Children's and Young Persons’ Rights

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Under Colombian constitutional law, children must receive priority in care and safeguarding of their rights. Despite this, over fifty percent of the internally displaced population in Colombia is made up of children and adolescents below the age of 18. The Court in this case found that the governmental response has been largely inexistent and inefficient in resolving the myriad violations of childrens’ human rights.

Over the past two years, dozens of ESCR-Net members engaged in cross-network discussions to develop the analytical report “Building sustainable peace. Transforming conflict-affected situations for women.” The report argues that in dealing with conflict-affected situations, it is vital to adopt an intersectional feminist approach via a human rights framework, and provides seven lessons and principles to guide the work in the field.

This public interest litigation case was a response to the fire that swept through Lord Krishna Middle School in the Kumbakonam District.  Lord Krishna Middle School was private school with approximately 900 students.  A fire started in the kitchen nearby that eventually caught the thatched roof of the school building, which fell and killed 93 children inside.  When the firefighters arrived on scene, they noted that the school was severely out of code.  Municipal building codes required the school to be certified every two years, but Lord Krishna Middle School was three years delinquent and

The Plaintiff in this case is Martina Vera Rojas and her parents. Martina has Leigh Syndrome, a neurological and muscular condition that requires extensive care and treatment. Martina’s parents took out a health insurance policy with a private insurance company called Isapre MasVida that included special coverage for catastrophic illnesses and at-home treatment. In 2010, Martina was told that at-home treatment would no longer be included for chronic illnesses pursuant to a new regulation (Circular IF/No. 7), at the time, from the Superintendence of Health.

In early 2016, the Acting Superintendent-General issued a circular that demanded learners present their birth certificates to the school administration. Learners unable to submit their birth certificates would no longer receive funding. This had to effect of forcing schools to exclude undocumented children or to allow them to remain while forcing schools to spread already scarce resources. Although the circular demanded birth certificates, in practice schools also excluded non-national children where they were unable to present permits which allowed them to reside in the country.

The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) and the European Council for Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) alleged that migrant children in Greece and on the Greek islands have been deprived of their rights that are guaranteed within the Revised European Social Charter (hereinafter “the Charter”). These include the rights to housing compatible with human dignity; social, legal, and economic protections; health; social and medical assistance; and education.

Y.I., a mother of three children, was arrested on October 8, 2013, on suspicion of drug trafficking. She had taken opiates for six years starting in 2004, and at the time of her arrest had recently begun taking drugs again and had been allowing others to take drugs in her home. A police officer for juvenile affairs also wrote multiple reports stating that Y.I. had been neglecting her parental responsibilities. Later the same month, her oldest child was taken to live with his biological father and the other children were put into public care.

Background: On December 11, 1998, an explosion occurred in a fireworks factory in Santo Antônio de Jesus, Brazil. The factory consisted of a set of tents located in paddocks with shared worktables. As a result of the explosion, 60 people died and six were injured. Among those who lost their lives were 59 women, 19 of whom were girls, and one boy. Among the survivors were three adult women, two boys and one girl. Four of the deceased women were pregnant; one of them was able to give birth before dying.

On May 6th, several human rights organizations submitted a joint third-party intervention in Duarte Agostinho and others v. Portugal and others, the first climate change case before the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). The intervenors drew on international, regional...

The action arose from an appeal of two High Court decisions that were issued in 2016. A local women’s group (Mahila Mandals) and other self-help groups challenged the validity of a tender notice issued by the state of Maharashtra that year. The tender awarded a contract to large corporations with strong political connections for the supply of nutritional food supplements to beneficiaries under the ICDS.