Life), UN
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On July 1, 2015, the United Nations Human Rights Council met in Geneva and adopted a landmark resolution urging States to monitor and regulate private education providers. The resolution aims to address the emergence of large-scale for-profit “low cost” private school chains that target poor families in developing countries and compromise the right to education. See UN Human Rights Council, Resolution
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The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW Committee) is currently holding its 61st session from July 6 to July 24, 2015 in Geneva, Switzerland. During the session, the CEDAW Committee has been reviewing State reports submitted by Bolivia, Croatia, Gambia, Namibia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Spain, and Vietnam, on their implementation of the
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The European Committee of Social Rights held its 279th Session from June 30 to July 3, 2015 in Strasbourg, France. The Committee, which is made up of 15 independent experts, is charged with overseeing State compliance with the European Social Charter, which protects economic and social rights. The agenda for this session included reviewing 20 collective complaints, examining national reports, discussing Charter provisions that have not been accepted
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