The environmental rights entered in the constitutions： A critique

Although environmental law is a relatively a new field of scholarship in South Africa, it is growing rapidly. The right to access to social security including environmental rights is found in the South African Bill of Rights, is being amplified by legislative and constitutional reforms, and developing case law in the courts. There is therefore a clear need to increase the understanding of the discipline through systematic research and teaching at various levels.1 The notion of including an “environmental right” in a domestic constitution is not novel in Africa. Most African countries have incorporated a constitutional provision that ensures the right to a healthy environment. Most of the problems that exist with environmental rights under the international and regional systems are absent under the domestic South African system. The way in which environmental rights have been formulated in international instruments, section 24 of the South African Constitution has been framed as an individual right and not as a collective one. Environmental degradation often affects groups of people and it could consequently argue that the right should protect groups and not just individuals.2     

Constitutional enforcement of socio-economic rights： South African case study

The entrenchment of socio-economic rights in the South African Constitution is a critique. It is submitted that a constitution that pretends to guarantee rights which cannot be judicially enforced should not be considered a serious legal document. In this paper, particular attention is paid to the far-reaching judgment by the Constitutional Court in Mazibuko and others v The City of Johannesburg. The questions posed and answered relate to issues such as the enforceability of socio-economic rights entrenched in the constitutions.     

The expression of cultural and religious practice： A constitutional test

Various conventions and national constitutions are differently worded and the interpretation of national constitutions, in particular, reflects different approaches to the concepts of equality and non-discrimination. Different approaches adopted in the different national jurisdictions arise not only from different textual provisions and from different historical circumstances, but also from different jurisprudential and philosophical understanding of equality. The jurisprudence of courts makes clear that the proper reach of the equality right must be determined by reference to the society＇s history and the underlying values of the Constitution. It has been observed that a major constitutional object is the creation of a non-racial and non-sexist egalitarian society underpinned by human dignity, the rule of law, a democratic ethos and human rights. From there emerges a concept of equality that goes beyond mere formal equality and mere non-discrimination which requires identical treatment, whatever the starting point or impact. The question is, how does the state, in limiting religious freedom, conform to the standards of an open and democratic society based on human dignity, equality and freedom？ The hope is that the conclusion of this paper will then be able to be extended to more controversial cases, in particular, involving limits on the right to freedom of expression, culture and belief.     

LAW OF THE EUROPEAN UNION ON INDIRECT SEX DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN IN WORKING LIFE： FROMA PERSPECTIVE OF IMPROVING THE LAW OF CHINA ON NON-SEX DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN IN WORKING LIFE

Equal rights to work between men and women are recognized as fundamental human rights by many international conventions including the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Also, constitutions of many countries recognize equal rights to work as basic constitutional rights. But women all over the world still face numerous kinds of sex discrimination, including direct sex discrimination and indirect sex discrimination, especially in working life. Indirect sex discrimination against women in working life undermines women＇s equal rights to work in a covert way, which is just as harmful as direct sex discrimination and should be prohibited by law.     

CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTIONS IN CHINA

Chinese scholars have carried out studies on constitutional conventions from three perspectives. The first perspective is to study in general terrr~, that is, to touch upon this theme while studying the principles and basic theories of the Constitution. The second perspective is to study while researching comparative constitutions, especially the British Constitution. The third perspective is connected with studies on constitutional resources in China. Until now there is no monograph dedicated to this theme; it is mostly seen in academic papers, textbooks and works on basic theories. Traditional studies tend to be confined to e：,~emplifying constitutional conventions and approaching this theme from a mainly static perspective that emphasizes their form of expression of an unwritten Constitution and the complementary parts of a written Constitution. Relatively, studies on the manifestations, normative characteristics, origins and evolutionary rules, as well as those on the legal and social functions of constitutional conventions are weaker. This causes a lack of explanatory power with regard to all kinds of emerging constitutional conventions in the constitutional practice of different states. In recent years this picture has changed to some extent. Chinese scholars have begun to concentrate on the origins and evolutionary rules of constitutional conventions, trying to understand accurately its legal non＇nativity and political modesty, in order to get the essence of constitutional conventions. Main areas of study in this respect will be discussed below.     

CHALLENGES OF DEVELOPMENT IN BURUNDI： A CASE STUDY OF PROTECTION OF REFUGEES AND IDPS IN POST-CONFLICT RECONCILIATION AND TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE

Violations of human rights and genocide in Burundi are among the most contentious issues which continue to attract the attention of academic discourse. This paper is concerned with the question of human rights violations in Burundi from a historical and comparative perspective. It seeks to trace the root causes of Burundi＇s sullied human rights record over 52 years since independence from Belgium in 1962, the role of the military in human rights violations, including mass killings of civilians and extra-judicial executions of political opponents and the fact that the post- conflict constitutional architecture has not succeeded in establishing accountability and responsibility for these violations; in providing truth, justice and reparations to the victims and in putting an end to the culture of impunity which seems to be entrenched in Burundian society. Moreover, by analyzing critically the results from interviewing 113 Burundians and 16 non-Burundians, this paper argues that there will be no political stability enduring peace without addressing these issues in a comprehensive manner.     

In defense of human rights of indigenous people

The nations of the world are generally shaped by a cultural diversity, which must be preserved. This leads to a fundamental and essential defense of indigenous groups and their human rights. The purpose of this article is to highlight the importance of defending human rights of indigenous cucapa, natives settled in the northeast of the state of Baja California in the Delta of the Colorado River, especially with regards to their fishing rights, which is their main source of food and survival. The environmental laws that have been issued in the country have greatly affected them, banning commercial fishing in some areas and totally in many other areas, adding to that a not to subtle performance by the appropriate regulation authorities, preventing them from fishing sea bass, hence their consumption and marketing, which is reflected in their socioeconomic status. For this reason and in response to this violation of their human rights, women have decided to enter a cucapa womb strike, which threatens the existence of the tribe by not reproducing.     

The feminist defense of law

The purpose of this essay is to highlight the fact that certain specific governing or guideline criteria are in fact necessary before one can establish cases in which it would be admissible to treat the genders unequally. Those criteria, insofar as women＇s rights are concerned, consist of the need to overcome a situation of inequality which arises due to cultural and social reasons. An analysis of the different types of feminist movements follows, concluding that feminism implies two types of hypotheses. On one level feminism can be said to be a theory for equality; on another level it is a theory which turns around the objectivity of law, although it does, in both cases, challenge classical political and iudicial theses.     

INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENTS,ACADEMIC DEBATES AND LEGAL PRACTICES ON THE CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW IN CHINA： 2000--2013

A special system of constitutional review, namely National People＇s Congress Review Model （the NPC Review Model） has been established since the 1982 Constitution. However, this system was criticized for its inactivity and has never been actually activated. After 2000, there are lots of efforts try to improve the system of constitutional review of China, the results of the Qi Yuling case （2001） and the Luoyang seed case （2003） demonstrated that the U.S.-style of constitutional review is not and will not be accepted by the political system of China, while the results of the Sun Zhigang case （2003） and the Tang Fuzhen case （2009） proved that the existing NPC Review model cannot work very well if political leaders refuse to reform it. However, the experiences of the New Model of Parliamentary Sovereignty which was developed from Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Canberra （the Australian Capital Territory）, and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China after 1980s, showed that a third way to protect human rights in a liberal democracy and to coordinate the relationship between legislature and court in a system of constitutional review. I believe the third way provides a good case for China to reform the existing constitutional review system without abandon its cherished tradition of the system of people ＇s congress.     

EGYPT＇S PUBLIC PROTEST LAW 2013： A BOOST TO FREEDOM OR A FURTHER RESTRICTION？

On November 24, 2013, Egypt＇s signed into law - the Public Protest interim President Adly Mansour Law after it was proposed by the interim government, and soon it became the main concern in Egypt due to claim that after the ousting of President Mohamed Morsi and of the Muslim Brotherhood, the country is currently ruled by a military-backed government that seeks to restrict freedom and rights in order to introduce a new authoritarian-military rule. The government promoted the law by arguing that it aims to maintain stability and security in Egypt＇s streets and that it only targets factional protest movements and saboteurs. Nevertheless, the law has been widely criticized by human rights groups as well as rights and political activists who say it restricts freedom of speech and that it is an attempt to completely ban the right to protest, not to regulate it as the government claims.     

Pre-constitutional state of customary law in South Africa

Customary law is often criticized for being in conflict with human rights norms, mainly on the grounds that it tends not to emphasize gender equality and discriminate against women. Although customary law has not in the past emphasized equality between men and women, it cannot be regarded as completely in conflict with human rights1. As already stated, one of the principles of human rights is equality between the sexes. Customary law has the same aim as human rights, which is the protection of human dignity2. The conflict may be largely caused by the fact that, ideologically, African customary law is communal or socialist in approach, whereas human rights are based on the premise that a person has rights by virtue of his or her being an individual human being. Now that we in South Africa have a bill of rights and yet we will still have customary law, the question has been and is still being posed whether customary law is not in conflict with universal human rights. The reason for this is that one of the values that underpin our Constitution is equality.3 Customary law on the other hand does not insist on complete equality in every respect. In particular section 9 of the 1996 Constitution provides for equality before the law and for equal protection and benefit of the law, which entails the full and equal enjoyment of all the rights and freedoms. It further proscribes unfair discrimination based on the listed grounds although it allows steps to promote or advance people or categories of persons who have been disadvantaged by unfair discrimination.     

BREACH OF HUMAN RIGHTS BY NIGERIAN POLICE IN THE PERFORMANCE OF ITS FUNCTIONS＂ NEED FOR A REFORM

Nigerian Police is charged with the responsibility of upholding the law and ensuring order is kept within the polity. It is however observed that the police in carrying out its functions constantly abuses the rights of the citizens which are considered as natural rights and very fundamental to every human existence. This study aims at examining the roles of the police in Nigeria and the various ways and the rights of citizens are being encroached upon by the said police. The legal standards prescribed for the operations of Nigerian police are measured against the international standards as a parameter in order to determine the weak points of the Nigerian standards. Suggestions are therefore made on how Nigerian police can be more humane in carrying out its functions.     

Casualisation and international labour standards： The role of trade unions in Nigeria

Casualisation is a new form of work arrangement occasioned by globalisation and trade liberalisation. This development was facilitated by the technological improvements in communication and information technology. Scholars have attributed the shift from standard work arrangements to nonstandard work arrangements to the fact that employers use it to avoid the mandates and costs associated with labour laws which are designed to protect permanent employees. Casualisation became a feature of Nigerian labour market in the late 1980＇s and is traceable to the adoption of the Structural Adjustment Programme in line with the neoliberal policies prescribed by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. One of the effects of this policy was the retrenchment of workers in the public sector which created large scale unemployment. However, the private sector which was to be strengthened by government policies to absorb these workers could not absorb all the retrenched workers from the public sector. Therefore, many of them were employed as casual and contract workers with low remuneration, limited benefits and lack of right to organise. This development led to a ＇race to the bottom＇ of labour standards. This paper seeks to examine the adequacy of labour laws governing trade unionism in Nigeria in ensuring the right of nonstandard workers to freedom of association, as well as their conformity to international labour standards. It is argued that Nigerian labour laws are inadequate and need to be reformed in order to give protection to casual and contract workers in many sectors of the economy and to guarantee their right to unionise in order to enable them improve their rights at works.     

A FAREWELL TO BARRIERS： TOWARDS A FLEXIBLE SYSTEM OF EXCEPTIONS IN CONTINENTAL COPYRIGHT LAW

The paper would analyze the law and economics of introducing flexibility in the system of exceptions and limitations on European Copyright Law. Such flexibility would exist in an open norm on the basis of which the courts can decide whether certain uses of copyrighted material are permissible or not, instead of explicitly defining this in the law. First, it would assess problem areas where the lack of flexibility creates legal disputes and potential barriers to innovation and commercialization. Second, it would analyze the economic rationale and economic effects of introducing flexibility. Exceptions and limitations in the current copyright system are meant to balance the protection granted to rights owners with the public interest＇s need to make certain unauthorized uses. However, this paper would identify a number of situations that do not fit well within the current set of exceptions and limitations and attribute this to a lack of flexibility. Several of these problem areas have given rise to court proceedings with varying outcomes. The interpretation given by courts to existing exceptions and limitations---such as the quotation right, the exception for transient and incidental copying, the private copying exception, and the incidental use exception--is usually too narrow to respond to new technological developments, new developments in the creation process, or new commercialization models. These types of uses generally do not fit the narrowly defined exceptions and limitations and therefore lack legal basis. The same is true for things not yet invented.     

PARTY AUTONOMY IN THE APPLICABLE LAW TO RIGHTS IN REM TO MOVABLES UNDER THE CHINESE ACT ON THE LAW APPLICABLE TO CIVIL RELATIONS WITH A FOREIGN ELEMENT： A COMPARATIVE REVIEW

It is widely recognized that a right in rein to movables is to be governed by the law where the movable is located, while party autonomy is confined to the choice of law in contractual matters. Recently there have been calls to extend party autonomy to right in the choice of law in rights in rein to movables. The 2010 Act of the People＇s Republic of China on the Law Applicable to Civil Relations with a Foreign Element （the Act） is a legislative move. The question, however, remains whether it is reasonable for mandatory property law to be left to the choice of parties, in particular in an age when transborder movement of movables is frequent. This paper analyzes the issues of party autonomy and applicable law to rights in rein to movables.     

ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY REGULATIONS： GUARANTEE THE HUMAN RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

Throughout history, human beings have wastefully utilized human resources, unknowingly at first, and then without taking into consideration the concept of sustainability. This has led to a quantitative and qualitative deterioration of the ecosystems providing the necessary resources to satisfy what current society considers is essential. The international community has conducted several efforts that tend to protect the space in which life develops. Among those efforts we can highlight due to its historical importance： the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment which took place in June of 1972 in Stockholm. There was the participation of l13 countries which signed a declaration that became the foundation for all environmental policies： the Worm Charter for Nature, Then 10 years following the Stockholm conference, it came to ratify the principles originating from the aforementioned event. The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development which took place in Rio de Janeiro in June of 1992 established the principles to achieve sustainable development. The 2002 Johannesburg Summit in South Africa promoted the implementation of concrete actions to comply with the Rio Conference in specific times. In Mexico, the constitutional recognition of the Human Right to an adequate third generation environment for the development and well- being of every individual requires legal protection. This issue becomes crucial to the design and implementation of an environmental protection regime in case of environmental element destruction, whether they are national property or res communes, will allow the damage to be repaired and will reduce the possibility of new damages from happening. Mexico has signed 62 international treaties related to environmental matters. Nine of which refer to environmental damage responsibility before the international community. Environmental Law in Mexico is composed of a series of ordinances that have been issued in different historical moments and contexts. That is the reason why they lack a connection that organizes them and aims them to an ultimate objective. So, here are presented some considerations which are essential in order to operate a legal responsibility system for environmental damages.     

ASSESSING THE SUITABILITY OF THE EU SYSTEM OF LIMITATIONS TO COPYRIGHT

The European Union （EU） recognises that future development largely depends on its ability to advance the digital economy. Copyright ＇fuels＂ the knowledge based sector and the digital economy, making it a fundamental component in any strategy to create sustainable economic growth. EU copyright legislation acknowledges the exclusive rights of authors to reproduce or authorise the reproduction of the work he or she has created, make available or communicate it to the pub#c, and distribute it. It also establishes one mandatory and 20 optional exceptions or limitations to those exclusive rights. The acknowledgement of the importance of the creative sectors in the digital economy has resulted in several EC initiatives, such as stakeholder platforms aiming at developing practical solutions for user access to copyright works based on current legal and other frameworks, and proposals for new EU legislation, including a draft directive on collective rights management, which focuses on governance of collective management organisations （CMO） and cross- border and multi-territorial licensing of musical works. It has also led to requests, including from within the European Commission （EC）, that it be considered whether a review of the current EU system of limitations to the exclusive rights is still appropriate; does it address adequately challenges posed by the digital economy？ The system of exceptions and limitations to the exclusive rights is a crucial element in the EU copyright framework. This paper argues that the fundamental principles of copyright, which grants excusive rights to copyright holders, combined with the possibilities of introducing exceptions and limitations to those exclusive rights in national legislation based on the internationally acknowledged principles of ＂the three-step＇＂ test, are still valid tools and the most appropriate approach to the establishment of a legal framework for user access to copyright materials.     

REDEFINITION OF CURRENT LEGAL MEASURES＇ ROLE AS ＂PANACEAS＂ IN DIGITAL RIGHTS MANAGEMENT PLAY

In this article, the author tries to discuss what the appropriate legal protection of digital rights management （DRM） technologies is. The objective of the paper is to highlight the deficiencies of the present legal practices in U.S. and the E.U.. Compared with private remedy, such as making license and using technological protection measures, anti- circumvention rules will bring more widespread influence and probably rebuild the new benefit rules in copyright system. The theory of anti- circumvention legislation has been far away from the principle of traditional copyright since its emergence, which means there is no much experience that merits attention by current copyright system, even anti- circumvention rules in various countries no doubt provides legal support and so-called ＂lawful basis＂ for creators＇ rights expanding. The methodology research.     

The freedom of navigation in international law and the utility of international society discourse

In the international law of the sea, the emergence of new actors and systems influencing relations between states has lead to evolving rules and calls for the redefinition of the traditional issues such the allocation of jurisdiction and rights to states in its maritime zones. In the maritime domain, this is seen thrice in the evolution of the various maritime zones in the United Nations Conferences for the Law of the Sea （UNCLOS I, II and III）. In the maritime domain, there are certain actions that are not dependent on any state＇s consent. One of such is the rule of freedom of navigation. This paper, argues for the possibilities of concomitance between international law and studies in international society based on the growing recognition of the importance of examining the sociological and historical element in rule development. This paper focuses on a rule in the international law of the sea with the aim of determining the extent to which norms have caused changes in rule development, if any. This method, known as the English School method of international relations, acknowledges the benefits of international law positivism in highlighting generality with the benefits of a normative discourse in highlighting alternatives and the utility of compliance. So, although the maritime domain is rooted in a state system, one where the parts interact as a whole, a branching-out analysis towards the normative discourse in the development of this rule will facilitate more understanding, as the case-specificity of most issues in the maritime domain cannot be overemphasised.