HARVARD HUMAN RIGHTS JOURNAL

This article discusses both the relationship and the tension between international human rights law and refugee law. The author specifically focuses on the expansion of refugee law under the human rights paradigm which has resulted in the development of gender asylum law. The article examines three issue areas which concern the intersection of gender, refugee law, and the human rights agenda: rape and sexual violence; female genital surgery; and family violence.

This article reviews the case of an Indigenous women in Zimbabwe being denied property rights under judicial interpretations of customary law in Zimbabwe. Part I focuses on the background and substantive decision in the case. Part II reviews the significant reaction from the local and international human rights community. The main argument in the article is that advocacy needs to focus more on the structures of the legal system in Zimbabwe and the existence of a separate legal system rooted in customary law.

The author analyzes Article 43 of the Arab Charter and how it should be interpreted to guarantee expansive rights for women. He argues that national courts must look to international human rights law as a guide to interpret Charter rights. The author explores how the Charter explicitly gives rights protection to women and how its inclusion of "positive discrimination" is beneficial for women's rights in the region. The author explains how domestic courts in Arab countries have been applying international norms of human rights and CEDAW. He notes

This article explores how developments in the international law of state responsibility can be applied to ensure more effective protection of women's human rights. Part II explores the scope of state responsibility and discusses the advantages of using feminist legal methods, empirical data, and documentation of actual abuses to expose violations of human rights. Part III explores how to redress violations under the traditional law of state responsibility, and how to strengthen supportive legal doctrines to prevent, remedy, and punish violations.

This short note gives the reader a general idea of some of the types of human rights information available on the Internet and where to look for it. It is divided into sections on database/link pages, treaties, government sites, academic sources and organizations. Web site addresses and email addresses are provided in footnotes.

This article looks at developing a blueprint for the eradication of female genital mutilation (FGM) in Sierra Leone. It begins by examining the arguments for and against FGM. It also addresses some of the unique challenges facing countries, like Sierra Leone, where the ritual is performed in secret societies. The authors discuss what is needed to make any initiative against FGM effective. They make recommendations, keeping in mind the socio-cultural context of countries where FGM is a cultural practice. The article suggests alternative rites in

This article focuses on how existing human rights principles can be applied to protect and promote women's sexual autonomy. Part I discusses the extent to which women's rights have been recognized as human rights and how far current understanding of international human rights law goes toward protecting women's ability to exercise their sexual autonomy. Part II applies the human rights methodology to two case studies to analyze the promise and limitations of the present human rights framework for eradicating such violations.

This article discusses the tensions and conflicts between different feminist approaches to female genital surgery (FGS). In their campaign to eliminate FGS, Western feminists have adopted a human rights-based, cross-cultural approach. The author presents the arguments advanced by Western feminists to support their claim that FGS constitutes a human rights violation. The author then presents the position of African feminists, many of whom oppose FGS, yet are critical of intervention by Western feminists.

This article analyzes international indigenous rights law through the lens of the UN Human Rights Treaty Monitoring System and the UN Charter-Based System. The article highlights the conflict between framing indigenous peoples as both a minority and a people, and argues that this conflict and the diversity of treaties relating to indigenous peoples rights have blurred the contents of the rights to self-determination, respect for identity, and effective participation.