CORNELL INTERNATIONAL LAW JOURNAL

The Feminist Expansion Towards Prohibition of Torture : Towards A Post-Liberal International Human Rights Law?

This article engages with well-known critiques of international human rights law discourse and how they limit the human rights project’s ability to further profound change. The author argues that it is possible to transform discursive practices of international human rights law so as to better address structural inequalities.

Rape in War : Prosecuting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and Boko Haram for Sexual Violence against Women

The article discusses the feasibility of prosecuting militant groups such as ISIL and Boko Haram under the Genocide Convention or the non-genocidal crimes of the Rome Statute. International legal bodies have brought few rapists to justice, and rape remains the least condemned war crime.

International Law, Dignity, Democracy, and the Arab Spring

This paper draws from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Charter to explore the fundamental legal precepts of human dignity, self-determination, and free participation in democracy.

Rights in the DPRK : Discrepancies Between International and Domestic Legal Instruments in Promoting Women’s Rights and the Reality Reflected by North Korean Defectors

This article examines the effectiveness of international and local women’s rights legislation on women’s rights in the DPRK.  The DPRK has adopted the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (“CEDAW”), and has domestic legislation such as the Law on Sex Equality, the Socialist Constitution, the Law on the Protection and Promoti

Wartime Female Slavery: Enslavement>

This article discusses wartime female slavery.

2010 Symposium: Gender-Based Violence and Justice in Conflict and Post-Conflict Areas: Introduction

This introduction provides background information on the Cornell International Law Journal's issue on gender-based violence and conflict. The articles in the issue are based on the Women and Justice Conference: "Gender-Based Violence and Justice in Conflict and Post-Conflict Areas", held on March 12, 2010, in Washington, D.C. This conference was coordinated by the Avon Foundation for Women in collaboration with the Cornell International Law Journal. The event brought together nearly 200 judges, scholars, legal and medical practitioners, and policymakers from 15 countries.

Gender-Based Violence and Justice in Conflict and Post-Conflict Areas

The article explores the relationship between gender-based violence and armed conflict. Increasing international awareness regarding the impact and implications of violence against women has led to numerous mechanisms attempting to address accountability in this regard. Despite this, the problem of gender based violence in the context of armed conflict remains an issue. Women continue to face the threat of violence even after the threat of conflict has ceased. The article aims to document the increasing awareness of this issue, as well as the challenges that lay ahead in

Contending with Culture: An Analysis of the Female Genital Mutilation Act of 1996

This note discusses the probability of success of the 1996 Female Genital Mutilation Act. Signed into law by then US President Clinton, it is the first law passed by the United States designed to eliminate the practice of female circumcision. The note focuses on the second prong of the Act which targets the practice of female circumcision outside of the US.

Divorce and Remarriage as Human Rights: The Irish Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights at Odds in Johnston v. Ireland

This note examines Johnston v. Ireland , which challenged the Irish ban on divorce in the European Court of Human Rights, and concludes that the court should have found that a constitutional bar to divorce violates human rights of both women and men. Part I summarizes the political and religious divisions that shape Irish divorce law and related family matters. Parts II and III discuss the case in the context of the European Convention on Human Rights. Part IV concludes that the case was wrongly decided. [Descriptors:Marriage, International - Europe]

Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death: Political Asylum and the Global Persecution of Lesbians and Gay Men

This article uses a hypothetical case of a lesbian asylum seeker to illustrate the unique barriers faced by sexual minorities in making refugee claims in the United States. The article begins by noting that, in spite of global developments, many lesbians and gay men continue to face extreme persecution, including electroshock therapy, police harassment and other penalties, because of their sexual orientation.

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