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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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09/25/2017
Mary-Joyce Doo Aphane, a woman’s rights activist, commenced legal proceedings in the High Court of Swaziland (High Court) against the Registrar of Deeds, the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, and the Attorney General, arguing that Section 16(3) of the Deeds Registry Act, 1968 (Act) violated her constitutional right to...
08/16/2017
The applicants were Czech children of Roma descent, between nine and 15 years old, who had been placed in “special schools” for children with mental disabilities between 1996 and 1999. Their situation was not unique. In 1999, the probability of a Roma child of being assigned to a “special school”...
05/15/2017
In February 2016, a Romani woman gave birth a public hospital in Miskolc, north-eastern Hungary. During labour she cried out with pain and the midwife yelled at her “if you shout once more I will push the pillow into your face”. When the woman apologised, the doctor said to her...