ANALYSIS Freda Louwes 3 September 2021 Sexual and reproductive health rights are fundamental human rights, according to the Constitution of the World Health Organization and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is the state’s obligation to provide the highest attainable standard of health; an obligation enshrined in several international agreements. One country of particular…
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COMMENT Isabelle Zundel 30 August 2021 The increase of tragic natural disasters in intensity and frequency is proof of the immense challenge climate change displays. One of many contributing factors to climate change is the pollution and destruction of the environment through single-use plastic waste (SUP). The impacts are manifold and range from threatening terrestrial…
COMMENT Isabelle Zundel 30 July 2021 Inspired by the contributors on the series “Decolonizing Law and Legal Studies” so far, I would like to stress the point Prof. Hamoudi made on the inevitable need to decolonize one’s mind in a world of deadlocked power relations between Global North and Global South. I will elaborate this…
COMMENT Prof. Dr. Luke Mason 30 July 2021 It is hardly a radical proposition to suggest that decolonisation is an essentially contested concept. Indeed, it is partly the pluralistic nature of the very idea which makes it an intrinsically valuable one, allowing a creative playfulness around the ideas of canonical and threshold knowledge, and providing…
COMMENT Prof. Dr. Haider Hamoudi 16 July 2021 A few years ago, in a book on the crisis of legitimacy facing the international rule of law movement, I wrote a chapter on the importance of decolonizing the mind when approaching heavily loaded phraseology such as the “rule of law.” Then and now, I have been…
ANALYSIS Prof. Dr. Bernd Kannowski 09 July 2021 What is decolonisation? By decolonisation we mean the processes of replacement that lead to the end of colonial rule, but above all the social, cultural, legal and economic developments that follow state independence. The process of decolonisation can be divided into five phases, with many considering the…
In April 2021, the Chair for African Legal Studies hosted a seminar on key issues in African Law. One of the many important issues discussed was the decolonization of the mind, law and legal studies. In the videos below, Prof. Dr. Thoko Kaime shares his perspectives on these matters. Please feel free to make use…
COMMENT Prof. Dr. Thoko Kaime 30 June 2021 The CRC does not explicitly guarantee children a right to an ecologically healthy environment. However, within its environment-related children’s rights lies the core content of such a right. Both the interpretive as well as the monitoring functions of the Committee offer the possibility of better defining the…
COMMENT Lea Mwambene and Roberta Mgidlana In this short note we ask: What are the challenges of criminalizing ukuthwala in the protection of girls affected by the practice? Ukuthwala is a ‘romantic mock abduction’ of an unmarried woman by a man who intended to marry her.[1]The intention is to force the girl’s family to enter…
COMMENT Temu Goodluck 25 June 2021 On 24th January 2021, the world celebrated the International Day of Education. This day results from the Resolution of the United Nation’s General Assembly of 6th December 2018.[1] Among others, the Resolution recognizes that “education plays a key role in building sustainable and resilient societies and contributes to the…