Institute for Law and Justice

This year–2025–the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda marks its 25th anniversary, a milestone that invites both reflection and reckoning. WPS was born from United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325, unanimously adopted on October 31, 2000, and few at the time could have foreseen how widely it would spread, becoming the largest thematic domain of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), and sparking hundreds of national action plans (NAPs) and regional action plans. Today, the agenda faces a crisis of legitimacy, provoking questions about the depth of its roots, its convoluted growth, and whether it warrants celebration at all. Since the wars and atrocities of the 1990s that spurred the first resolution – itself a product of the turn toward human security and the wider embrace of liberal internationalism – authoritarianism has risen, multilateral norms have eroded, civic space has shrunk, and aid budgets have been slashed. This profoundly gloomy picture is set against ongoing violence, including repeated violations of international law, too often met with the silence or complicity of WPS champions and so-called liberal defenders.

Abstract The Digital Markets Act (‘DMA’) represents a significant legislative initiative within the European Union (‘EU’), serving as the EU’s flagship digital markets legislation. It seeks to promote fairer and more competitive markets within the framework of a social market economy. This chapter emphasises the necessity to reconsider the legitimacy of the DMA, both in terms of its textual content and its practical implementation, by giving due consideration to the freedom to conduct a business as a fundamental right. It is contended that the DMA should not be implemented on the basis of a reductionist perspective that perceives corporations as inherently malevolent or as manifestations of novel forms of power. This perspective is insufficient to consider all corporate subjects and situations. While digital companies and gatekeepers represent new forms of power that require regulation, it is essential to respect their autonomy and freedom under fundamental rights protection. After all, the freedom to conduct a business is one of the main reasons for the DMA, particularly when we consider business users. The text emphasises the role of duties of protection in favour of subjects of fundamental rights (companies), recognising that implementing them entails restrictions on other subjects of fundamental duties (companies). It also highlights the binding effect of these duties of protection on different actors, including the European Union, in place of the state. The chapter concludes that the DMA aims to reconcile the competing rights of gatekeepers and businesses and end users, thus illustrating the diverse nature of business entities and the possibility of mobilising the freedom to conduct business, as with other fundamental rights, as both a justification for interference and an interfered-with right. It is therefore argued that reconciling the freedom to conduct business as a right of defence and a protection imperative is feasible. In order to achieve a right balance, it is believed that the flaws of the DMA text can be compensated for by a consistent and proportionate enforcement strategy.

ABSTRACT Common bottlenose dolphins residing in zoos and aquariums are viewed as ambassadors for their wild counterparts. Previous studies on wild bottlenose dolphins have raised concerns about exposure to phthalates – synthetic chemicals that can pose health risks. Recent research on wild bottlenose dolphins has reported prevalent exposure to phthalates. The current case study investigated urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations for five adult female common bottlenose dolphins residing at Brookfield Zoo Chicago. Most of the tests performed for specific metabolites did not show detectable concentrations, and metabolite concentrations were generally low when detected. Animal care professionals working at other zoos and aquariums should: 1) investigate phthalate exposure for bottlenose dolphins and other aquatic species, and if necessary, 2) identify sources of phthalate exposure. Furthermore, researchers can conduct experiments to gain insight into how various species process and excrete phthalate metabolites. The ultimate goal is to enhance the welfare of professionally managed animals by reducing exposure to phthalates and to inform our understanding of the metabolic degradation of phthalates.

Abstract How do sociolegal scholars who liken monetary sanctions to “bleeding a turnip” or “drawing blood from stones” reconcile these idioms with the fact that fines and fees constitute a growth industry? We take up this puzzle by turning our attention to perhaps the most relatable experience with monetary sanctions among the population: parking tickets. Much of the available law and society literature on fines and fees documents how these sanctions disproportionately impact communities subjugated by race and class. Because parking tickets are adjudicated within a legal domain so fundamentally different from fines and fees that dominate the academic focus, we ask whether these insights extend outside criminal counts to municipal ones. Using Chicago as a case study, our inquiry measures the structural determinants of 11.3 million tickets issued between 2013 and 2017. We use a series of count models to predict the incidence rates of tickets at the tract level as well as how many were subject to reprimands for nonpayment. What we find are disparate patterns of racialization in terms of who is targeted by these sanctions versus who is devastated by them. We synthesize key ideas from empirical critical race theory and developing work on predation theory to make sense of these findings.

Tindak pidana perdagangan orang merupakan kejahatan serius yang dilakukan oleh kelompok terorganisir dan melibatkan banyak pihak. Salah satu tantangan dalam menanganinya adalah bagaimana menafsirkan unsur-unsur tindak pidana secara tepat. Artikel ini membahas Putusan Nomor 15/Pid.Sus/2017/PN.Kpg, dengan fokus pada penerapan Pasal 4 Undang-Undang Nomor 21 Tahun 2007 tentang Pemberantasan Tindak Pidana Perdagangan Orang, dan analisis terhadap pertimbangan hukum majelis hakimnya. Penelitian ini memfokuskan pada dua rumusan masalah: (1) bagaimana ketentuan hukum tentang perdagangan orang diterapkan jika tujuannya adalah eksploitasi di luar negeri; dan (2) apakah pertimbangan hakim dalam perkara ini sudah tepat dalam melihat unsur-unsur pidana dan peran terdakwa. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan yuridis normatif (hukum doktrinal), menggunakan pendekatan konseptual dan telaah peraturan perundang-undangan dan prinsip hukum. Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahwa hakim keliru dalam menafsirkan peran terdakwa sebagai bagian dari proses “perekrutan,” padahal terdakwa hanya “menerima berkas” permohonan paspor. Dalam hukum positif, unsur penting yang harus terbukti adalah tindakan “membawa” dengan maksud untuk eksploitasi. Jika unsur tersebut tidak jelas terbukti, maka dakwaan bisa tidak tepat. Unsur utama yang harus terpenuhi hanyalah “proses” yaitu “membawa” sebagai bagian dari “perekrutan” dan unsur tujuan“dengan maksud dieksploitasi.” Majelis Hakim di dalam perkara a quo keliru dalam menafsirkan unsur tindak pidana perdagangan orang dengan tujuan keluar wilayah Indonesia. Karena itu, penilaian hukum oleh hakim seharusnya dilakukan secara menyeluruh dan berdasarkan fakta hukum yang kuat. Ketidaktepatan dalam menilai unsur tersebut berpotensi mengarah pada kekeliruan putusan.