June 2023 marked the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the ILO 1998 Declaration of Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (the Declaration). The Declaration has been a catalyst for intense discussions and has wielded significant influence, within and beyond the ILO. This post explores the most notable impacts of the Declaration, spanning from its inception to the 2022 Amendment that incorporated the right to a safe and healthy working environment. Particularly, it delves into recent advancements within the Inter-American System of Human Rights (IASHR), where the ILO Fundamental Conventions have served as a powerful platform for expanding workers’ rights. With no adjudicatory tribunal within the ILO (see here), regional human rights courts gain significance. The Human Rights Turn in International Labour Law: The ILO Declaration from 1998 to 2022 The adoption of the 1998 Declaration represented the ILO’s strategic response to the challenges brought about by globalization and trade liberalisation, positioning itself as a leading authority in social and labour affairs within…
American Convention on Human Rights
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Manuela et al. v. El Salvador: The Pitfalls of a Landmark Case for Reproductive Justice from a Torture Perspective
On November 30, 2021, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) published its judgment in Manuela et al v. El Salvador. The case concerned El Salvador’s responsibility for the arbitrary detention, torture, and conviction of a woman who experienced an obstetric emergency and lost her pregnancy in 2008. The dispute took place in the context…
What’s at Stake in the Abortion Case Before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights?
El Salvador’s punitive treatment of women through its absolute criminalization of abortion will come under scrutiny by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (the “Court”) on March 22-23, in a case involving the state’s treatment of a woman in need of a life-saving abortion. Beatriz was a young woman from the impoverished state of Usulután,…
Another Advisory Opinion on the Climate Emergency? The Added Value of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights
The highest human rights tribunal in the Americas, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR), sits in Costa Rica’s capital San Jose, part of a region significantly exposed and vulnerable to climate impacts. If the global temperature continues to rise due to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that remain trapped in the atmosphere, enjoying the whole…
Nicaragua: Expatriation as an Aggravated Form of Political Persecution
In an unprecedented move in the modern history of international law, Nicaragua has stripped more than 300 dissident citizens of their nationality in the last two weeks. 222 of these citizens were deported to the United States on 9 February (see here), with the Managua Appeals Court (Tribunal de Apelaciones) removing their nationality the day…