This volume constitutes a commentary on Article 14 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, guaranteeing the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. It is part of the series, A Commentary on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which provides an article by article analysis of all substantive, organizational and procedural provisions of the CRC and its two Optional Protocols. For every article, a comparison with related human rights provisions is made, followed by an in-depth exploration of the nature and scope of State obligations...

Human rights are by definition universal. Yet in a world characterized by enormous diversity, there is no consensus about the implications of the universality of human rights. In several regions of the world, human rights conceptions are promoted that challenge the mainstream, largely Western-dominated discourse on this subject. This volume offers an analysis of context-specific human rights discourses from East Asia, Subsaharan Africa and the Muslim World. Rather than interpreting these as threats to universality, the author examines how and to what extent the claims that are advanced can...

This volume contributes to the on-going legal discussion on pressing procedural and substantial law issues in the ambit of international human rights and civil liberties. While the 20th century has seen the true awakening of human rights, the 21st century poses new challenges to this ever-unfolding area of law. Not only do international tribunals and quasi-tribunals worldwide and domestic US and European continental courts have to deal with increasing numbers of complaints and petitions from individuals and groups on a vast array of societal problems, the legal issues put to them are...

This book studies the experiences of face veil wearers in Europe and examines the ramifications of the empirical findings for legislative agendas.

An assessment of fundamental questions surrounding the scope of human rights.

The papers by international and Ethiopian scholars included in Human Rights and Development: Legal Perspectives from and for Ethiopia focus on the interconnectedness between the protection of human rights and the achievement of development. The book adds to the international debate by providing a unique insight into the Ethiopian perspective on the nexus between rights and development and by discussing how this nexus manifests itself in the Ethiopian context. The comparative and international frameworks and examples constitute a valuable resource for the debate on human rights and...

This book studies the role of international actors in the areas of transitional justice and justice sector aid with respect to traditional justice and legal pluralism in sub-Saharan Africa. Based on a number of case studies, the book describes the kinds of policies and interventions that are supported and financed by international actors, with special attention for the kinds of strategies that are deployed, in order to address areas of tension with human rights. The book then explores the relationship between international actors' practices and the body of knowledge that exists in these...

This collection deals with the intricacies of enhancing access to human rights in a world that is to a large extent characterised by legal pluralism, ie the co-existence and interaction of various legal orders in a same field of social relations. The point of departure is that the promotion of human rights is a desirable, yet complex undertaking, and that the insights generated within the scholarly tradition of legal pluralism and the 'universality debate' can help elucidate the issues at stake. Aware of numerous misunderstandings and of the mutual suspicion that exists between human rights...

Bringing together US and European scholars, this book examines issues ranging from the status of human rights under US law to the status of the European Court of Human Rights in the broader context of international law.