Nesa Zimmermann

L’Université de Genève a mobilisé des étudiants de master dans le cadre d’une « clinique juridique » consacrée aux droits des jeunes étrangers non accompagnés. Cette formation pratique met en place des sessions d’informations juridiques auprès et avec les jeunes concernés. Elle passe aussi par des actions de sensibilisation et de plaidoyer, qui mettent en lumière la problématique de l’âge dans l’accès aux droits des jeunes.

This article takes a closer look at intimate partner violence (IPV) and its semantical, political, and legal interactions with crisis and crisis discourse. Starting from the fact that IPV has been called a “shadow pandemic” and a “hidden crisis”, the article conceptualizes two parallel phenomena: how the COVID-19 pandemic — and crises in general — impact on IPV by exacerbating vulnerabilities and how crisis discourse has been mobilized to argue for a responsive state and strong positive obligations to combat and reduce IPV. The article then draws a parallel between crisis discourse and vulnerability reasoning, analyzing how vulnerability has played a similar role within the case law of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and led the latter to develop a consistent strand of case law concretizing states’ positive obligations. The article also takes a critical stance, examining the risks of crisis discourse and vulnerability when viewed through a crisis lens. To counter these ri...

The global climate crisis is increasingly recognised as an issue of climate injustice, including because it is causing (and worsening) inequalities and human rights violations. Moreover, responsibility for emissions and vulnerability to climate impacts are not evenly distributed. They vary among and within states. In order to tackle these issues of justice both within and among states, litigants have taken to domestic and regional courts to engage in climate litigation. A body of transnational climate jurisprudence is emerging in which courts are increasingly looking to laws beyond their relevant state or region, engaging with the moral aims of human rights law, and solidifying international climate commitments. In adjudicating climate cases, courts have become important sites of climate justice. The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) is currently adjudicating several important climate cases and could become a key player in responding to the climate crisis. From the point of dep...

This article takes a closer look at intimate partner violence (IPV) and its semantical, political, and legal interactions with crisis and crisis discourse. Starting from the fact that IPV has been called a "shadow pandemic" and a "hidden crisis", the article conceptualizes two parallel phenomena: how the COVID-19 pandemic-and crises in general-impact on IPV by exacerbating vulnerabilities and how crisis discourse has been mobilized to argue for a responsive state and strong positive obligations to combat and reduce IPV. The article then draws a parallel between crisis discourse and vulnerability reasoning, analyzing how vulnerability has played a similar role within the case law of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and led the latter to develop a consistent strand of case law concretizing states' positive obligations. The article also takes a critical stance, examining the risks of crisis discourse and vulnerability when viewed through a crisis lens. To counter these risks, it argues for a nuanced, structural, and dynamic understanding of vulnerability and a focus on resilience-building institutions and mechanisms. Within the ECtHR case law, this signifies elaborating upon the already existing positive obligations, including by taking inspiration from the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention). Such an approach is necessary to leave behind the emergency time usually associated with crises and work toward lasting structural change.

Cette brochure vise à expliquer les droits et la situation juridique des personnes LGBT en Suisse. Les spécificités cantonales font référence au droit genevois (surtout en ce qui concerne la procédure). Les réponses apportées sont valables pour toute la Suisse, sauf si mentionné différemment. L’acronyme LGBT recouvre les personnes lesbiennes – les femmes attirées affectivement et/ou sexuellement par d’autres femmes –, les personnes gays – les hommes attirés affectivement et/ou sexuellement par d’autres hommes –, les personnes bisexuelles – les personnes attirées affectivement et/ou sexuellement par des personnes, indépendamment de leur sexe/genre, et – les personnes trans* – les personnes dont l’identité de genre ne correspond pas, ou pas entièrement, au sexe qui leur a été assigné à la naissance. Cet acronyme ne reflète pas la réalité dans toute sa complexité et sa diversité. La rédaction d’une brochure implique néanmoins de recourir à des catégories et à des définitions qui ne son...

Am 18. Januar 2017 reichten Ousainou Darboe und Moussa Camara, zwei unbegleitete minderjâhrige Asylsuchende, eine Beschwerde vor dem EGMR ein. Sie beanstandeten insbesondere, dass das von den italienischen Behörden angewendete Verfahren zur Altersbestimmung das Recht auf Privatsphàre (Art. 8 EMRK) und das Verbot unmenschlicher oder erniedrigender Behandlung (Art. 3 EMKR) verletze. Der Fall ist zurzeit noch hängig. Deshalb schlagen wir im Folgenden ein Urteil vor, wie es der EMGR in den kommenden Wochen fällen könnte und - unserer Meinung nach - fällen sollte

In Switzerland, the number of Muslims – just under five percent of the resident population, many of whom are not religious – contrasts starkly with the omnipresence of Islam in political and public discourse. Direct democracy plays a particularly important part in this phenomenon, as several popular votes have taken place over the last years intending to curtail the religious freedom of Muslims in particular. This chapter provides an overview and critical examination of the legal situation of Muslims in Switzerland. Part 1 examines in particular the tensions between direct democracy and religious freedom, and the relationship between the state and religion, taking into account Switzerland’s federal structure. The second part analyses the protection of and discrimination against Muslims at the legislative, executive and judicial levels, looking in particular at education, employment, specific aspects linked to religion as well as the protection against hate crime and hate speech.

La notion de vulnerabilite a envahi le langage contemporain, au point meme d’etre qualifiee de « leitmotiv » des societes actuelles. Cette these etudie la signification de la notion de vulnerabilite, ses contours et ses consequences, dans le champ specifique de la jurisprudence de la Cour europeenne des droits de l’homme. En analysant de maniere critique la notion de vulnerabilite, ses atouts et ses risques, elle suggere que la vulnerabilite est un outil pertinent pour garantir l’effectivite et l'inclusivite des droits humains. La premiere partie aborde la notion de vulnerabilite dans une perspective interdisciplinaire. La deuxieme retrace l’evolution de la notion dans la jurisprudence de la Cour europeenne des droits de l’homme, des premieres apparitions jusqu’a l’emergence d’un veritable concept entrainant des consequences juridiques. Les troisieme et quatrieme parties approfondissent deux aspects specifiques : l’effectivite de l’acces a la Cour et l’effectivite des droits hum...

Dieser Beitrag untersucht menschenrechtliche Fragen im Zusammenhang mit der Debatte uber Sterbehilfe. Im Vordergrund stehen passive Sterbehilfe sowie das Recht, medizinische Versorgung zu verweigern. Der Artikel analysiert ausserdem das Zusammenspiel von Autonomie und Menschenwurde im Kontext der Sterbehilfe.

The last fifteen years have been characterised by an increased willingness of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) to take into account the specific needs of individuals in situations of particular vulnerability. Even though it is still emerging and surrounded by uncertainties, the ECtHR's "vulnerability reasoning" has already had a considerable impact on the long-standing concept of positive obligations. Focusing on the particular aspect of legislative duties, the present contribution critically examines this recent evolution in the Court's case law. It sheds light on the role that vulnerability considerations have played in recent years in the development of special legislative duties, and, in some cases, in the Court's increasing involvement in the implementation of its own judgements.

1. Introduction La Suisse compte quatre langues nationales – l’allemand, le francais, l’italien et le romanche1 – dont les trois premiere sont reconnues comme langues officielles de la Confederation2. Cette pluralite, souvent vantee comme une richesse de la Suisse, n’est cependant pas sans creer des tensions. Un element regulierement debattu est celui de l’enseignement des langues a l’ecole obligatoire. Cette question est ancienne et, pourtant, plus actuelle que jamais. Ainsi, pendant l’elaboration de la presente contribution, des votations populaires ont eu lieu a ce sujet dans plusieurs cantons3. La problematique suscite non seulement l’interet des specialistes, mais fait egalement l’objet de vifs debats politiques4. Au cœur du debat se trouvent deux questions : faut-il enseigner une ou deux langues a l’ecole primaire ? Et faut-il commencer par l’enseignement d’une langue nationale ? Cette derniere question se pose avant tout dans la partie germanophone de la Suisse, ou l’enseigne...

The last fifteen years have been characterised by an increased willingness of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) to take into account the specific needs of individuals in situations of particular vulnerability. Even though it is still emerging and surrounded by uncertainties, the ECtHR’s “vulnerability reasoning” has already had a considerable im- pact on the long-standing concept of positive obligations. Focusing on the particular aspect of legislative duties, the present contribution critically examines this recent evolution in the Court’s case law. It sheds light on the role that vulnerability considerations have played in recent years in the development of special legislative duties, and, in some cases, in the Court’s increasing involvement in the implementation of its own judgments.

By its very nature, the field of asylum law is a particularly fertile ground for judiciary dialogue. Initiated by the adoption of the Geneva Convention relating to the Status of Refugees in 1951, this dialogue has become essential with the implementation of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS). In this context, both the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Justice of the European Union have had to examine the scope of the principle of mutual trust, cornerstone of the CEAS. More specifically, the crucialquestion was - and still is – if and to what extent Convention and Charter rights can oblige states to derogate from the principle of mutual trust. This paper analyses the interesting jurisprudential dialogue that followed from the different ways in which Europe’s two Courts have answered the question.
In this context, we will first observe that despite the different roles of the two Courts, many similarities can be found in the their respective case law. This first finding must however be qualified in light of the recent dialogue, highlighting various tensions between the two jurisdictions, and a possible rupture. This second finding can be relativized in turn.

In Switzerland, the number of Muslims – just under five percent of the resident population, many of whom are not religious – contrasts starkly with the omnipresence of Islam in political and public discourse. Direct democracy plays a particularly important part in this phenomenon, as several popular votes have taken place over the last years intending to curtail the religious freedom of Muslims in particular. This chapter provides an overview and critical examination of the legal situation of Muslims in Switzerland. Part 1 examines in particular the tensions between direct democracy and religious freedom, and the relationship between the state and religion, taking into account Switzerland’s federal structure. The second part analyses the protection of and discrimination against Muslims at the legislative, executive and judicial levels, looking in particular at education, employment, specific aspects linked to religion as well as the protection against hate crime and hate speech.

Introduction
I. Vers une «humanisation» de l’activité économique ?
  1) Droits de l’homme : responsabilités et obligations
  2) Responsabilisation des acteurs économiques
II. Les obligations positives, instrument d’ «humanisation» ?
  1) Une innovation devenue traditionnelle
  2) Obligations positives : quelles limites à l’activité économique ?
III.Une protection renforcée face à des situations de vulnérabilité ?
  1) La vulnérabilité – mode, concept, concept à la mode ?
  2) Instruments onusiens et vulnérabilité
  3) Vulnérabilité et obligations positives
Conclusion
Bibliographie