The formal negotiations to reach peace agreements are a unique opportunity to create social and political change, and those who participate in the negotiations - in what capacity, at what stage, to what degree and on what issues - matter. Although the decision-making process directly affects them, members of civil society are too often not invited to take part in the negotiations, as traditionally ...

In a world of interconnected global value chains, regulating the conduct of transnational corporations is challenging. In international human rights law, only voluntary mechanisms regulate the responsibility of businesses to respect. In the United Nations, the Guiding Principles of Business and Human Rights determine the international standards applicable: the duty of the State to protect, the ...

This dissertation focused on how youth in post-conflict and conflict prone communities directly and indirectly promote the right to life, liberty and security of person through grassroots youth empowerment initiatives and organizations. The research was centered on both a theoretical analysis of youth empowerment and peace education and as a case study focuses on one particular organization in the ...

The ability to foster reconciliation while addressing human rights can be achieved through the ICTY and the ICJ stemming from their use of providing accountability on individual level to a state level, admissions of guilt, removal of war criminals from society, outreach program and establishing historical and legal truths. Within the state of BiH, for many citizens there exists the belief that a ...

Countries of the Global North have long established restrictive measures to deter refugees and asylum-seekers from their territories. In 2022, when the number of refugees in Europe doubled due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the international response varied, and refugees were granted access to entry and protection. Focusing on the United Kingdom (UK) as a case study, this thesis examines the ...

Virginity in Lebanon is still a controversial and sensitive issue. Women’s value and honour is linked to the “hymen mystique”, which they fear losing before marriage. Regardless of the reasons for virginity loss, a non-virgin woman is deemed a sinner according to the Lebanese patriarchal social standards. With the existence of three-dimensional function of the hymen: honourable, social and physiological, ...

This dissertation examines citizens’ practice of freedom of expression on the Internet in China. It focuses its discussion on issues such as what channels are available for Chinese citizens to voice their opinions on social and political issues, how Chinese citizens raise issues on the Internet, what impact of the Internet is on traditional media, and what the attitude of the government is in ...

As human rights and development share the same goal of achieving human liberty and dignity, the human rights-based approach to development has come to life using international human rights standards and frameworks to reinforce the legal obligations states have to create changes towards the fulfilment of human rights and fundamental freedoms. This study aims at diving into the massive theoretical ...

This study examines the role of the media in promoting human rights. Central to the study is an effort to find out why the media decide to include human rights coverage as part of their programmes as well as the portrayal of human rights elements in such programmes. A total of five journalists were interviewed, three of them were BBC journalists involved in the production of the documentary which ...

The social media has revolutionized communication and politics at different levels around the globe. Many social media platforms have epitomized the exercise of the freedom of expression and opinions without relying on traditional mass media intermediaries. At the same time, it has posed serious challenges for users and raised many questions about free speech and governance of the internet. The ...