‘Repeal the 8th’ in a Transnational Context: The Potential of SRHRs for Advancing Abortion Access in El Salvador

This article undertakes a discursive feminist reading of citizenship and human rights to understand, through the cases of Ireland and El Salvador, domestic abortion rights movements as part of a transnational women’s rights movement. While abortion has been partially decriminalised in Ireland, approximately 42 per cent of the world’s women1 of reproductive age still live in a country where abortion is prohibited entirely or only permitted to save a woman’s life or health (Singh et al., 2018, p. 4). In El Salvador, abortion is illegal and those suspected of having the procedure are prosecuted. As in Ireland, since 2012/2013 numerous controversies have brought the issue to wider public attention and have further galvanised the feminist movement to campaign for reform. Feminist abortion rights campaigns in both countries have connected important sites of activism and contestation: civil society, national parliaments, regional human rights systems and the United Nations

Can the observance of human rights of individuals enhance their resilience to cope with natural disasters?

AbstractHuman rights are largely understood as rights of human beings arising from their very human nature and inherent dignity. It is generally accepted that members of society in a position of vulnerability are more likely to face serious human rights violations. The paper focuses on how do human rights address the most vulnerable in society, with the view of assessing if and how they can enhance the resilience of individuals also when confronted with natural disasters. As put by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies: ‘a disaster occurs when a hazard impacts on vulnerable people’. The paper focuses on both governments and individuals. In relation to governments it discusses the notion of responsibility to protect from human rights violations. In relation to individuals, it looks at how to enhance their agency in society through the observance of human rights. It considers among other factors the access of individuals to relevant information, participation in decision-making and education. The conclusion is that human rights can enhance individuals’ resilience to face natural disasters, hence the article argues that human rights shall inform disaster-related programs and studies