Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Human rights violations in the US taken to international bodies

What do you do when the local police don't enforce a personal protection order? If your children are killed by your estranged husband, then you can take it to the supreme court. When the supreme court rules that the constitution provides no requirement for enforcement of the PPO, then what? In a landmark case, Jessica Lenahan, along with the ACLU and Columbia School of Human Rights, has petitioned the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).
The news wire mentions briefly the American Declaration of Rights and Duties of Man, adopted in 1948, stating that the basis of the Lenahan's petition to IACHR is the failure of the US to comply with the human rights doctrine. This case symbolizes a new era in human rights, in which international bodies hold the U.S. accountable for injustices. If the IACHR does hold the US responsible for violations to this doctrine, then it could symbolize a new direction in international human rights trials. No wonder the US still has not ratified the UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Violence Against Women (CEDAW).
It will be very interesting to see how this plays out.

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