Caselaw Database

This is a database of positive domestic, regional and international legal decisions from around the world regarding economic, social, cultural, and environmental rights (ESCER). These case summaries provide greater awareness about ESCER issues globally, effective litigation strategies, progressive jurisprudence, and enforcement efforts. Our case summaries are available in English and Spanish, with more recent entries also available in French and Arabic.

The caselaw database is made possible by the support of ESCR-Net members, many of whom have contributed or reviewed cases, as well as several allies. ESCR-Net expresses its special appreciation to the Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy at Northeastern University (PHRGE), which provides ongoing support to the case database. To suggest additional cases for inclusion, contact Felipe Mesel, Strategic Litigation Working Group Program Coordinator, at fmesel@escr-net.org.

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07/01/2021

Case Law | Access to Justice

STS 1263/2018, 17 July 2018

In 2003, seven-year-old Andrea was murdered by her father, who subsequently committed suicide, during a court-approved parental visitation. Andrea’s mother, Andrea González, had reported over forty-seven (47) instances of physical abuse to the police and sought restraining orders against him to protect herself and her daughter – but the father...

11/26/2019

Case Law | Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (General)

ND v. Attorney General of Botswana and others

ND is a transgender man, and his sex assigned at birth was female. Because the gender marker on ND’s national identity card did not match his expressed gender or gender identity, the refusal of the government to change his gender marker exposed him to ongoing and extreme emotional stress and...

03/25/2019

Case Law | Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (General)

Cuscul Pivaral and Others vs. Guatemala

This case was presented by 49 victims—15 of whom had died while the case was being examined—and their family members, all of whom shared intersecting characteristics that made them more vulnerable to harm, such as living in poverty. The Court noted that Guatemala is the Central American country with the...

01/22/2019

Case Law | Children's and Young Persons’ Rights

STC 4360-2018