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Projects & Partners of the Center for Applied Human Rights

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Current PROJECTS AND PARTNERSHIPS

GENDER-SENSITIVE ANALYSIS OF RISKS OF KILLING FACED BY WOMEN AND GIRL REFUGEES AND ASYLUM SEEKERS

 

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Partner: UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Killings

Project: Aisatou Diallo is working with Agnès Callamard, the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions (EJEs) to produce a gender-sensitive analysis of the risks of EJEs faced by women and girl refugees and asylum seekers. The Special Rapporteur will use this research in her next two reports to the United Nations.

 

CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY FOR HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS

 

 

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Partner: EarthRights International

Project: Breanna Hayes is working with EarthRights on Doe v. Chiquita Brands International, a lawsuit charging the multinational company "with funding and arming known terrorist organizations in Colombia in order to maintain its profitable control of Colombia's banana growing regions."

 

PRISON OVERCROWDING AS A FORM OF TORTURE

 

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Partner: Penal Reform International (PRI)

Project: Jessica Bullock is researching the issue of prison overcrowding, for use by PRI in its work with the UN Committee against Torture and other human rights bodies. As a result of this work she has been invited to participate in a workshop this summer at the United Nations in Geneva.

 

INFRINGEMENTS OF THE RIGHT TO PEACEFULLY PROTEST

 

 

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Article 19: Defending freedom of expression and information

Partner Project: Angela Jensen and Kaitlyn Peters are working on an amicus brief in a case before the European Court of Human Rights brought against Russia by protesters arrested for chanting slogans such as "Freedom for political prisoners" and "Russia without Putin."

 

INTENTIONAL DESTRUCTION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE AS A HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION

 

 

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Partner: UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights

Project: Heather Gill-Frerking is working on several projects with Karima Bennoune, the Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, including the development of a user guide to the expert's recent reports to the United Nations that apply the human rights approach she has developed to address the intentional destruction of cultural heritage. Two well-known examples: the temple in Palmyra and the Buddhas of Bamiyan. This work will address destruction of cultural heritage in both conflict and non-conflict situations, and by States and non-State actors.

 

Past Projects

 

Violence against indigenous women

 

Indian Law Resource Center: Ending Violence against Native Women Violence against indigenous women takes place at a breathtaking rate, often with impunity. Cedar and Ivy are researching the relevant international human rights laws and mechanisms that could be used to address trafficking and the impacts of the extractive industries on the safety of indigenous women and children in the United States. The Resource Center will use their research to further develop their advocacy on these issues in the domestic and international arenas.

 

Human Rights & the environment

 

 

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In a joint project for CIEL (CIEL Human Rights & Environment Program) and Article 19 (Article 19: Defending Freedom of Expression and Information Human Rights and the Environment)

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Catie is working on a report on attacks on environmental human rights defenders in Latin America. The report will be used in negotiations on a new treaty for the Americas modeled on the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters.

 

Digital media & children's rights

 

 

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Child Rights International Network (CRIN)
Sarah is conducting research on the emerging field of children's digital rights, examining how courts in a range of jurisdictions around the world have tackled issues related to children's online lives. This research will be used in developing CRIN's policy recommendations to the United Nations and governments.

 

 

Sexual orientation & gender identity

 

 

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Global Initiative for Sexuality and Human Rights
Ana is working with LGBT activists in Bangladesh to document human rights abuses targeting people because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Together they will prepare a shadow report to the United Nations Human Rights Committee in preparation for the Committee's review this November of Bangladesh's compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

 

hate speech

 

 

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For Article 19 Nansi is researching the legislation, regulations and cases of countries that prohibit hate speech, and analyzing them in light of the limitations clause of Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. This research will inform the further development of Article 19's work in this area.

 

right to protest

 

 

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In a project feeding into Article 19's renowned work on the Right to Protest, Zach is researching the positions taken and analytic steps applied by the United Nations Human Rights Committee in assessing permissible limitations on the right to protest, with a review to developing a set of recommendations.

 

Partners

 

Recent projects completed by Human Rights Fellows include working with the following non-governmental organizations (NGOs)

 

Article 19

 

 

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ARTICLE 19, the freedom of expression NGO; based in London. Two students are developing a report on attacks on environmental activists and media covering environmental issues in Europe. The report will be submitted jointly by Article 19 and Vermont Law School’s Center for Applied Human Rights to the Aarhus Compliance Committee for the June 2014 Meeting of the Parties (MoP) to the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus Convention).

Another student is examining multiple issues of freedom of expression and assembly in relation to social media and protest. This work will inform the development of a standard-setting instrument on protection of the right to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly in peaceful protest.

 

Child Rights International Network

 

 

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CHILD RIGHTS INTERNATIONAL NETWORK (CRIN), based in London.
A student is conducting research and analysis in support of CRIN’s campaign to end sexual violence against children in religious institutions, launched to follow up on CRIN’s shadow report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child Child Sexual Abuse and the Holy See: The Need for Justice, Accountability and Reform.

 

Global Initiative for Sexuality and Human Rights

 

 

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GLOBAL INITIATIVE FOR SEXUALITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS
A student is working with LGBT activists in Burundi to prepare a shadow report to the United Nations Human Rights Committee in preparation for the Committee’s review this October of Burundi’s compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. She’s skyping with them in French every week as they work together on this project.

 

Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR)

 

 

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INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS (IACHR) of the OAS
A student is conducting research and analysis in support of a project of the Inter-American Commission’s Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women regarding access to information in addressing violence against women in the Americas.

 

Business & Human Rights Resource Center

 

 

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Business & Human Rights Resource Centre
In a project exploring legal issues at the intersection of human rights, environmental justice and the extraterritorial application of law, a student examined non-U.S. cases imposing extraterritorial liability on corporations for environmental harm that negatively affects human rights.

 

Center for Economic and Social Rights

 

 

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Center for Economic and Social Rights (CESR)
A student examined human rights-based challenges that advocates have raised in courts and quasi-judicial bodies to contest austerity measures instituted by governments in response to the global financial and economic crisis. This research is part of a larger project to incorporate human rights protections into the measures governments take in response to the crisis.

 

Child Soldiers International

 

 

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Child Soldiers International
A student worked with this London-based NGO to identify and analyze international standards that apply to the recruitment of children and use of children in hostilities by non-state armed groups.

 

Earthrights International

 

 

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Earthrights International
A student analyzed legal issues arising from the exploitation of natural resources by a state in a region where the state's sovereignty is contested. She also conducted an assessment of potential avenues, including national and international litigation and arbitration, for addressing these problems.

 

Global Initiative for Sexuality and Human Rights

 

 

Heartland Alliance for Human Needs and Human Rights

Global Initiative for Sexuality and Human Rights of the Heartland Alliance.
A student worked in Spanish with grassroots LGBT rights activists in Latin America to document rights violations, and set out the information within the framework of state obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The document she drafted was submitted to the United Nations Human Rights Committee and appears on this UN webpage.