WOMEN'S RIGHTS LAW REPORTER

The Impact of Armed Conflict on Women

In this short article, Karima Bennoune brings to light some of the ways in which Iraqi women have suffered due to the United States’ war with Iraq to reflect on how women are victims of deliberate and indiscriminate attacks by armed groups and governments.

A Victim of Domestic Violence a "Nuisance" to Society? : How Chronic Nuisance Ordinances in Municipalities Impact Victims of Domestic Violence

This article explores the impact of nuisance law on victims of domestic violence and examines the rationale behind public nuisance laws in the U.S. where nuisance offences include four or more calls for police service “even if the tenant called to report and deter her attacker, or was the victim of criminal conduct”. Landlords can pursue evictions on this basis and municipalities can penalize landlords if they fail to pursue.

Still Citizens after Marriage : Exploring Violations of Women's Nationality Rights

The author examines how marital status has historically impeded a woman’s human right to keep her nationality and to pass on her nationality to her children. Part I focuses on the historical narrative of stripping women of their nationality after marriage and how this has been dealt with internationally through treaties, declarations and protocols.

Women and Terrorism: Keynote Address

This article is a transcript of ACLU president Susan N Herman’s keynote address at the Women’s Rights Law Reporter 40th anniversary Symposium “The Gender Dimensions of Terrorism: How Terrorism Impacts the Lives of Women”. The event was held at Rutgers Law School on March 6, 2009.

Latinas, Culture and Human Rights: A Model for Making Change, Saving Soul

This article reviews the progress made in the human rights situation of Latin American women both within Latin America and in the United States. The piece begins with a discussion of the intersections of race and sex discrimination in the Latina experience and assesses the protection offered by international race and sex-based instruments. Next, an overview is presented of the Inter-American Human Rights system’s jurisprudence in relation to women’s rights and the system’s effects in fostering changes in domestic laws and constitutions.

Proposals to Combat Female Genital Mutilation

Speaking at the 1997 Violence Against Women: International Solutions Symposium, as a representative of the non-governmental organization, the author discusses two case studies in order to demonstrate the issues attached to female genital mutilation and the work of the organization to combat the problem. The first case study centres on a women from the country of Togo who was denied political asylum in the United States on the grounds that she was not persecuted for belonging to a particular social group.

Abortion as a Human Right

This article discusses the number of deaths that occur every year as a result of unsafe abortions due to unintended and intended pregnancies, and argues for the possibility of an established right to abortion. The author begins by discussing the history of international human rights laws with respect to reproductive rights. The author then argues for elevation of the right to abortion to the status of an international human right. The article then discusses legal instruments criminalizing domestic violence and analyzes various human rights documents

Reconceptualizing Female Trafficking: The Inhuman Trade in Women

The author looks at current international approaches to female trafficking and posits its reconceptualization as a crime against humanity. She begins by providing an overview of the debate underlying the definition of trafficking women and discusses the nature of female trafficking. After an examination of current international law against female trafficking, she posits that individual state strategies remain uncoordinated and ineffective due to the broad discretion given to states under international law to implement domestic policy on prostitution and immigration.

Protective Laws and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women

"Part I of this article gives a brief description of the Women's Convention and explains the confusion over what protective laws it allows, and the significance of that confusion. Part II determines whether the Convention should have included provisions allowing different treatment laws for women. Concluding that different treatment laws are essential for the achievement of gender equality, Part III discusses whether a rational principle can be established which distinguishes between beneficial and detrimental types of protective laws.