Women's Rights Protection: a Pathway to International and European Mechanisms Against Discrimination (NEW)
This course aims at studying the main International and European Law mechanisms in place to protect different forms of discrimination on grounds of gender and sexual orientation, disability or racism.
The course focuses on the principles of equality and non discrimination, and introduces the subject through the evolution of women’s rights and its International recognition.
International Organizations protect and promote equality to ensure all individuals’ fundamental rights. Knowing how to identify inequality helps us to tackle discriminatory actions, avoid them and fight discrimination. Before discriminatory actions, we need to stand for equality!
Courses generally have little or no prerequisite knowledge required for a given topic, however if students face any doubts, we recommend they contact course professors to clarify.
| Week | Contents | Teaching / learning activities |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Fundamentals of International systems of protection of human rights. Fundamentals of equality and non-discrimination. History and evolution of women’s rights and its international protection. UN Instruments and mechanism of protection of women’s rights |
Case study Debates Proposal of Positive Actions |
| 2 |
UN Instruments and mechanism against racism UN Instruments and mechanism of protection of people with disabilities. European Organisations: Council of Europe and European Union. Council of Europe’s instruments and mechanisms to fight against racism. Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence |
Case study Debates Proposal of Promotion Actions |
| 3 |
European Union instruments, mechanisms, and policies. EU non-discrimination Directives EU and gender equality Evolution and protection of LGBTIQ+ rights in Europe. |
Case study Debates Proposal of Legislative Actions |
There are 3 assessment activities, one at the end of each week. The activities include:
- A case study to be presented and discussed in class. Both, the presentation and participation in the debate, will be graded.
- Create a legislative proposal for a positive action.
- Create an action for promoting equality and non-discrimination.
Bibliography:
Belavusau, Uladzislau, and Kristin Henrard. EU anti-discrimination law beyond gender , edited by Uladzislau Belavusau and Kristin Henrard. Primera edició. Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2019. Print.
Guth, Jessica. Gender and the Court of Justice of the European Union, Jessica Guth, Sanna Elfving. London; Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2020. Print.
Hellum, Anne, and Henriette Sinding Aasen. Women's Human Rights: CEDAW in International, Regional and National Law. Vol. 3. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2013.
https://bibcercador.uab.cat/permalink/34CSUC_UAB/1c3utr0/cdi_proquest_ebookcentral_EBC1303706
Martín Sánchez, María. La Perspectiva de género en la protección internacional de los derechos humanos: diálogo multinivel y deconstrucción de estereotipos / María Martín Sánchez. 1a edición. Valencia: Tirant lo Blanch, 2020. Print. Disponible online :
https://biblioteca-tirant-com.are.uab.cat/cloudLibrary/ebook/show/9788413781617
Rivas Vañó,Alicia. LGBTI en Europa: la Construcción Jurídica de la Diversidad, Editorial: Tirant lo Blanch, 2019, ISBN: 9788491904809
https://biblioteca.tirant.com/cloudLibrary/ebook/show/9788491904809?showPage=0
Internet links.
CEDAW: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/
CES: http://www.unwomen.org/en/csw
UN Women: http://www.unwomen.org/es/
Universal Declaration of Human Rights: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/UDHR/Pages/UDHRIndex.aspx
EIGE - European Institute for Gender Equality: https://eige.europa.eu/es/in-brief
Council of Europe: https://www.coe.int/en/web/cm/home
European Commission : https://ec.europa.eu/info/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/gender-equality_en
European Pariment LGTBI Intergroup: https://lgbti-ep.eu/
FRA - European Agency for Fundamental Rights: https://fra.europa.eu/en/theme/gender
EUR-Lex - EU Legislation and Case Law Finder:
Dr. Lidia Ballesta Martí is a post-doctoral researcher and associate professor in International Law at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) since September 2016. Her main research areas are the EU gender and non-discrimination law and EU Digital Strategy. She is part of the teaching staff of the degree in Socio-Cultural gender Studies at UAB. Currently, she coordinates a project on transfer of knowledge activities on the Transnational Dimensions of Equality, which has been granted by the Spanish Ministry of Equality.
Besides this, she has been working as a lawyer and legal consultant since 2010.
- E-mail: lidia.ballesta@uab.cat