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A look around the world at the latest rule of law events in June

On April 24th, 2013, Bangladesh faced its worst industrial disaster. An eight-story garment factory collapsed, resulting in the loss of more than 1100 lives. A few days after the incident, Christian Amanpour of CNN interviewed the Bangladeshi Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, where she responded to the crisis by saying “Anywhere in the world, accidents can happen.

As the most populous city in Eastern Africa, Nairobi, Kenya has many of the problems of any large city (crime, substandard housing, poverty, etc.), and is also at the center of a nation divided by ethnic strife and a vast disparity between those that have much and those that have very little.  These issues came to a head with the Presidential elections in December 2007, which led to large-scale conflict, including between protesters and police.  The violence was most acute in the poorest neighborhoods of Nairobi, including the slums of Kibera, Mathare and Babandogo.

While gender equality is enshrined in the 1948 UN Declaration of Human Rights, in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and in legislation in most countries, women’s conditions of participation in markets and their rewards from that participation, still remain woefully unequal to men’s.  

When deciding how to produce a film about Zimbabwe several themes ran through my head. Some themes appeared to be narratives with a compelling storyline. But conferring with two colleagues who helped developed the film, I soon began a process of elimination on what could work. I was intrigued when the rule of law was suggested as the prism in which to tell the story of the country. But also initially confused.

What are the changes that happened in the past 50 years that West Papua has been ruled by Indonesia?  Why do I reflect on my personal journey and write this? Because this has been the reality of the lives of the Papuan people under the Indonesian military system  since the 1st of May, 1963 and since the so called Act of Free Choice in 1969 when West Papua through military and political pressure was unjustly integrated into Indonesia. We [West Papuans] have maintained our dignity in the face of oppression, insult and prejudice.

A look around the world at the latest rule of law events in May. World Press Freedom Day: May 3rd Stay tuned for our latest Index Data Spotlight dedicated to Freedom of Speech. For more information on the newly launched Index Data Spotlight, please click here. 

As we reflect on labor rights and workers during the month of May, pause and consider what the working world looks like to someone who cannot see, or hear, or move easily from place to place. Justice Rising contributor Stephanie Ortoleva was recently at the Pacific Rim International Conference on Disability and Diversity in Hawaii, where she delivered this excellent keynote on the obstacles facing women with disabilities in both education and employment as they enter the STEM fields.

Malawi is a multiparty democracy with a population of approximately 15 million. In April, 2012 Joyce Banda took over through a smooth transition as President in what local and international observers characterized as a sign that Malawi respects the Rule of Law. Her Government inherited serious challenges ranging from economic hardships, bad governance and donor fatigue.

We are delighted to announce the twelve winners of our 2013 World Justice Challege competition! The WJC is an initiative designed to incubate practical programs that strengthen the rule of law. Seed-grants ranging from $10,000-$30,000 are given to individuals, organizations, or networks with the best actionable ideas.

Red light ticket cameras at intersections are becoming more prevalent with the technological innovations like enhanced imaging making traffic cams less prone to errors. The reasons many municipalities cite for using such technology is the perceived reduction in traffic accidents and fatalities at high-risk intersections.  However, these cameras are also coming under increased scrutiny due to a variety of other factors such as:

The Right to Information (RTI) or Freedom of Information (FoI) movement has made huge strides since the first FoI law was enacted in Sweden in 1766. Freedom of Information was included (as Article 19) in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, described by the UN General Assembly as “a fundamental Human Right and the touchstone of all the freedoms...” But it was not until the late 20th century that advocates of greater transparency really began to push for laws that guaranteed access to information.

One of the intended uses of the WJP Rule of Law Index is as an action planning tool for global civil society. The Rule of Law Index truly comes alive when citizens are given the opportunity to analyze information and shape implementation with their own aspirations and situational context.

Why are women being excluded from more profitable aspects of agriculture in Cote d’Ivoire? My colleagues and I were surrounded by women dressed in their best. Their colorful, patterned pagnes, or cloth wraps, were everywhere I turned in the village of Kouadioyaokro, Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast). I was in West Africa in January to listen to women cocoa farmers about their roles in the supply chains that result in my favorite chocolate treats.

The health of a population provides another lens through which to examine value placed on human life by a government. All indices of health correlate positively with measures of justice. For example, members of Rule of Law abiding societies must be guaranteed "equal treatment and absence of discrimination" (Subfactor 4.1) and, Subfactor 4.2, "the right to life". Such individuals should be expected to have free access to health care and preventive health measures and enjoy long life, as a result. 

To mark World Health Day, IDLO Head of Social Development David Patterson issues a call to action.

NEW YORK, April 7, 2013—On World Health Day, we are reminded of the complexities of the health environments in which we live and work, and the health-related choices we make every day.  Asked who is responsible for our health, your answer will likely depend on how you regard human behavior and the ways in which external influences and factors can shape it. Each context is unique, and the ability of individuals to make healthful choices is unevenly, unequally distributed around the world. 

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is going through historic political, social, and identity transitions. There are five dynamics catalyzing these transitions, including the widening embrace of violence by both state and non-state actors to pursue socio-religious and political agendas and a push for new governance structures without the requisite institutions and social contract.