scholarly journals The Mexican General Law on the Forced Disappearance of Persons, Disappearances Committed by Individuals and the National Missing Persons System: How Many Steps Forward?

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 125
Author(s):  
Salvador Leyva Morelos Zaragoza

In 2017, more than 40 years after some of the first documented cases of forced disappearance in Mexico, the General Law on the Forced Disappearance of Persons, Disappearances Committed by Individuals and the National Missing Persons System was published. The approval and enactment of the General Law constitutes a step toward ensuring the free and full enjoyment of human rights of victims of forced disappearance and their next of kin, in accordance with the international human rights standards concerning forced disappearances established by international human rights treaties, the Inter- American Court of Human Rights case law, the recommendations issued by the United Nations Committee and Working Group on Forced or Involuntary Disappearances, and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The General Law introduces and modifies institutions, procedures and guidelines that contribute to ensuring the rights to justice, truth and reparation. However, the General Law does not fully comply with international human rights standards regarding military jurisdiction and criminal responsibility within the chain of command. Also, the proper and effective implementation of the General Law requires strong political will and sufficient material and human resources from the three levels of government. Otherwise, the General Law will simply be regarded as a piece of paper.

2016 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison Kearney

<p>New Zealand is a country of 4.2 million people with a record of meeting and often exceeding human rights standards, and of contributing to the development of international human rights treaties and covenants (New Zealand Human Rights Commission 2010). Despite this, exclusion both from and within education is a reality for some children from minority groups, and in particular, disabled students (Kearney, 2011; MacArthur, 2009; New Zealand Human Rights Commission, 2010). This paper examines disabled students' right to education in New Zealand, highlighting barriers to the realization of this right. Results from a survey of parents of disabled students who had been excluded and/or marginalized from school are reported and discussed in light of national and international literature.</p>


2017 ◽  
Vol 111 (2) ◽  
pp. 277-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gráinne de Búrca

AbstractHuman rights in general and the international human rights system in particular have come under increasing attack in recent years. Quite apart from the domestic and global political events since 2016, including an apparent retreat from international institutions, the human rights system has in recent times come in for severe criticism from academic scholars. Amongst the various criticisms levelled have been: (1) the ineffectiveness and lack of impact of international human rights regimes, (2) the ambiguity and lack of specificity of human rights standards, (3) the weakness of international human rights enforcement mechanisms, and (4) the claim to universalism of human rights standards coupled with the hegemonic imposition of these standards on diverse parts of the world. This article responds to several of those criticisms by introducing the idea of experimentalist governance, interpreting key aspects of the functioning of certain international human rights treaties from the perspective of experimentalist governance theory, and surveying a body of recent scholarship on the effectiveness of such treaties. Contrary to the depiction of international human rights regimes as both ineffective and top-down, the article argues that they function at their best as dynamic, participatory, and iterative systems. Experimentalist governance offers a theory of the causal effectiveness of human rights treaties, brings to light a set of features and interactions that are routinely overlooked in many accounts, and suggests possible avenues for reform of other human rights treaty regimes with a view to making them more effective in practice.


Author(s):  
Steven Wheatley

International Human Rights Law has emerged as an academic subject in its own right, separate from, but still related to, International Law. This book explains the distinctive nature of the new discipline by examining the influence of the moral concept of human rights on general international law. Rather than make use of moral philosophy or political theory, the work explains the term ‘human rights’ by examining its usage in international law practice, on the understanding that words are given meaning through their use. Relying on complexity theory to make sense of the legal practice in the United Nations, the core human rights treaties, and customary international law, The Idea of International Human Rights Law shows how a moral concept of human rights emerged, and then influenced the international law doctrine and practice on human rights, a fact that explains the fragmentation of international law and the special nature of International Human Rights Law.


Author(s):  
Tilman Rodenhäuser

Chapter 5 adds to the contemporary discourse on human rights obligations of non-state armed groups by showing that in many situations, there is a clear legal need for these obligations. This chapter first engages in the debate on whether and to what extent certain human rights treaties address armed groups directly. Second, it shows that under the law of state responsibility, states are generally not responsible for human rights violations committed by non-state entities. Third, it recalls that under international human rights law, states have an obligation to protect human rights against violations committed by armed groups. However, it argues that because this cannot be a strict obligation but is one that depends on states’ capacities and the particular circumstances, often this framework cannot adequately protect individuals against human rights violations by armed groups. The result is a legal and practical need for human rights obligations of non-state armed groups.


Author(s):  
Felice D Gaer

Longstanding proposals to strengthen implementation of the international human rights treaties have often focused on procedural reforms such as harmonizing methods of work or consolidating ten treaty monitoring bodies into one. This article reviews past reform efforts and then considers proposals to create stronger individual petition mechanisms—including a ‘world court’—as a way of strengthening human rights implementation. After discussing these proposals, the author offers additional ways to make the system more effective and efficient. She rejects the oft-suggested proposal to create a ‘world court’ for human rights, noting legal, organizational, logistical, and financial obstacles. Rather than rushing to tear down the current treaty body system, the author offers a proposal for determining how consolidation of petition proceedings might affect normative standards.


Youth Justice ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 147322542110305
Author(s):  
Vicky Kemp ◽  
Dawn Watkins

While studies have explored adult suspects’ understanding of their legal rights, seldom are the experiences of children and young people taken into account. In this article, we discuss findings arising out of research interviews conducted with 61 children and young people; many of whom have experience of being suspects. From listening to their points-of-view, we find that children and young people fundamentally lack understanding of the rights of suspects, and especially the inalienable nature of those rights. We argue this is not surprising when children are being dealt with in an adult-centred punitive system of justice, which is contrary to international human rights standards.


2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 419-445 ◽  
Author(s):  
PIETRO SULLO

AbstractThis article discusses the Rwandan Law 18/2008 on genocide ideology in the light of international human rights standards. In order to put the genocide ideology law into context, it sketches a brief overview of the post-genocide scenario. Because of the influence that provisions restricting freedom of expression aimed at fighting negationism might exert on testimonies during genocide trials, it pays particular attention to the transitional justice strategies adopted in Rwanda. Finally, it assesses the law on the genocide ideology against the background provided by the measures implemented in some European countries to deal with the phenomenon of negationism.


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