COLUMBIA JOURNAL OF GENDER AND LAW

This article looks as Tanzania as a case study for the problems that arise when a multi-cultural society adopts a pluralistic legal system. In 1971, legislative changes in Tanzania made it so that rules governing marriage, divorce, property ownership, and alimony differ significantly depending on an individual's residence and religion. After an examination of the differences between the various legal systems, the author cautions that antagonism toward the current system may not result in change but rather opposition from local communities, putting

This article identifies factors contributing to the marginalization of Latina women in the Rio Grande Valley. Specifically, the author discusses how immigration enforcement works as a mechanism of racial control and reproductive oppression as a tool of gender subordination. Although American governance has been characterized by neoliberal policies, conditions of inequality and disadvantage make Latina women especially vulnerable. Threats of coercive detention and deportation, as well as the minimal reproductive health safety net, operate in conjunction to

Using the principles of property law, this article examines honour-based violence against women and the use of familial honour as social capital. The author suggests that societies around the world treat honour as intangible property that is collectively held by families, controlled by males, and dependent on female conformity to societal norms. Since females cause the value of honour property to fluctuate, males regulate their conduct and use violence to restore its value. Justice systems reinforce these practices by offering reduced punishment for honour

This article examines the prevalence of gender-related persecution and the challenges for women in securing refugee status under the social group ground of the Refugee Convention. The author begins with an overview of the Refugee Convention and notes how the specific drafting of the Convention excludes women. The article proceeds to examine developments in case law at both the international and domestic level including cases from the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada.

In this article, Bewicke explores reparation policies following armed conflict, specifically in terms of their suitability to adequately address the needs of girl child soldiers. The author suggests that, even though reparation jurisprudence is well-formed, there is a conspicuous gap for girl child soldiers. The author argues for a holistic approach that places such girls at the centre of the reparation process which she views as necessary to begin the healing process. Bewicke explores factors considered in determining whether someone is a child solider including age and duties

This article responds to Darren Rosenblum's article, Unsex CEDAW, or What's Wrong with Women's Rights. While the author agrees with Rosenblum's point that inequality is not isolated to women only, she argues that the solution is to modify and expand CEDAW rather than abolish it. The author draws on personal anecdotes and qualitative reports to show that women continue to experience significant discrimination. She admits that CEDAW is directed at a male/female binary and seems to address a single form of "woman" (white/Western/Northern). The author suggests