Corporal Punishment : A study about attitudes and opinions to corporal punishment and the connection to children’s rights in South Africa and Sweden

Corporal punishment is a worldwide problem. The purpose withthis thesis is to promote a constructive discussion about the problem andconnect this to children’s rights. This gives the possibility to start adiscussion about suggestions and measures to reduce the problem. Thetheory is that corporal punishment is used as a disciplinary method tochange behavior. Children’s rights is regulated by conventions and nationallaws. The method is to conduct an analysis with interpretations andcommentaries of the research materials from South Africa and Sweden.The conclusion is that those who are positive to corporal punishment thinksit is an efficient working method, and it is about children’s safety. Thosewho are negative have experienced that alternative methods works. Asuggestion is to involve children in the work with children’s rights andeducate them in human and children’s rights with focus on obligations andresponsibility.

Comparison and analysis of corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports of the top five companies ranked on the 2013 CSR RepTrak

In the 1970s, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) was discussed by Nobel laureate Milton Friedman in his article “The Social Responsibility of Business Is to Increase Its Profits.” (Friedman, 1970). His view on CSR was contemptuous as he referred to it as “hypocritical window-dressing” a reflection of the view of Corporate America on CSR back then. For a long time short-term maximization of shareholder value was the only maxim for top management across industries and companies. Over the last decade, CSR has become a more important and relevant factor of a company’s reputation, shifting the discussion from whether CSR is necessary to how best CSR commitments should be done (Smith, 2003). Inevitably, companies do have an environmental, social and economic impact, thereby imposing social costs on current and future generations. In 2013, 50 of the world biggest companies have been responsible for 73 percent of the total carbon dioxide (CO2) emission (Global 500 Climate Change Report 2013). Post et al. (2002) refer to these social costs as a company’s need to retain its “license to operate”. In the late 1990s, CSR reporting was nearly unknown, which drastically changed during the last decade. Allen White, co-founder of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), said that CSR reporting”… has evolved from the extraordinary to the exceptional to the expected” (Confino, 2013). In confirmation of this, virtually all of the world’s largest 250 companies report on CSR (93%) and reporting by now appears to be business standard (KPMG, 2013). CSR reports are a medium for transparency which may lead to an improved company reputation (Noked, 2013; Thorne et al, 2008; Wilburn and Wilburn, 2013). In addition, it may be used as part of an ongoing shareholder relations campaign, which may prevent shareholders from submitting Environmental and Social (E&S)1 proposals (Noked, 2013), based on an Ernst & Young report 1 The top five E&S proposal topic areas in 2013 were: 1. Political spending/ lobbying; 2. Environmental sustainability; 3. Corporate diversity/ EEO; 4.Labor/ human rights and 5. Animal testing/ animal welfare. Three groups of environmental sustainability proposal topics of sub-category number two (environmental sustainability) 6 2013, representing the largest category of shareholder proposals submitted. PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) even goes as far as to claim that CSR reports are “…becoming critical to a company’s credibility, transparency and endurance.” (PwC, 2013).

The frontiers of vulnerability: gender, migration and sexual and reproductive rights

Includes bibliography

The role of civil society in preventing and combating human trafficking

Includes bibliography

Human trafficking: a regional challenge

Includes bibliography

Brasilia Declaration: Second Regional Intergovernmental Conference on Ageing in Latin America and the Caribbean: towards a society for all ages and rights-based social protection

Spanish version available at the Library

San José charter on the rights of older persons in Latin America and the Caribbean

Spanish , french and portuguese versions available

Contributions made by ECLAC from a rights perspective regarding indigenous peoples' and afrodescendants' affairs

Includes bibliography

Contributions made by ECLAC to follow-up and implementation of the San José Charter on the Rights of Older Persons in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2012-2013

Includes bibliography

Report on the Expert Group Meeting on the Comprehensive and Integral International Convention to Promote and Protect the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities

The main objective of the meeting was to present recommendations to the Ad Hoc Committee established by the United Nations to consider proposals and elements for inclusion in an international convention aimed at protecting and promoting the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities. Attending the meeting were key stakeholders from the human rights and disabled community, public and private sector, the academic community, and members of the United Nations system.

The rights-based approach to social protection in Latin America: From rhetoric to practice

This paper aims to contribute to developing the normative framework for rights-based social protection systems and discusses lessons learned in some emblematic programmes implemented in Latin America which have sought to advance a rights approach. The paper emphasizes the added value of the rights-based approach and describes the normative content of the right to social security. It then describes the basic elements of a rights-based approach and examines how it is operationalized in the design, implementation and evaluation of landmark social protection programmes in the region. The paper seeks to demonstrate that, despite the large gap that still exists between the rhetoric of a human rights approach and its implementation in specific policies, there have been significant achievements in some countries in Latin America. It argues that some of the good practices in the region can serve as policy examples to follow elsewhere. The paper concludes with a number of public policy recommendations with a view to consolidating the rights perspective in social protection programmes.

Guaranteeing indigenous people's rights in Latin America. Progress in the past decade and remaining challenges. Summary

As the twenty-first century advances, the countries of Latin America are building deeper democracies and looking critically at the development process, in the growing conviction that development should focus on equality and be approached on the basis of rights. This means tackling the region’s persistent inequalities, especially those affecting indigenous peoples, who have historically suffered exclusion and discrimination. It also means guaranteeing indigenous people both the enjoyment of human rights on an equal footing to the rest of society, and the right to be collectively different. This is a challenge for this century, which began with the recognition of the rights of indigenous people and the role they unquestionably play on national and international agendas.

O enfrentamento ao trabalho escravo na Amazônia maranhense: uma análise da atuação do CDVDH/CB no município de Açailândia/MA

Esta dissertação tem por objeto de estudo a atuação do Centro de Defesa da Vida e dos Direitos Humanos Carmen Bascarán/CDVDH/CB no enfrentamento ao trabalho escravo no município de Açailândia/Ma. Seus objetivos foram os de 1. historicizar a criação do CDVDH/CB a partir da dinâmica socioeconômica do município de Açailândia, localizado na Amazônia maranhense; 2. Identificar as ações e os projetos de enfrentamento ao trabalho escravo, realizadas pela organização. Para alcançar esses objetivos a pesquisa, de caráter exploratório, utilizou a Pesquisa Bibliográfica, a Pesquisa Documental e a Pesquisa de Campo. Na Pesquisa Bibliográfica foi dada ênfase aos estudos sobre a categoria trabalho e sobre os processos socio-históricos que intensificaram a degradação do homem nos marcos do capitalismo, com destaque para a presença do trabalho escravo na contemporaneidade. A Pesquisa Documental coletou dados estatísticos e documentais produzidos por instituições como a Comissão Pastoral da Terra/CPT, “Campanha de Olho Aberto para Não Virar Escravo” e Agência de Notícias Repórter Brasil, além dos registros do próprio CDVDH/CB. Na Pesquisa de Campo foi utilizada entrevista semiestruturada, individual, com perguntas abertas com membros, servidores e funcionários, do CDVDH/CB que atuam nas ações e projetos de enfrentamento ao trabalho escravo. Ao final são apresentados resultados que indicam os limites e as possibilidades de atuação do CDVDH/CB no enfrentamento ao trabalho escravo no município de Açailândia/Ma.