Enforcement/Implementation of ESCR

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The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) alleged that a large number of children in Portugal (estimated at 200,000 children) worked in poor conditions that affected their health. The ICJ claimed that Portugal was violating article 7(1) of the European Social Charter (ESC) by failing to properly supervise child labour. The government disputed the ICJ's statistics, claiming a maximum of 27,000 children worked and only 2,500 children were paid workers and employed in contravention of the Charter.

Mrs Airey sought judicial separation from her physically abusive husband. As she was unable to conclude a separation agreement with her husband, she sought a judicially ordered separation. She was unable to obtain such an order since she lacked the financial means, in the absence of legal aid, to retain a solicitor. The European Court of Human Rights held this was a violation of her right to access a court for determination of her civil rights and obligations (Article 6). Citing international law and the Convention's intention they said that remedies must be effective not illusory.

A large number of residents of basties (informal settlements) of Dhaka City were evicted without notice and their homes were demolished with bulldozers. A case, challenging the ongoing evictions, was brought by two residents and three citizens in the public interest. The Supreme Court held that inhabitants had some rights to shelter and a fair hearing and made recommendations for resettlement.

In 1993, the Campaign for Fiscal Equity, as well as several students and their parents, filed a complaint asserting that New York State's educational financing scheme, in violation of the state Constitution, fails to provide public school students in New York City, an opportunity to obtain a sound basic education. Gross underfunding of schools had allegedly led to a scarcity of basic resources, as well as low test scores and graduation rates.

La Comunidad Yakye Axa, comunidad indígena paraguaya perteneciente al pueblo Lengua Enxet Sur, denunció al Paraguay ante la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos (CIDH) por la omisión estatal de reconocerle la propiedad sobre su territorio ancestral. Ante la imposibilidad de ser resuelto en el ámbito de la Comisión, ésta remitió la denuncia a la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos.

La Defensora Oficial de Menores de la Provincia de Neuquén denunció ante la CIDH la violación del derecho de todo niño a las medidas de protección que su condición de menor requiere, de los derechos a la salud, al medio ambiente sano, a la propiedad de la tierra, y a la provisión de recursos judiciales efectivos. La Defensora Oficial había interpuesto una acción de amparo a fin de garantizar la salud de los niños y jóvenes de la comunidad indígena mapuche Paynemil afectados por el consumo de agua contaminada con plomo y mercurio.

El pueblo Mapuche Pehuenche, del sector  Alto del Bio Bio, VIII Regioìn de Chile comenzó una larga lucha en defensa de sus derechos cuando el Gobierno de Chile autorizó la construcción de centrales hidroeléctricas que tendrían profundas consecuencias sobre su territorio ancestral y su cultura.

El Comité Panameño por los Derechos Humanos denunció ante la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos (CIDH) al Estado de Panamá por el despido arbitrario de 270 empleados públicos y dirigentes sindicales, que habían participado en distintas protestas contra la política gubernamental en reclamo de sus derechos laborales. El despido se produjo luego de que el Gobierno acusara a estas personas de haber participado en aquellas manifestaciones de protesta y de resultar cómplices de una asonada militar.

Representatives of the Lamenxay and Kayleyphapopyet indigenous communities, both of the Enxet-Sanapana people, started proceedings aimed at recovering their ancestral land, which had been sold by the Paraguayan State to private persons. After five years of the State's failure to comply with a court decision acknowledging the constitutional land right of one of the communities, in 1996 a petition was filed with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights against the State of Paraguay.

Representantes de las comunidades indígenas Lamenxay y Kayleyphapopyet, ambas del Pueblo Enxet-Sanapana, iniciaron los trámites administrativos para recuperar las tierras que tradicionalmente habitaron y que habían sido vendidas por el Estado paraguayo a personas particulares. Luego de 5 años de incumplimiento por parte del Estado de una resolución judicial que reivindicaba el derecho constitucional a la tierra de las comunidades, en 1996 se presentó una denuncia ante la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos (CIDH) contra el Estado paraguayo.