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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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04/02/2014
The Saramaka people, descendants of self-liberated African slaves, have been living on their traditional territory in Suriname since the early 1700s. This non-indigenous community lives in a traditional way by fishing, hunting and woodworking, and their relationship with the land is more than economic, but also spiritual and cultural. In...
07/09/2013
Case Law | Development
Recycling activities in Colombia have traditionally been carried out by extremely poor and marginalized sectors of society, who collect materials from landfills or inorganic waste from the streets to transport and sell them as recyclable material to intermediary informal warehouses of the national and multinational industry from refuse deposited on...
03/26/2013
The Sawhoyamaxa Community has historically lived in the Paraguayan Chaco. In 1991, the Community started a domestic claim to regain its lands after being forced to leave them. On May 15th, 2001, ESCR-Net Member, Tierraviva, submitted a petition to the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights. The Commission referred the case to the...