Time: 09:00-10:00 Many African countries are leading the global charge in clamping down on democracy, adopting legal restrictions on key civil and political rights that form the basis of democratic rule, including freedoms of association, speech, and information; the ability to choose political leaders; rule of law with recourse to independent courts; and rights and […]
Time: 10:10-11:30 What are effective institutional solutions to the problem of gender based violence? Common strategies have been to use the law to criminalize gender violence, increase penalties, put more people in jail. Is this effective? Is the criminal law the best tool? In Latin America #NiUnaMenos – the ‘not one less’ movement – challenges […]
Time: 12:40 – 13:30 While rule of law may be a central feature of democracy, law – and rule by law – is also central in authoritarian states. Most of our thinking about law is focused on democratic societies, as are most methods for doing legal and socio-legal research. To research law and legal institutions’ functioning […]
Time: 14:30-15:30 This session presents findings from a pilot study of the debates on homosexuality in African newspapers as part of the LawTransform project on Political Determinants of Sexual and Reproductive Health in Africa (GLOBVAC). The data gathering process has been based on the technique of web scraping media articles, and will illustrate how large-scale […]
Child Marriage Laws in Africa
Child marriage features high on the international agenda both as a human rights violation and because of its negative effects on sustainable economic development. The issue is critical within the debates on gendered violence, girls’ education and women’s participation in the work force. What are the drivers of child marriage law reform in Africa and […]
International Drivers of Anti- Sexual & Reproductive Rights Lawfare
Abortion rights are contested in all regions of the world, and activists on all sides use legal strategies and arenas to advance their goals. We know that strategies are developed, spread and enabled though dense international networks, but in particular with regard to the “anti’s“ these networks remain opaque. Participants include: Julieta Lemaitre (Los Andes […]
Abortion Rights Lawfare: Comparative Perspectives
Abortion rights are contested in all regions of the world, and activists on all sides use courts – domestic as well as international – as well as the legislative arena and the streets to fight their cause. This session brings together experts on struggles over abortion rights from the Americas, Africa, Europa and India, to […]
Abortion Rights Lawfare in Latin America: Methods and Findings
This roundtable presents findings from a 3 year LawTransform research project analyzing the strategic use of rights and law in the contentious battles over abortion rights in Latin America. Access to legal abortion is severely restricted in most of the region, but the role of socio-legal mobilization and the courts has been key in improving […]
Law & Society in Latin America: taking stock & looking ahead (EADI panel)
The seminar features editors and authors of three new books discussing the social dynamics of law in the Latin-American region and beyond:
· Handbook on Law and Society in Latin America, edited by Rachel Sieder, Karina Ansolabehere & Tatiana Alfonso (Routledge 2017, forthcoming)
· Demanding Justice and Security: Indigenous Women and Legal Pluralities in Latin America, edited by Rachel Sieder (Rutger 2017)
· Social Rights Judgments and the Politics of Compliance – Making It Stick edited by Malcolm Langford et al. (Cambridge University Press 2017)
Key Note Address by Rashida Manjoo: When gender harms – what can law do about it?
9:00 – 9:30 Formal opening of the 2017 Bergen Exchanges
9:30 – 10:00 Key Note Address: Rashida Manjoo Former UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women/University of Cape Town
10:10 – 11:30 Roundtable What are effective institutional solutions to the problem of gender based violence?