Charlotte H Skeet - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Associate Professor in Law.
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Università degli Studi di Milano - State University of Milan (Italy)
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Papers by Charlotte H Skeet
The Canadian constitution is to some extent characterised by its focus on equality, and in partic... more The Canadian constitution is to some extent characterised by its focus on equality, and in particular gender equality. This development of women's rights in Canada and the greater engagement of women as political actors is often presented as a steady linear process, moving forwards from post-enlightenment modernity. This article seeks to disturb this 'discourse of the continuous,' by using an analysis of the pre-confederation history of suffrage in Canada to both refute a simplistic linear view of women's rights development and to argue for recognition of the Indigenous contribution to the history of women's rights in Canada.
This article analyzes women's contemporary use of rights to mobilize and pursue claims for gender... more This article analyzes women's contemporary use of rights to mobilize and pursue claims for gender equality and gender justice in the United Kingdom. Empirically, the paper explores the growth of rights discourse and activity against the back-drop of a stronger constitutionalization of women's rights at national, European, and international levels. It does this through an exploration of individual and collective lobbying and litigation strategies in relation to violence against women. Th e paper fi rst examines this in the context of the right to bodily integrity through examples of the ways in which sexual violence and domestic abuse are addressed within the criminal justice system. The paper then addresses the right to be free from violence for women seeking refuge and asylum. The research reveals the need for varied strategies that target all aspects of the legal and political systems in order to ameliorate the protection and implementation of women's rights. Résumé Le présent article analyse l'utilisation contemporaine des droits des femmes pour se mobiliser et présenter des réclamations visant l'égalité entre les sexes et la justice sexospécifique au Royaume-Uni. Empiriquement, l'article explore la croissance du discours et des activités sur les droits dans le cadre d'une constitu-tionnalisation plus forte des droits des femmes aux niveaux national, européen et international. Pour ce faire, l'article explore des stratégies de lobbying et de procédures individuelles et collectives en relation avec la violence faite aux femmes. Il examine d'abord cela dans le contexte du droit à l'intégrité physique à l'aide d' exemples de moyens par lesquels la maltraitance sexuelle et la violence familiale sont réglées dans le système de justice pénale. L'article aborde ensuite le droit pour les femmes qui cherchent un refuge et un asile d'être à l'abri de la violence. L'étude révèle le besoin de diverses stratégies qui ciblent tous les aspects des systèmes judiciaire et politique afin d'améliorer la protection et la mise en oeuvre des droits des femmes.
Women's access to and enjoyment of human rights is increasingly being used as a global measure of... more Women's access to and enjoyment of human rights is increasingly being used as a global measure of other 'goods' in societies, for instance as a measure of development, a gauge of the health and depth of democracy and as a general indicator of a state commitment and adherence to international responsibilities. Therefore, while the study of women's relationship to human rights is of considerable importance and interest in itself it is also gaining prominence across a range of other areas of international and domestic law. This might be viewed as a positive indication of the growing strength of women's human rights norms but it bears closer analysis. Also, a question remains as to what rights norms are being globalised and how this is occurring within the discourse on women's rights. This paper considers how apparently universalist rhetorics around equality rights can advance 'orientalist' and patriarchal discourses in relation to who 'women' are and how their rights may be realised. Such discourses may hinder implementation of women's rights, especially for women who are 'other.' This is particularly evident in relation to women's rights to freedom of expression, the manifestation of religious freedom and rights to participate in culture. Therefore, specific focus is given to the increasing discrimination against Muslim women and on human rights responses in this context within Europe.
The Canadian constitution is to some extent characterised by its focus on equality, and in partic... more The Canadian constitution is to some extent characterised by its focus on equality, and in particular gender equality. This development of women's rights in Canada and the greater engagement of women as political actors is often presented as a steady linear process, moving forwards from post-enlightenment modernity. This article seeks to disturb this 'discourse of the continuous,' by using an analysis of the pre-confederation history of suffrage in Canada to both refute a simplistic linear view of women's rights development and to argue for recognition of the Indigenous contribution to the history of women's rights in Canada.
This article analyzes women's contemporary use of rights to mobilize and pursue claims for gender... more This article analyzes women's contemporary use of rights to mobilize and pursue claims for gender equality and gender justice in the United Kingdom. Empirically, the paper explores the growth of rights discourse and activity against the back-drop of a stronger constitutionalization of women's rights at national, European, and international levels. It does this through an exploration of individual and collective lobbying and litigation strategies in relation to violence against women. Th e paper fi rst examines this in the context of the right to bodily integrity through examples of the ways in which sexual violence and domestic abuse are addressed within the criminal justice system. The paper then addresses the right to be free from violence for women seeking refuge and asylum. The research reveals the need for varied strategies that target all aspects of the legal and political systems in order to ameliorate the protection and implementation of women's rights. Résumé Le présent article analyse l'utilisation contemporaine des droits des femmes pour se mobiliser et présenter des réclamations visant l'égalité entre les sexes et la justice sexospécifique au Royaume-Uni. Empiriquement, l'article explore la croissance du discours et des activités sur les droits dans le cadre d'une constitu-tionnalisation plus forte des droits des femmes aux niveaux national, européen et international. Pour ce faire, l'article explore des stratégies de lobbying et de procédures individuelles et collectives en relation avec la violence faite aux femmes. Il examine d'abord cela dans le contexte du droit à l'intégrité physique à l'aide d' exemples de moyens par lesquels la maltraitance sexuelle et la violence familiale sont réglées dans le système de justice pénale. L'article aborde ensuite le droit pour les femmes qui cherchent un refuge et un asile d'être à l'abri de la violence. L'étude révèle le besoin de diverses stratégies qui ciblent tous les aspects des systèmes judiciaire et politique afin d'améliorer la protection et la mise en oeuvre des droits des femmes.
Women's access to and enjoyment of human rights is increasingly being used as a global measure of... more Women's access to and enjoyment of human rights is increasingly being used as a global measure of other 'goods' in societies, for instance as a measure of development, a gauge of the health and depth of democracy and as a general indicator of a state commitment and adherence to international responsibilities. Therefore, while the study of women's relationship to human rights is of considerable importance and interest in itself it is also gaining prominence across a range of other areas of international and domestic law. This might be viewed as a positive indication of the growing strength of women's human rights norms but it bears closer analysis. Also, a question remains as to what rights norms are being globalised and how this is occurring within the discourse on women's rights. This paper considers how apparently universalist rhetorics around equality rights can advance 'orientalist' and patriarchal discourses in relation to who 'women' are and how their rights may be realised. Such discourses may hinder implementation of women's rights, especially for women who are 'other.' This is particularly evident in relation to women's rights to freedom of expression, the manifestation of religious freedom and rights to participate in culture. Therefore, specific focus is given to the increasing discrimination against Muslim women and on human rights responses in this context within Europe.