The recognition of rights to same-sex couples: the path towards a pluralistic concept of family

This paper presents the final results of the research project undertaken in 2010 and 2011 by the legal research group “Filius”, affiliated with Corporación Universitaria Empresarial Alexander von Humboldt of Armenia, (Quindío). The project’s general objective is “to establish the concept of family used by the Colombian legal system based on the judgments of the Constitutional Court granting rights to same-sex couples”. To this end, a line of jurisprudence was developed from the Court’s rulings that discussed the rights of same-sex couples, concluding that despite the great progress made in Colombia on the recognition of rights to these couples following Decision C-075/2007, in all these judgments the Court had always refused to recognize their family status, and it was not until 2011, in Decision C-577, that the Court accepted that same-sex couples constitute a family, thereby dramatically changing the constitutional doctrine that had maintained the criteria of heterosexuality as defining family.

A Grey Area of Rights and Knowledge: Displacement in Colombia, South-South Migration and Health Equity

Globalization and liberalization of the economies have produced among others drastic effects on the human mobility, generating confusion, enhancing discrimination and a lack of respect to the rights of several migrant collectives. In this article we analyse several challenges for the study of these phenomena, based on the case of the neglected health rights of Colombian women, who have been forced to displace by the country's internal conflict, and are thus pushed to cross the border to Ecuador. The article identifies several knowledge gaps that could allow and advance a better understanding of these critical subjects. The paper - a think piece -is based upon a general review of documents and studies on the relation between migration and health. The supporting theory on the research comes from international organisations such as the WHO and IOM, NGOs, grass-roots organisations and academic research. This paper shows the need for focusing on the reality of supra states which globalization has generated, and t e urgency of securing the access to essential health preconditions to migrant populations. These issues can no longer be neglected and should be included on agendas at international level, widening the approach of programs to the displaced/immigrant population by taking into account the need to ensure the essential health preconditions (equity), prevention, and protection. Further, it is clear that women and children require a better protection with enhanced prevention and responding measures to sexual abuse, stigmatisation, violence and the respect of their rights.

Evolución histórica de los códigos penales y procedimiento penal colombiano

Toda Constitución es un esquema de poder. Como toda concepción de poder se refiere y tiene por objeto al hombre, implica una toma de posición, un pronunciamiento sobre la libertad y sus garantías. La idea de libertad - garantía, de la libertad defendida, o de las garantías constitucionales de la libertad, se atribuye con justicia al constitucionalismo liberal, creado por la tradición inglesa (Magna Charta, 1215; Petito of right 1627; Hábeas Corpus, Act 1679; Bill of Rights 1689), su secuencia norteamericana (Declaración de Derechos de Virginia, 1776 y Acta de declaración de la independencia, 1776), y el movimiento ideológico francés del enciclopedismo y la ilustración que quedó plasmado en la Declaración de Derecho del Hombre y el Ciudadano de 1789. Generalidad y oponibilidad al Estado constituyen la esencia de las garantías ciudadanas proclamadas por el liberalismo: mecanismos, prestación, servicio, procedimiento de vigilancia y control, reparación, control, moderación o intervención, que tiendan a dar seguridad, vigencia real y eficacia a una libertad para todos, es una garantía.

Some elements for the construction of a definition of human rights

This article seeks to demystify the foundations of rights. It looks at the search for some systemic differentiation. It emphasizes effectiveness, legitimacy, the importance of convention and of political participation as common elements of the different theoretical approaches to human rights. By analysing these elements it is possible to build the term “human rights” as a concept capable of being measured accurately by studying the effectiveness of legal rules as applied to human rights in specific contexts.