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The meaning of history It is no exaggeration to say that history is constantly being rewritten as the years go by. Mostly because of new findings or analyses that complement or overturn current narratives, but also – and this is more interesting – because of the transformations that take place in contemporary outlooks. So history is changed by future events, on the one hand, and the way it is seen, on the other. They point our attention toward past events that would otherwise have seemed trivial or would have even remained invisible. In the history of science, this process is…
This year marks three quarters of a century since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 December 1948. An anniversary is always a good time to take stock and, in particular, reflect on the relevance and current challenges of a document that represented a significant milestone at the time, as it established a shared understanding of a set of inalienable rights and freedoms based on universal needs and interests. The Declaration is certainly not a binding treaty, but it has served as a foundational framework for the subsequent development of international…
After the Second World War, the world was compelled to embrace the notion of human rights in an effort, perhaps, to condense everything that had been worth fighting for into a single idea. This idea was embedded in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which declared that the highest aspiration of the common people was to build a world in which human beings would enjoy freedom of speech and belief, and freedom from fear and want. Under the declaration, two fundamental principles interlocked to form the cornerstone of the human rights regime, with the intention of defining what…
In October 2021, Poland was ordered by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) to pay a penalty payment of 1 million euros per day to ensure implementation of the measures agreed in judicial proceedings in which certain legislative changes to Poland’s judicial organisation were challenged as being contrary to European Union (EU) law, specifically to the judicial independence, which is a cornerstone of the rule of law. In December 2022, Hungary was subject to a decision by the Council of the European Union which suspended the disbursement of 6.3 billion euros from the Cohesion Funds, as a…
When people talk about the relationship between human rights and artificial intelligence (AI), the most commonly asked question nowadays is how AI affects human rights. In fact, there is a specific group of human rights that is continuously pointed to as the most exposed to these effects and their protection in the governance and regulation of artificial intelligence is considered a priority issue. This is the case of privacy and data protection, freedom of expression and access to information, equality and non-discrimination. That these human rights and not others are constantly in the spotlight seems normal if it is understood…
When Georgy Plekhanov drafted the first ever socialist programme for Russia, he was not ambitious when it came to human rights. Exiled to Geneva in 1883, his Emancipation of Labour Group limited its demands to the basics: free elections, habeas corpus, and freedom of thought, the press, assembly and association. If they could introduce the basic standards of Western democracy to their country, Plekhanov assumed, social justice would follow. It is a startling fact that, 140 years later, none of these rights exists in Russia. According to Amnesty International, repression of free speech is “severe”. Arbitrary detentions are routinely accompanied…
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is not the outcome of a process of collective reflection by societies on humanity and its rights; nor was it born in a context of equality between states that jointly drafted the document, but rather it was born out of an ideological and historical process undertaken by the states, marked by the post-war period, by the new regime and by the situation of some countries that were still colonised and others that were undergoing partial decolonisation processes. Reflecting this initial situation, and with the intention of generating a framework of universal rights, the Declaration’s…
Europe is facing a major human rights challenge. Russia’s war in Ukraine has worsened the negative human rights trend of previous years by fostering insecurity and inequality and has provided a pretext for authoritarian agents and governments to continue repressing fundamental freedoms. These same forces have articulated and disseminated racist, xenophobic, misogynist and homophobic agendas. The global context has also contributed to growing instability: among this cocktail’s ingredients, we can list heightened geopolitical tensions, worsening effects of the climate crisis and new challenges to the international human rights system. The coming years will undoubtedly continue to be marked by the…
Digital transformation currently occupies a central place in the European agenda. Although digitalisation is now at the top of the European Union’s political agenda, the digitalisation of societies has been ongoing for half a century. Obviously, the question is not whether digitalisation will happen or not, but whether it is democratic and, therefore, beneficial for the majority or not. The narrative around digitalisation often focuses on futuristic projects. But before that, there is an overlooked but unavoidable layer: that which enables everyday digital life in all of society’s activities, from essential services to individual use, that is, content creation and…
In early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic hit Europe, a wealthy region with relatively good public or private healthcare systems. Europe is also a region with a strong commitment to human rights and emphasis on freedom of movement, including across national borders, as a legally entrenched and culturally important aspect of liberty. In part because of the many unknowns relating to a totally new pathogen, the responses by states, in Europe and elsewhere, were swift, and even drastic. An unprecedented number of states declared a state of emergency and officially derogated from some of their international human rights obligations. Now, in…
Human rights activism is at risk in Europe. From the everyday practice of working for a not-for-profit organisation defending people’s rights, to engaging and participating in acts of protest or simply acting in solidarity with the most marginalised in our society, over the last decade these actions have become increasingly scrutinised, attacked, and even criminalised by those in power, corporates and the far right. The absence of a unique, universally accepted term to encompass the diverse spectrum of practices employed in defence of human rights has resulted in the proliferation of various terminologies. These include designations such as professional non-profit…
On 10 December 1948, a significant milestone was reached in the journey towards a fairer and more equitable future when the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Today, 75 years later, what initially began as a bold vision has evolved into a global pledge to safeguard the dignity of every human being, without distinction. This IDEES magazine special issue aims to commemorate this anniversary while encouraging critical reflection on the progress achieved and the challenges that still lie ahead on the path towards a world characterised by greater justice and equality Since its inception, the Universal Declaration…
Policies to control people’s mobility or migration control policies are designed and implemented by nation states, making use of their sovereignty, for the purpose of controlling all aspects of the departure, entry and settlement of foreigners in their territory. Although states have the right to exercise their sovereignty in this area, such policies should never involve practices or actions that violate their international obligations to protect human rights. Yet we are unfortunately witnessing a progressive strengthening of migration policies, starting after the Cold War and now more acute, especially after the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001. This trend is…
Immigration has been at the heart of political and social debate for many decades. Even so, not only has no progress been seen in increasing awareness and protection of migrants’ rights but, according to United Nations (UN) reports, violations of the rights of migrants and refugees have multiplied at Europe’s borders. Organisations that work with migrants and refugees warn of increasing violations of their human rights at European borders, with cases that have led to the loss of human lives. These abuses include rejection, threats, intimidation, violence, humiliation, practices such as setting boats with people still in them adrift or…
“We were in the water for 13 hours. They [my wife Shifaa, 30, and our two children, 9-month-old Asem and 5-year-old Abdulwahab] were alive with me right up to the last hour. After that, I could do no more. Can you imagine that they died while I was holding them? I don’t understand why I didn’t die with them.” . Sounding the alarm The EU and its Member States are the architects of a barbaric system of intolerable violence spreading all across the Mediterranean Sea and generously paid for with European money. This system runs on lawlessness law: the deployment…
The 21st century has brought a strange mix of rhetoric, facts and challenges to the human rights landscape. Human rights have never been so present in national and international political discourse, in social demands or in academic and scientific research. These rights are driving an impressive wave of new civil society organisations and specialised public institutions. They are present in all our communications, in our everyday lives, and it is probably because of this that we have long taken them for given, considering them unchanging, established and guaranteed forever. However, the fact is that they are now being challenged, both…
The coordination and editing process of the contents included in IDEES magazine special issue Catalonia and the League of Nations, published on September 29, 2022, has been carried out by the researcher Lucila Mallart, together with the Center for Contemporary Studies’ team and the curator of the commemoration of the 100 years of the League of Nations International Conference on Communications and Traffic in Barcelona, Manuel Manonelles.
Josep Puig i Cadafalch: home de govern amb vocació internacional La figura de Josep Puig i Cadafalch (Mataró 1867 – Barcelona 1952) s’assimila habitualment a la del destacat arquitecte, arqueòleg i historiador de l’art. Més enllà de la Casa Amatller, la Casa de les Punxes, la fàbrica Casaramona i tantes d’altres, Puig i Cadafalch fou també l’impulsor de l’expedició historicoarqueològica del 1907 als Pirineus que, entre d’altres, descobriria els frescos romànics de Taüll, així com de les excavacions a Empúries, o l’autor de L’Arquitectura Romànica a Catalunya que li donà un important reconeixement internacional. Però Puig i Cadafalch fou també…
On 10 August 1931, a decree issued by the president of the provisional government of the Spanish Second Republic, Niceto Alcalá-Zamora, appointed lawyer, journalist and parliamentarian Amadeu Hurtado i Miró (1875-1950) as Spanish delegate at the 12th Assembly of the League of Nations . With a long, successful legal career, he was also a lifelong Catalanist and republican, having begun political activity at the turn of the century and gained a seat at the Spanish Lower House as a member for Solidaritat Catalana. At the same time, Hurtado had made a name for himself as a journalist and press editor.…
My name is Beyoncé and I’m a “chav” transgender woman. I started sex work in 2006 in the Villaverde industrial estate in Madrid. In 2001 I came to Madrid in search of a life free of the gender-based violence I had suffered from my father and some other family members, but it didn’t turn out like that. In this article I have highlighted the gender-based violence that destroys the lives of transgender women drawing from the specific story of my life and the work done in the framework of the European TransR-Trans Sex Workers Rights are Human Rights project .…
Even though some terminology similar to the concept of intersectionality has already been incorporated into Catalan and Spanish regulations, the concept itself is still not very well known and not often applied in feminism, especially in the field of public policy . In order to trace the emergence of intersectionality as one of the most significant contributions of feminism, it is necessary to understand the historical context that led to the “turn of feminist awareness”, in the leap from the second to the third feminist wave . In this context, as we will see below, the conceptual and political bases…
The amendments introduced by Law 17/2020, dated 22 December, to Law 5/2008, dated 22 November, concerning the right of women to eradicate gender-based violence, have not only broadened the forms and areas acknowledged, but have also allowed us to develop a new paradigm of intervention. New perspectives of the analysis and understanding of gender-based violence have thus been incorporated, such as intersectionality, which refers to reciprocal constitution among categories that produce inequalities (such as origin, skin colour, phenotype, ethnicity, religion, administrative situation, age, social class, economic precariousness, functional or mental disability, addictions, HIV status, deprivation of liberty and sexual and…
The United Nations defines violence against women in political life as “any act of gender-based violence, or threat thereof, that is likely to cause physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering and is directed against a woman in political life solely because she is a woman, or that affects women disproportionately” . It should be understood as a continuum that includes sexist comments and behaviour carried out with the intention or effect of humiliating or degrading, sexual harassment and aggression, psychological violence, physical violence, and symbolic violence (for example, the reification of women) . There are two key aspects that…
The plaintiff had an intense feeling of isolation and unease, which stupefied her and made her adopt an attitude of submission and passivity, leading her to do what the defendants told her to do, keeping her eyes closed for most of the time. The defendants were aware of it and took advantage of the plaintiff’s situation in the small space to which they had taken her. Their intentions were to perform several acts of sexual nature with her with a libidinous intent, and they acted in common agreement among themselves.According to the magistrate point of view, everything happened without the…
Conceptualisation of sexual and reproductive rights Sexual and reproductive rights are a set of rights related to the sexual and reproductive dimensions, which are constantly evolving. Specifically, sexual rights are based on the recognition of women as sexual beings, and sexuality as a fundamental part of their personality and identity. Sexual and reproductive rights include the right of all people to enjoy a satisfying and pleasurable sex life, and the right to be able to express their desired and chosen sexual and gender identity. Reproductive rights refer instead to the reproductive self-determination of people and consider reproduction to be an…
Our society has become a digital society. The Internet, social networks, mobile phones, Wi-Fi, computers and a whole range of information and communication technologies (ICT) are increasingly present, to the point where the distinction between the online and offline environment is losing meaning. Technology is increasingly becoming an intermediary element in study, work, and business with companies and administrations, communication and, above all, the way we relate to friends, family, colleagues, and our partners and/or other sex-affective relationships, especially in the case of young people. Social networks and ICT (relationship, information and communication technologies) have allowed women, LGTBIQ+ people, and…
Gender-based violence shows an order of structural inequalities related to the gender system, but also to the intersections of this category with others, such as origin, skin colour, phenotype, ethnicity, religion, administrative situation, age, social class, financial vulnerability, functional or psychological diversity, addictions, HIV status, deprivation of liberty and sexual or gender diversity. Since feminisms have been breaking the silence that invisibilize and naturalize the violence against women, there has been a wide range of knowledge, legislation and social transformations in order to eradicate it. Along this path, public policies have focused fundamentally in providing responses to violence that takes…
Gender-based violence in educational centres: a structural problem There is nothing new about confirming that educational centres reflect social dynamism and that, although admitting it hurts us, there are cases of violence. If there is violence on the streets and at home, there is also at school, albeit sometimes very subtle. In this article, we share some tools to approach gender-based or patriarchal violence, which is both the cause and manifestation of gender- and sexuality-based inequalities . Far from being anecdotal and isolated acts, these inequalities are present in the daily routine of classrooms, passageways, playgrounds, sports fields, bathrooms, dressing…
The recognition of economic violence as a form of violence against women Spanish Law 5/2008, of 24 April, on the right of women to eliminate violence against women recognises economic violence in its Article 4.2. e) as a form of economic violence, defining it as the intentional and unjustified deprivation of resources for the physical or psychological well-being of a woman and, where appropriate, of her children, in the repeated and unjustified non-payment of child support ordered in the event of separation or divorce, in hindering the disposal of own or shared domestic and/or relationship resources, and in the illegitimate…
“Ain’t I A Woman?” Sojourner Truth, 1851 For some time now, a debate has been going on about the rights of women and girls with transgender life experience regarding their existence and legitimacy in the context of the negotiations for the approval of a comprehensive nationwide transgender law. The law that has been in force for over 14 years is Law 3/2007, which regulates the registry rectification of the mention of a person’s sex (at the time misnamed the Gender Identity Law). It regulates solely and exclusively the change of the mention of sex in official documents such as on…