Jul 26, 2023
An opinion piece by Mathuri Thamilmaran, National Legal Advisor – Sri Lanka at the International Commission of Jurists
A state minister’s recent comment has once again brought to the forefront the need to include comprehensive sex education in the Sri Lankan school curriculum. Back in 2010, the then UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education commented in his report to the General Assembly that “sexual education must pay special attention to diversity, since everyone has the right to deal with his or her own sexuality without being discriminated against on grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity. Sexual education is a basic tool for ending discrimination against people of diverse sexual orientations.” Indeed, the experiences faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students in Sri Lanka indicate that comprehensive sex education should include learning about sexual orientation and gender identity and expression (SOGIE) in order for schools to be an inclusive safe space for all students.
Jul 20, 2023 | News
Today, the United Nations announced that the Global Coalition of Civil Society, Indigenous Peoples, Social Movements, and Local Communities for the Universal Recognition of the Human Right to a Clean, Healthy, and Sustainable Environment will be one of the recipients of the prestigious award bestowed every five years to celebrate the outstanding contribution to select individuals and human rights organizations.
Jul 19, 2023 | Advocacy, Human Rights Council, News, Non-legal submissions, Universal Periodic Review
On 18 July 2023, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) and the Extra-Territorial Obligation Watch Coalition (ETO Watch Coalition) filed a joint submission to the UN Human Rights Council Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) ahead of its review of China’s human rights record in early 2024.
Jul 18, 2023 | News
On 11 July 2023, the Chamber of the third section of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) handed down its judgment in the case of Semenya v. Switzerland finding that Caster Semenya’s right to freedom from discrimination, taken together with her rights to respect for private life and to an effective remedy had been violated.
Jun 29, 2023
In a statement issued on the occasion of the Human Rights Council debate on the latest report of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association, the ICJ denounces the ongoing crackdown on civic space and on the right to freedom of association in Libya, with recent rulings severely hindering the work of human rights NGOs.
