Human Rights

In May 2016 the UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights initiated a study on the intentional destruction of cultural heritage. RASHID International submitted a report detailing the depredations of Daesh in Iraq generally and Mosul specifically, drawing on research performed by RASHID experts in Iraq. RASHID published a revised edition in August 2017 that identifies destroyed sites the names of which were unknown at the time of submission. For the most recent information, please see the Monuments of Mosul in Danger Website. This report is a publication of the non-profit organization RASHID International e.V. We are a charitable organization registered in the Federal Republic of Germany and are an organization in special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations since 2019. Learn more about our work at www.rashid-international.org

This contribution deals with unfree labour in Germany from the early modern age until the beginning of the 20th century. It presents the main conclusions of a book published in 2013 on this subject in German. Unfree labour is not identified in the first place with slavery or any other labour relationship based on status. Instead, this study aims at an analysis of freedom and coercion in contractual labour relationships. It will be argued that in Germany contractual labour relationships before 1800 were embedded in a legal system that strongly restricted contractual autonomy and aimed at the suppression of free labour markets. The scope of this legislation was to guarantee efficient labour performance, which was not only perceived as being in the personal interest of an employer, but as a fundamental element of the common good. Aer 1800 the system changed to more incentive-based legislation that established freedom of contract for labour relations. Never-theless, coercion in order to...

The term "indirect employer" when used in labour law literature usually refers to the usage of work performed by persons formally employed by a third party. In such a situation, employee seems to have the direct (formal) employer and the indirect one who appropriates the results of the work done without entering into an employment relationship. Pope John Paul II in the encyclical Laborem Exercens uses the notion of the indirect employer in a somewhat different meaning. The Pope refers rather to the sphere of politics and the ability to shape the statutory labour law or the actual working (living) standards for the entire society. The article explains the concept of the indirect employer as it was used in the encyclical and indicates the ideas that are behind it. The article also attempts to show the usefulness of the John Paul II's concept of the indirect employer in considering issues related to the transnational corporations and labour law.

The main body of this report is a series of tables and an appendix that summarize and cite bill language that was intended to end or restrict U.S. military operations in Indochina between 1970 and 1973, in Somalia in 1993, and in Kosovo in 1999. The report covers enacted provisions or those where there were roll call votes but the provision was not ultimately enacted. The first table outlines proposals that restrict funding and the second table describes other types of restrictions.

Las mujeres con el Virus del Papiloma Humano (VPH) viven bajo un sin nUmero de factores que generan esta enfermedad: edad de inicio a la vida sexual activa, mUltiples parejas sexuales, la falta de informaciOn, el tabU (Morales y Ojeda, 2014), la creencia de que un hombre realiza la exploraciOn fIsica tocar los genitales, eso estima un alta prevalencia mundial alrededor de un 55% en mujeres de alto riesgo (Valdovinos, 2013 y Castanedo et al, 2013). Es evidente que estas circunstancias, representa demora ante el diagnOstico, a pesar de ser un punto decisivo para establecer cuidados, tambiEn para enfrentar los mundos, la cosmovisiOn y las creencias generadas por la propia enfermedad, razOn de cada sujeto social al vivir una realidad distinta en el curso de las propias representaciones (Moscovici, 2003) Esta realidad representa un encuentro en el momentos de crisis, emociones, es cuando se hace presente la espiritualidad de las mujeres con el VPH, que motiva la exploraciOn del origen de...

About this book
This book critically examines Abdullah Öcalan’s proposal of "democratic confederalism," introduced in 2005, and its theoretical and practical implications. Despite its claims to transcend the nation-state model, Öcalan’s project leaves the colonial structures of the Turkish, Persian, and Arab states unchallenged, legitimizing their assimilatory and genocidal tendencies. It fails to secure Kurdish self-determination or protect linguistic and cultural rights, including mother-tongue education. The study interrogates these contradictions, offering a comprehensive critique of Öcalan’s ideology and its limited impact on governance, Kurdish identity, and aspirations for autonomy.

Drawing on Öcalan’s original Turkish writings, the book challenges prevailing scholarship that often relies on selective translations and sympathetic interpretations. It reveals the foundational limitations of Öcalan’s approach, exposing the structural barriers it sustains and its complicity in perpetuating Turkification tendencies under the guise of Kurdish politics.

Aguayo, S., Sánchez del Ángel, D., Pérez Aguirre, M., & Dayán, J. (2017). En el Desamparo. Los Zetas, el Estado, la sociedad y las víctimas de San Fernando, Tamaulipas (2010) y Allende, Coahuila (2011).  El Colegio de México /////////////
En marzo de 2016, El Colegio de México y la Comisión Ejecutiva de Atención a Víctimas (ceav) firmaron un convenio para que el primero realizara una investigación independiente sobre el trato y reparaciones proporcionado por el Estado mexicano —Federación, organismos autónomos, estados y municipios— a las víctimas de la masacre de 72 migrantes en San Fernando, Tamaulipas (agosto de 2010), y de la desaparición de un número indeterminado de habitantes en Allende, Coahuila (marzo de 2011). Ambas tragedias fueron ordenadas por la organización criminal de los Zetas. Con este trabajo dejamos en claro que es urgente e indispensable que el Estado reestructure y mejore el funcionamiento de las instituciones encargadas de atender a las víctimas de la violencia criminal. Hasta ahora, el término que mejor define la experiencia de las víctimas es el desamparo. El estudio de dos tragedias nos acercará a una verdad que es un paso indispensable para lograr que en México se conceda prioridad a las víctimas.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a human rights violation and a serious global public health problem. This study investigated factors associated with IPV in female survivors in Colombia. Four focus group discussions with female survivors of IPV and 15 key informant interviews with professionals from psychological, social and legal services and community leaders were conducted in Cali and Tuluá. Participant recruitment was via purposive sampling. Transcripts were analysed manually taking a social constructivist standpoint and a content analysis approach. Factors associated with IPV were divided into four themes: cultural beliefs, jealousy, alcohol abuse, and personal history of IPV. The first theme was divided into: patriarchy, gender roles, normalisation of violence, and unawareness of rights, economic dependence, and ‘men own women’. The sub-themes were all inter-related and underpinned by patriarchal values. IPV was described as a sociocultural construction formed by patriarchal...

The drafted amendments to the Actthe Code of Petty Offences Procedure conflict with national and international law by radically transforming the model of petty offences procedure and considerably worsening the position of perpetrators receiving penalty notices have many far-reaching consequences as regards to the constitutional order and the human rights protection. The purpose of this article is to present the issue of the drafted amendments that repeal one's right to refuse to accept the penalty notice and require that the fined person pay the fine immediately before a final decision is adopted. Design/Methodology/Approach: In this article, we take note that the amendments completely shift the burden of initiating legal proceedings onto the fined person and, in the case of their appeal, they introduce several procedural limitations excluding the prohibition of reformationis in pius, which are intended to effectively discourage the fined person from appealing. Findings: This thesis is corroborated by the statement of reasons to the drafted amendments. It clearly indicates that the changes primarily stem from the need to relieve officers of filing many motions for penalty and to reduce the number of petty offence cases submitted to courts. Practical implications: The appropriate standard of the pro-constitutional interpretation of the law of petty offenses could be seen an instrument of human rights protection. Originality/value: The article is based on a legal analysis indicating the formal and interpretative weaknesses of the amendments.

Recent experience reminds us the United States is anything but immune to the effects of major natural disasters; in 2012 Hurricane Sandy demolished the entire eastern seaboard, impacted 24 states and caused $50 billion to $68 billion of damage.' As natural disasters occur with increasing frequency, there is growing interest and scholarship in disaster relief governance. Empirical research regarding the mechanisms of post-disaster local governance is therefore timely given the scale and magnitude of suffering involved. The findings presented in this article draw on the attitudes and perceptions of practitioners working in disaster response fields to provide us with insights into the dynamics, challenges and lessons learned from the perspective of those directly engaged in the work of post-disaster relief. The principal finding of this paper, based on survey data and follow-up questions with 96 humanitarian aid practitioners, is that there is a statistically significant correlation between the level of "peer" engagement with local residents and the

An examination of international legal instruments such as treaties, resolutions adopted under the auspices of the United Nations (UN), and the practice of states, confirms the existence of a right to provide humanitarian assistance. While domestic states have the primary responsibility to provide assistance to their populations in cases of humanitarian crisis, the international community of states and other non-state agencies can invoke a secondary responsibility to act, in accordance with the right to provide humanitarian assistance, where the domestic state is unable or unwilling to act. There are even sanctions for obstruction of provision of humanitarian assistance by the domestic state. For instance, the UN Security Council Resolution 794 of 1992 established that the obstruction of supply of humanitarian assistance in Somalia created a catastrophe that was a threat to international peace and security, and proceeded to authorize states "to use all necessary means to establi...

Engaging key populations, including gender and sexual minorities, is essential to meeting global targets for reducing new HIV infections and improving the HIV continuum of care. Negative attitudes toward gender and sexual minorities serve as a barrier to political will and effective programming for HIV health services. The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), established in 2003, provided Gender and Sexual Diversity Trainings for 2,825 participants including PEPFAR staff and program implementers, U.S. government staff, and local stakeholders in 38 countries. The outcomes of these one-day trainings were evaluated among a subset of participants using a mixed methods pre- and post-training study design. Findings suggest that sustainable decreases in negative attitudes toward gender and sexual minorities are achievable with a one-day training.

In the past two decades, there has been a proliferation of attention at the international and local levels, on the Commercial Sexual Exploitation (CSE) of children in Nicaragua. National policy and legislative changes, task forces and strategic plans aimed at criminalizing the demand side (consumers) of CSE have yielded minimal results. Using the concept of community trauma within an ecological framework, where relationships and social interactions are the foundation building blocks of the larger mezzo and macro setting, we ask: What then does looking from a community perspective teach us, and how can we incorporate these learnings to prevent, reduce and eradicate the exploitation of children in Nicaragua? This article contextualizes the phenomenon of CSEC, to investigate its expansion and community perceptions that shape its presence in Chinandega, Nicaragua to begin to close the geography of place and mezzo level knowledge gap. The study involved a total of 105 participants (54 females and 51 males). Data was collected in Spanish, via in-depth and situational interviews and focus groups. What was found was CSEC as "common knowledge" in their communities' and a central organizing feature.

This article presents the findings of a qualitative study conducted in Granada, Nicaragua. The study involved focus groups, individual in-depth and situational interviews, as well as observations. The research followed principles related to community-based participatory research. The data analysis was guided by a grounded theory approach. The findings confirm what advocates of human and child rights have long argued: economic disparities and gender inequalities are at the core of commercial sexual exploitation of children. The results presented in this article help clarify the complexities of the intersectionality of global and local realities -"glocalization." brought to you by CORE View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk

Legal aid is a manifestation of the state's responsibility in guaranteeing access to justice for the poor, as stipulated in Law Number 16 of 2011 concerning Legal Aid. Legal Aid Institutions (LBH), as the main actors, often face challenges in carrying out their duties, especially due to limited government funding. This paper aims to examine the implementation of legal aid services by LBH under financial constraints, the legal framework supporting them, and how these institutions strive to fulfill their obligations despite such limitations. The study adopts a normative juridical method using a statute and conceptual approach.

The contrast between the two cases is well known: China's economic reforms were stunningly successful whereas those of Gorbachev failed. Moreover, his political reforms set in motion forces that he could not control, eventually bringing about the unintended end to communist rule and the dissolution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Why this difference? Numerous variables are at issue. This paper focuses on the policies, strategies, and values of reformers and on opportunities to carry out economic reforms, which favored China but not the SU. A common explanation for the difference is that the leaders in both countries decoupled economic from political reform. China, it is said, implemented wide ranging economic reforms but not political reforms. In contrast, Gorbachev pursued increasingly radical political reforms, which ultimately destroyed the Soviet political system. Actually, both pursued economic reforms and both pursued political reforms. However, there is a vital distinction between two types of political reform, namely those undertaken within a framework of continued authoritarian rule and those that allow political liberalization (PL). This distinction defines the two cases. PL entails the dilution of the rulers' power in that independent social and political forces are permitted or are able to organize, and media are freed up to advocate views that can challenge the foundations of the existing system. PL falls short of full electoral democracy. It creates an unstable situation, since it inevitably leads to demands for further democratizing changes. Hence, rulers who have agreed to political liberalization come under increasing public pressure to go further. They face a choice: they must either crack down and restore dictatorial control or yield to popular and elite pressures for full democracy. In Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, the rulers eventually yielded to rising popular and elite pressures and sanctioned the transition. In contrast, authoritarian political reforms are undertaken by political elites determined to close off openings towards PL. They aim at rationalizing and improving the functioning of the political system. In the Chinese case, reformers sought to adapt it to the requirements of the gradually emerging market economy. In both the processes economic and political reform were intertwined, but the type of political reforms differed sharply.

Este artículo retoma la discusión sobre las responsabilidades internacionales de las empresas a partir del caso de las productoras de biocombustibles frente a los derechos al agua y la alimentación. Para ello, se analiza el nivel de cumplimiento de las 13 productoras de biocombustibles más grandes de Colombia de acuerdo con lo determinado por los Principios rectores sobre las empresas y derechos humanos de la ONU. Concluimos, por un lado, que, pese a que existe evidencia para considerar que la producción de biocombustibles impacta negativamente en el acceso al agua y a la alimentación, la mayoría de las empresas en Colombia no han establecido planes de mitigación ni formas de remediar estos daños. Por otro lado, son las empresas más grandes las que han establecido compromisos políticos y cumplido el deber de debida diligencia, lo que parece apuntar a que el acceso a más recursos produce mayores niveles de cumplimiento. Esto permite inferir que en las empresa prima el enfoque de la v...

Resumen: En este trabajo tiene por objeto analizar la naturaleza de la responsabilidad por incumplimiento de obligaciones legales de interés público o privado. En primer término, se da cuenta de las tesis vigentes para, enseguida, argumentar que la infracción legal es meramente obligacional.

Tulisan ini menjelaskan kompatibilitas Islam dan HAM serta upaya-upaya penegakan dan perlindungan HAM di Indonesia sebagai salah satu negara Muslim. Tulisan ini dengan demikian menolak anggapan sejumlah pengamat tentang ketidaksesuaian atau pertentangan antara Islam dengan HAM, terutama karena sebagian besar negara-negara Muslim kini belum sepenuhnya melindungi dan menegakkan HAM. Sejak awal Islam telah mengakui perlindungan hak asasi manusia (HAM), yang kemudian dirumuskan oleh para ulama dengan konsep maqâshid al-syarî'ah (tujuan syari'ah). Sebagai salah satu negara Muslim, Indonesia di era Reformasi ini telah berkomitmen untuk melakukan perlindungan dan penegakan HAM sejalan dengan penerapan sistem demokrasi secara substantif. Hanya saja, kini masih ada sejumlah masalah atau kendala dalam perlindungan HAM ini, baik yang bersifat substantif, struktural maupun kultural. Pemerintah, DPR serta civil society dan organisasi-organisasi keagamaan telah melakukan upaya-upaya untuk mengatasi persoalan dan kendala itu.

From a comparative perspective, this paper argues that early Chinese empires lacked the concept of talion or tort law when malicious violence or intent became factors. Instead, wrongdoers were required to pay fines to the government or received punishment as hard labor for the state. Victims not only could not receive compensation but were sometimes punished along with the offender if their loss was perceived as a loss to the empire. I argue that the absence of corrective justice in criminal cases can be traced back to the philosophical underpinnings of the body politic, a prominent discourse in early China that viewed the emperor and the people as a single, organic entity. When people were conceived of as constituting a unified, singular entity, criminal actions against an individual were interpreted as damage to the empire. Therefore, punishments for offenders were designed to compensate the empire, not the individual. Furthermore, in the context of the body politic, the suffering of both victims and offenders was regarded as metaphysically equal, which justified frequently pardoning culprits on a large scale to secure harmony within the empire. Originally, the body politic was employed to admonish and criticize the throne, urging the emperor to align his interests with the well-being of his people, but in practice, it compromised the practice of justice.

This essay explores the concept of scholasticide—the systematic destruction of educational institutions and targeting of academics—as a
dimension of genocide, particularly in the context of the ongoing war in Gaza. It situates scholasticide within the broader framework of cultural genocide, tracing its conceptual emergence from Palestinian and international discourse. Drawing parallels with medicide—the targeted destruction of healthcare systems— this essay argues that both practices constitute academic and medical lawfare, strategically deployed to justify attacks on civilian infrastructure. The destruction of Gaza’s universities and schools, along with the killing of students and faculty, reflects a deliberate effort to erase Palestinian intellectual life. By analyzing historical and legal precedents, this study underscores the role of scholasticide in dehumanization and settler colonialism, highlighting its implications for international law and human rights.

In a developing country such as India, the abuse of patients suffering from psychiatric disorders has been underreported. The aim of this study was to detect abuse in chronically ill psychiatric patients visiting a psychiatric outpatient setting in a tertiary care hospital in Delhi, India. A cross-sectional descriptive written survey was carried out on 406 patients. A self-administered questionnaire for patient abuse was developed in Hindi based on the World Health Organization's Domestic Violence Questionnaire that encompassed questions regarding physical, emotional and sexual abuse. Of the 406 patients, 294 (72%) suffered from abuse, with 64% experiencing emotional abuse, 39% physical abuse and 21% sexual abuse. In chronically ill psychiatric patients, a significant association was found between education and abuse, with most abuse occurring among senior secondary pass outs (i.e. 11-12 years of education) and least among junior high school pass outs (6-8 years of education). A...

Objectives This review synthesizes legal and health evidence to demonstrate the health and human rights impacts of third-party authorization requirements (TPAs) on abortion seekers. Results The synthesized evidence substantiates the pre-existing position in international human rights law that requirements that abortion be authorized by third parties like parents, spouses, committees, and courts create barriers to abortion, should not be introduced at all, or should be repealed where they exist. Conclusions The review establishes that rights-based regulation of abortion should not impose TPAs in any circumstances. Instead, the provision and management of abortion should be treated in a manner cognizant with the general principles of informed consent in international human rights law, presuming capacity in all adults regardless of marital status and treatment sought, and recognizing the evolving capacity of young people in line with their internationally-protected rights.

This review follows an established methodology for integrating human rights to address knowledge gaps related to the health and non-health outcomes of mandatory waiting periods (MWPs) for access to abortion. MWP is a requirement imposed by law, policy, or practice, to wait a specified amount of time between requesting and receiving abortion care. Recognizing that MWPs "demean[] women as competent decision-makers", the World Health Organization recommends against MWPs. International human rights bodies have similarly encouraged states to repeal and not to introduce MWPs, which they recognize as operating as barriers to accessing sexual and reproductive healthcare. This review of 34 studies published between 2010 and 2021, together with international human rights law, establishes the health and non-health harms of MWPs for people seeking abortion, including delayed abortion, opportunity costs, and disproportionate impact. Impacts on abortion providers include increased workloads and system costs.

Where abortion is legal, it is often regulated through a grounds-based approach. A grounds-based approach to abortion provision occurs when law and policy provide that lawful abortion may be provided only where a person who wishes to have an abortion satisfies stipulated 'grounds' , sometimes described as 'exceptions' or 'exceptional grounds' . Grounds-based approaches to abortion are, prima facie, restrictive as they limit access to abortion based on factors extraneous to the preferences of the pregnant person. International human rights law specifies that abortion must be available (and not 'merely' lawful) where the life or health of the pregnant woman or girl is at risk, or where carrying a pregnancy to term would cause her substantial pain or suffering, including but not limited to situations where the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest or the pregnancy is not viable. However, international human rights law does not specify a grounds-based approach as the way to give effect to this requirement. The aim of this review is to address knowledge gaps related to the health and non-health outcomes plausibly related to the effects of a groundsbased approach to abortion regulation. The evidence from this review shows that grounds have negative implications for access to quality abortion and for the human rights of pregnant people. Further, it shows that grounds-based approaches are insufficient to meet states' human rights obligations. The evidence presented in this review thus suggests that enabling access to abortion on request would be more rights-enhancing than grounds-based approaches to abortion regulation.

As part of its core work, the WHO generates, translates and disseminates knowledge, including through guideline development. In recent years, substantial work has been undertaken to revise the Evidence to Decision framework in order to fully integrate inter alia human rights. This paper describes an innovative methodological approach taken by the authors to inform law and policy recommendations for the forthcoming third edition of the Safe Abortion: Technical and Policy Guidance for Health Systems. The methodology described here effectively integrates human rights protection and enjoyment as part of health outcomes and analysis, ensuring that subsequent recommendations are consistent with international human rights standards. This will allow guideline users to make informed decisions on interventions, including legal and policy reform, to fulfil relevant human rights including the right to health.

Abortion is criminalised to at least some degree in most countries. International human rights bodies have recognised that criminalisation results in the provision of poor-quality healthcare goods and services, is associated with lack of registration and unavailability of essential medicines including mifepristone and misoprostol, obstructs the provision of abortion information, obstructs training for abortion provision, is associated with delayed and unsafe abortion, and does not achieve its apparent aims of ether protecting abortion seekers from unsafe abortion or preventing abortion. Human rights bodies recommend decriminalisation, which is generally associated with reduced stigma, improved quality of care, and improved access to safe abortion. Drawing on insights from reproductive health, law, policy, and human rights, this review addresses knowledge gaps related to the health and non-health outcomes of criminalisation of abortion. This review identified evidence of the impacts ...

This review follows an established methodology for integrating human rights to address knowledge gaps related to the health and non-health outcomes of mandatory waiting periods (MWPs) for access to abortion. MWP is a requirement imposed by law, policy, or practice, to wait a specified amount of time between requesting and receiving abortion care. Recognizing that MWPs “demean[] women as competent decision-makers”, the World Health Organization recommends against MWPs. International human rights bodies have similarly encouraged states to repeal and not to introduce MWPs, which they recognize as operating as barriers to accessing sexual and reproductive healthcare. This review of 34 studies published between 2010 and 2021, together with international human rights law, establishes the health and non-health harms of MWPs for people seeking abortion, including delayed abortion, opportunity costs, and disproportionate impact. Impacts on abortion providers include increased workloads and s...

Where abortion is legal, it is often regulated through a grounds-based approach. A grounds-based approach to abortion provision occurs when law and policy provide that lawful abortion may be provided only where a person who wishes to have an abortion satisfies stipulated ‘grounds’, sometimes described as ‘exceptions’ or ‘exceptional grounds’. Grounds-based approaches to abortion are, prima facie, restrictive as they limit access to abortion based on factors extraneous to the preferences of the pregnant person. International human rights law specifies that abortion must be available (and not ‘merely’ lawful) where the life or health of the pregnant woman or girl is at risk, or where carrying a pregnancy to term would cause her substantial pain or suffering, including but not limited to situations where the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest or the pregnancy is not viable. However, international human rights law does not specify a grounds-based approach as the way to give effec...

The Mauritian economy is facing serious economic difficulties, and the government is being pressurised to maintain the competitive edge of various industries by giving a panoply of incentives, including laws and institutions that can effectively protect intellectual property rights, to the business community, both local and foreign. This paper examines the issues of intellectual property rights in Mauritius by first surveying the main economic challenges of Mauritius, particularly the need for increased foreign investment to maintain growth, and then by discussing the various intellectual property laws enacted since the adhesion of Mauritius to the World Trade Organisation (WTO). It examines the harsh response of the law enforcement institutions and the heavy price that weaker and more vulnerable people have had to pay and queries whether Mauritius implemented the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights agreement mainly in order to benefit from the African Growth and Opportunity Act. The paper argues that, while the enforcement of intellectual property rights may send a positive signal to potential investors, it may also make it harder for weaker segments of the population to sustain a decent livelihood. It is proposed that the law may have to be changed to allow courts to take into account the social circumstances of a person breaching the provisions of intellectual property legislation. The role of the courts should not simply be one of inflicting punishment; they should also be capable of fostering a sense of responsibility and accountability on the part of offenders.

IMPACT. 1: To interview victims (initially students, later other groups) about their experiences of treatment in institutions in cases of rape or sexual assault, and make recommendations about how training or education could improve that treatment. -- 2. To develop a program of best practices in aiding victims for a variety of institutional settings - beginning with campus but later expanding - including directives on how to facilitate, not simply healing, but resilience. -- 3. To produce a set of materials to aid individuals in institutions dealing with victims of sexual violence, who, while being well-meaning, might inadvertently traumatise the victim for a second time (the double violation).PRIMARY CONTACT: Zoe Brigley Thompson (thompson.3022@osu.edu)This project seeks to rectify institutional and governmental problems in dealing with sexual violence, in a variety of international and domestic contexts, seeking to devise programs that promote victims' physical and mental well...

Back to basics: What is the Nature of Nature, Religion, Arts, Morals, Ethics, and Sciences?
Is Nature to be seen as Matter-Life-Mind-Soul-Spirit in Qualitative Degrees of Being and Knowing, from surface appearances to Universal Divine Love, not as modernity’s Cartesian body-mind bifurcation, which tends to radically reduce Nature to res extensae, measurable entities?
Is Religion to be seen as participation in Divine Qualities, like Beauty, Goodness, Truth, Joy, Love, from exterior observances to Heart-Centred Living in Universal Divine Love, not as our one-right-way exclusive communities, claiming privileged means of access to divinity?
Are Arts and Sciences to be seen as various qualitative and quantitative methods of knowing, using mixes of skills in memory, sentiments, will, imagination, and reason, in everybody, not as restricted communities, prioritising our privileged means of accessing special truths?
Are Morals and Ethics to be seen as being true within oneself with each other, not as prescribed codes of conduct for individuals and communities?
We ask these questions because we are seeing today determined economic elites focused on accumulating ever more power and material wealth for themselves without deep care for the dignity of life in all human beings and in the web of creatures in nature.
Given these toxic habits to be seen in many individuals, communities, organisations, and nations, current norms and hopeful aspirations for each person living well with every other person across all generations of human beings within secure social foundations within our societies, at local, regional, national, and international scales, and for nature living well within the limited carrying capacities of our planet’s atmosphere, natural waters, and healthy lands in various polar, temperate, and tropical ecological habitats are in deep existential crises.
Given these dire living conditions in the USA, Australia, and other nations, we must join with each other to reinvigorate dignity for every human being and restore dignity for every living creature within the full variety of the natural rhythms in Nature (Pneuma/Nous-psyche-soma [Greek], Spiritus/Intellectus-anima-corpus [Latin], Rūḥ/‘Aql-nafs-jism [Arabic], Tribhuvana — the three worlds, Heaven, sky, and earth; or Heaven, earth, and the lower regions [Sanskrit], Heart-soul-body [English]).

This paper is an assessment of the impacts and ramifications of International Criminal Organizations (ICOs) as they evolve into a contemporary organized industry in the globalizing arena. The ongoing shift of corporations moving from the national to the global stage has generally overlooked the resulting emergence of a single international market for ICOs. It is a truism that the state, as a result of this trend, has been compelled to yield significant authority over its sovereign domains, thus resulting in power shift from it to private actors. In this new international order, multinational corporations (MNCs) have remained the symbol of a globalizing world; but there are two other types of actors that are important but less recognized: ICOs and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The thrust of this paper is on ICOs and their operations in Africa. Our substantive argument is that ICOs in Africa exhibit the same characteristics as those operating in other continents. They are all motivated by economic goals, and strive to attain them through the use technology, violence, coercion, intimidation, bribery and corruption, and cooperation to shape their political environment so as to diminish their need to compete in the international market.

7 ， s o v e r e i g n t y o v e r H o n g K o n g r e v e r t e d t o t h e P e o p l e ' s R e p u b l i c o f C h i n a ( t h e PR C ) a n d t h e f o r m e r B r i t i s h c o l o n y b e c a m e a C h i n e s e s p e c i a l a d m i n i s t r a t i v e r e g i o n ( S A R o r t h e H K S A R ) . D u r i n g t h e r u n -u p t o 1 9 9 7 ， c o n t i n u e d p r o t e c t i o n o f r i g h t s u n d e r C h i n e s e r u l e w a s a m司 o rc a u s e f o r c o n c e r n i n t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l c o m m u n i t y a s w e l l a s i n H o n g K o n g . A l t h o u g h i t w o u l d b e a m i s t a k e t o r o m a n t i c i z e t h e s i t u a t i o n u n d e r B r i t i s h r u l e ， 1 r e a l d i f f e r e n c e s e x i s t e d i n l a w a n d p r a c t i c e b e t w e e n H o n g K o n g a n d C h i n a ， a n d c o n s e q u e n t 1 y H o n g K o n g p e o p l e f e 1 t g r e a t a n x i e t y a b o u t t h i s i s s u e ， e s p e c i a l l y a f t e r t h e e v e n t s o f J u n e 4 ， 1 9 8 9 . 2 Now ， l e s s t h a n a y e a r s i n c e t h e J u l y 1 h a n d o v e r ， w o r r i e s o v e r H o n g K o n g ' s e c o n o m y h a v e s e e m i n g l y e c l i p s e d f e a r s o f P R C i n f r i n g e m e n t s o f H o n g K o n g p e o p l e ' s r i g h t s . E v e n t h e f o r e i g n p r e s s h a s c o n c l u d e d血a t ， i n t h e w a k e o f t h e A s i a n e c o n o m i c d o w n t u r n ， t h e r e a l c h a l l e n g e s f o r H o n g K o n g a r e e c o n o m i c ， n o t p o l i t i c a l . 3 C h i n a ， m o r e o v e r ， h a s a p p a r e n t 1 y a d h e r e d t o i t s s t a t e d p o l i c y o f n o n -i n t e r f e r e n c e i n H o n g K o n g a f f a i r s ， a n d a n y t h r e a t s t o t h e p r o t e c t i o n o f r i g h t s h a v e c o m e f r o m t h e H K S A R g o v e r n m e n t i t s e l f . A f t e r a s u m m a r y o f t h e l e g a l f r a m e w o r k p r o t e c t i n g r i g h t s i n H o n g K o n g ， 出i s e s s a y w i l l a n a l y z e t h e a c t i o n s o f t h e P R C a n d S A R g o v e r n m e n t s s i n c e J u l y 1 . H a v e t h e i r a c t i o n s s u p p o r t e d o r u n d e r m i n e d伽 t l e g a l f r a I I i e w o r k ? How • A s s o c i a t e p r o f e s s o r o f l a w ， U 凶v e r s i t yo f H a w a i ' i S c h o o l o f L a w . F o n n 巴 r l yt a u g h t a t出E U凶v e r s i t yo f H o n g K o n g ， F a c u l t y o f L a w ( 1 9 8 6 -1 9 9 の .J . O . ， H a r v a r d ; P h . O . ， C o m e l l . 1 . A l t h o u g h o f f i c i a l l y r e f e r r e d t o a s a t e r r i t o r y ， " H o n g K o n g r e m a i n e d a c o l o n y ， a n d m a n y c r i t i c s 。 fB r i t a i n ' s p o l i c i e s p o i n t e d t o r e s t r i c t i v e l e g i s l a t i o n d u r i n g c o l o n i a l r u l e . S e e F r a n k C h i n g ， M i s r e ， 凶 t gH o n g K o n g ， 7 6 F O R E I G N A F F . 5 3 ， 5 8 -6 2 ( M a y / J u n e 1 9 9 7 ) ; S e e ， e . g . ， ， a t 8 9 ， 9 9 ( N y a w M e ek a u & L i S i -m i n g e d s . ， 1 9 9 の . 2 . Wh e n t h e C h i n e s e g o v e m m e n t ' s b r u 飽 1 s u p p r e s s i o n o f血e p r o -d e m ω r a c y d e m o n s t r a t i o n s i n B e i j i n g p r o f o u n d l y s h o c k e d H o n g K o n g p e o p l e .

évolution (qui n'est pas révolution) de l'Union Européenne en matière de droits fondamentaux, qui chemine dans la bonne direction de la simplification, de l'impulsion à la formation jurisprudentielle de ces mêmes droits fondamentaux, et sa fonction comme standard minimum de protection, se confirme. De même, elle ouvre la possibilité de dialogue entre le Droit de l'Union et la Convention Européenne des Droits de l'Homme, et sa jurisprudence provenant du Tribunal Européen des Droits de l'Homme. Mots Clés: Simplification. Autonomie normative. Force indirecte. Charte, standard de protection. Fuerza (indirecta) y autonomía

The paper presents a political economy model linking terror and governments' respect for human rights. Using panel data for 111 countries over the period 1973-2002, we then empirically analyze whether and to what extent terror affects human rights -measured by three indices covering a wide variety of human rights aspects. According to our results, terror substantially diminishes governments' respect for basic human rights such as absence of extrajudicial killings, political imprisonment, and torture. To some extent, civil rights are also restricted as a consequence of terrorism, while we find no effect of terrorism on empowerment rights.

The paper presents a political economy model linking terror and governments' respect for human rights. Using panel data for 111 countries over the period 1973-2002, we then empirically analyze whether and to what extent terror affects human rights -measured by three indices covering a wide variety of human rights aspects. According to our results, terror substantially diminishes governments' respect for basic human rights such as absence of extrajudicial killings, political imprisonment, and torture. To some extent, civil rights are also restricted as a consequence of terrorism, while we find no effect of terrorism on empowerment rights.

Using the KOF Index of Globalization and two indices of economic freedom, the authors empirically analyze whether globalization and economic liberalization affect governments’ respect for human rights in a panel of 106 countries over the 1981–2004 period. According to their results, physical integrity rights significantly and robustly increase with globalization and economic freedom, while empowerment rights are not robustly affected. Due to the lack of consensus about the appropriate level of empowerment rights as compared to the outright rejection of any violation of physical integrity rights, the global community is presumably less effective in promoting empowerment rights.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict, stemming from post-Soviet tensions, critically challenges International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and global stability. Russia's perception of Ukraine within its sphere of influence clashed with Ukraine's westward shift, particularly in the post-2014 Maidan Revolution. The 2022 full-scale invasion intensified the conflict, revealing IHL's limitations against hybrid warfare and inadequate international responses. This war has reshaped Eastern European security and global geopolitics, impacting the global economy. The 2025 Munich Security Conference symbolizes a crucial juncture: the potential for a new multipolar order fostering peace versus a protracted conflict redefining global power. This paper examines the role of IHL application, diplomatic negotiations, and emerging actors in seeking resolution. It explores whether these factors will lead to sustainable peace or a frozen conflict that will reshape the global power map for decades.