VANDERBILT JOURNAL OF TRANSNATIONAL LAW

CEDAW and Treaty Compliance : Promoting Access to Modern Contraception

This article examines the role of CEDAW and its potential power as a treaty monitoring body in increasing access to modern contraception. The author points out that while modern contraception has been widely recognized as a reproductive right under international human rights law, unmet needs for it remain high, particularly in developing countries.

Trafficking Terror and Sexual Violence : Accountability for Human Trafficking and Sexual and Gender-Based Violence by Terrorist Groups under the Rome Statute

In May 2018, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) informed the United Nations Security Council that the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) was investigating human trafficking crimes by terrorist groups in Libya.

International Human Rights Law Concerning Women: Case Notes and Comments

This paper addresses the application of international human rights law to women, using cases of alleged discrimination based on sex or marital status, arising under international, regional, and specialized treaties, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The author assesses the extent to which such discrimination interferes with the right to enjoy private or family life, attain resident status, receive social security, and receive equal protection of the law.

Women's Rights in International Law: A Prediction Concerning the Legal Impact of the United Nations' Fourth World Conference on Women

This note contains a detailed review of state responses to the Platform for Action (PFA) produced at the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. The author finds that consensus was reached on most of the provisions in the Platform. Certain proposals regarding reproductive and inheritance issues, however, were subject to a great deal of dispute during drafting and many countries ultimately registered reservations to them.

Missed Opportunity: Congress's Attempted Response to the World's Demand for the Violence Against Women Act

This article focuses on the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision, in "U.S. v Morrison", to strike down s.13,981 of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) for violating the Commerce Clause and the State Action Doctrine. VAWA s.13,981 provides a civil remedy for victims of gender-motivated violence against their abusers. The article takes the position that the Supreme Court should have upheld the private right of action. The article discusses the implications of this decision and draws links to the United States' international obligations under

The Prosecution of Rape under International Law: Justice that is Long Overdue

This articles situates the prosecution of rape and sexual enslavement as crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) as part of a larger, emerging picture of international legal jurisprudence. The author notes that the ICTY built upon its own decisions and the decisions of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), broadened international protections of civilians in conflict, and codified women as legally equal to men.