Glasgow Human Rights Network Bulletin 16 October 2012

Should you have any events or calls that you wish to circulate to the mailing list in our e-bulletin, please email: ghrnadmin@glasgow.ac.uk

1. Events

GHRN Lecture Series 2012/13
Please see below for summary details of our lecture series for the 2012/13 session.  For full details, please see our events page.

All events are free and open to the public, however booking is recommended. Please register for events by visiting our eventbrite site: http://glasgowhumanrights.eventbrite.com/

Venues can be found on the campus map by their location ID (letter/number).

  • European Parliament Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought Panel Discussion
    Wednesday 18 Oct 17.30 - 19.30, Wolfson Medical School Sem Rm 3 (Gannochy) - C8  
    The European Parliament's Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought is awarded annually to honour exceptional individuals who combat intolerance, fanaticism and oppression.  The European Parliament Office in Scotland and the Glasgow Human Rights Network host this event at which students will mirror the process by which MEPs choose the winner of the Sakharov Prize. 
    The event will conclude with refreshments in the Atrium.  All are welcome – event is free of charge - however registration is essential.  Download poster: 121018 GHRN Sakharov Event
  • Mining and Human Rights in Colombia  
    Wednesday 7 Nov 17.30 - 19.30, Wolfson Medical School Sem Rm 3 (Gannochy) C8 
    Co-sponsored with SCIAF: This event is part of a series of events organised by advocacy group ABColombia across the UK to raise awareness of the human rights, environmental and developmental issues associated with the extractives industry in Latin America.  Issues of natural resource governance are invariably at the centre of development and human rights debates as the extractive sector represents a growing part of Latin American economies. Download: 121107 GHRN ABColombia event
  • Indivisible Human Rights: A Discursive History
    Monday 12 Nov 17.30 - 19.30, Adam Smith Building, Room 916, D8   
    Most contemporary accounts suggest that the "indivisibility" of human rights expresses the fundamental equality of all categories of rights, especially dispelling the notion that economic and social rights are somehow "different" or less important than civil and political rights.  Prof. Daniel J. Whelan (Hendrix College, University of London) will explore the history of the indivisibility discourse, beginning with its emergence in the late 1940s as drafting of the Covenant on Human Rights began.

Black History Month
October is Black History Month.  For details of events in Glasgow visit: http://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/#/glasgow-black-history-month/4569076777 

Launch: Institute in Youth and Community Research
Thursday 1 November 2012 1pm, UWS Hamilton Campus
The School of Education at the University of the West of Scotland is delighted to announce the launch of a new Institute in Youth and Community Research which will be a flagship Centre of Excellence for research and knowledge exchange, structured around research areas that are critical to the development of flourishing communities.  We hope that both current and future colleagues and friends will be able to attend.  Lunch will be available from 12.30.  The event will also include an opportunity to discuss further developments in research focus and the potential for future partnership working with the Institute.  Please indicate attendance to youthcommlaunch@uws.ac.uk, preferably by 19th October.  Download invitation: 121101 Launch Institute for Youth Community Research

The Sociology of Human Rights - special issue of Sociology journal launch event
2 November, 6.00-7.30pm at Room G22/26 (Ground floor) Senate House, Malet Street, London
Dr. Matthew Waites of the GHRN steering group has co-edited (with P.Hynes, M. Lamb and D. Short) 'The Sociology of Human Rights', the annual special issue of Sociology, journal of the British Sociological Association - Volume 46, no. 5, to be published in October 2012.  The editors are conveners of the BSA's Sociology of Rights Study Group.  The volume includes a substantial Foreword by the editors introducing the sociology of human rights field and the papers in the special issue, focusing on how a sociology of human rights is crucial to analyzing power and inequalities internationally.  Contributors include Professor Chetan Bhatt, Director of the Centre for the Study of Human Rights, London School of Economics; Professor Kate Nash, Goldsmiths; and Katayoun Baghai, McGill University, Canada; and Professor Dorothea Hilhorst, Wageningen University, The Netherlands. 
There will be a launch event in London on 2 November hosted by the Human Rights Consortium, School of Advanced Study, University of London.  All are welcome.  Dr. Waites will introduce the volume, and three authors will present their articles: Professor Chetan Bhatt (LSE), Dr. Virginia Morrow (Oxford) and Dr. Darren O'Byrne (Roehampton).  The event will also feature the launch of the BSA Sociology of Rights Study Group wiki-website, which all interested in the sociology of rights are invited to use to circulate information and develop contacts and collaborations in the field. Download poster: 121102 Sociology of rights poster

Children in Chains
Saturday 10 November 2012, 1.00 pm to 5.00 pm, Hilton Grosvenor, Grosvenor Street, Edinburgh EH12 5EF
Speakers:  Gerard Horton- International Advocacy Lawyer based in Ramallah, Aimee Shalan - Director of Advocacy and Communications Medical Aid for Palestinians, Dr Michael Kearney- Lecturer in Law Sussex University and legal consultant to Palestinian rights body, al Haq, Chair - Tam Baillie- Scotland's Commissioner for Children and Young People.

The seminar will look at detention of Palestinian children in the West Bank and their treatment by military courts.  The seminar will also examine how Palestinian children can be put in solitary confinement and can be denied the right to see their parents.  Organised by Scottish Friends of the Palestine in conjunction with EIS and is free of charge.  To register for seminar contact info@scottish-friends-of-palestine.org or text 07863070026 and please include an e-mail address if possible.

Rewriting our rights? Human rights and the UK constitution
Monday 12 November 2012, 4-6pm,  British Academy, 10-11 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AH
The event will consider how those who campaign, research or make policy on this issue should build their respective cases using solid and effective evidence and will cover:

  • criticisms of the Human Rights Act and whether they have any grounds;
  • the cost of tampering with a functioning system;
  • the legal complexities surrounding this issue;
  • what a new Bill of Rights might mean for the UK.

Places are limited, so please register online at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NTNGQKW before 22 October, stating any access or other special requirements.  Confirmation with agenda and venue details will be emailed to participants a fortnight before the event.  Any queries should be sent to policy@britac.ac.uk  Download poster: 121112 HR and constitution

Human Rights Research Students’ Conference
20 November 2012, 09.30 - 17.30, Human Rights Consortium, School of Advanced Study, University of London, Room S261, Senate House, Malet Street London WC1E 7HU
Keynote speaker: Dr. Daniel J. Whelan, Charles Prentiss Hough Odyssey Associate Professor of Politics and International Relations at Hendrix College (USA) and Human Rights Consortium Visiting Fellow.  Further details and registration fees at: http://www.sas.ac.uk/hrc

Third International Conference on Human Rights Education: Promoting Change in Times of Transition and Crisis
Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland 6 - 10 December 2012
The Conference is an annual event bringing together experts and scholars from around the world interested in the topic of human rights education.  During the Conference a wide range of problems concerning human rights will be considered.  They include such topics as, multiculturalism, the experience of Central and Eastern Europe, the Arab Spring, welfare rights in time of crisis, relation between constitutionalism and civil rights, the problem of developing countries and freedom in the Internet.  Other universal and current issues will also be raised during plenary sessions and workshops.

Among the speakers invited to the Conferences are winners of the Nobel Peace Prize, Ombudsmen from different countries, members of international and regional organizations dealing with human rights, government officials and scientists from leading universities and research centers.  Watch promotional video of the Conference here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5KEfIbafNo.

For more information about the conference and to register please see: http://www.hre2012.uj.edu.pl/

Positive Action in Housing training courses
Training takes place at PAIH 98 West George Street Glasgow G2 1PJ.  For info on costs and to register visit: http://www.paih.org/~training/cost.html

Developing the Scottish Human Rights Agenda: Compliance, good practice and legal challenge
Tuesday 5 February 2013, Edinburgh

Keynote speaker: Roseanna Cunningham MSP, Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs, Scottish Government

Conference overview:  The Scottish Government is developing a distinctive track record in giving effect to human rights in Scotland.  This conference is intended to explore the Scottish Government’s vision on human rights, how the public sector in Scotland can help fulfil its role in that vision and how the requirement to comply with human rights legislation will need to be addressed across all of Scotland’s institutions and businesses. 

  • Session 1: Human rights defining national identity?
  • Session 2: Mainstreaming human rights in the public sector
  • Session 3: Role of the voluntary and private sector

Delegate fees: Early Bird Discount applies until 30th November 2012.  To book Call Gail on 0131 556 1500 or email gshannah@mackayhannah.com.   For further information visit http://www.mackayhannah.com/conferences/developing-the-scottish-human-rights-agenda  
 

2. Calls for Papers / Participation

Human Rights in an Independent Scotland
In the debate about the referendum on Scottish independence, one issue which is rarely talked about is that of human rights.  This includes questions about what human rights obligations an independent Scotland will - or should - have; whether support for, and implementation of, human rights is likely to be stronger or weaker; who would be a citizen of the new country and what kind of immigration controls would be in place between Scotland and the rest of Europe; and what specific constitutional arrangements may be necessary to ensure the proper place of human rights in an independent Scotland.

The Glasgow Human Rights Network will initiate a series of events addressing these themes between now and the referendum in 2014.  While some of the events will be organised solely by GHRN, we are also looking for partners who would like to work with us on these issues.  All events will be listed on our web page and in the bulletin.  In addition, we will list events organised by others, creating a repository of events on the broad theme of human rights in an independent Scotland.

If you have an event you would like to list (and also be publicised in our e-mail bulletin), or if you would like to suggest an event or partner with us, please contact us at: GHRNadmin@glasgow.ac.uk

Human Rights Research Students’ Conference
This one day conference is the first in a series, aimed at students working within the broad interdisciplinary field of human rights.  The conference aims to stimulate research on contemporary human rights issues, problems, challenges and policies, and to facilitate the dissemination of such research.  We are particularly interested in soliciting papers that move beyond standard academic approaches to embrace critically engaged scholarship.  We encourage interdisciplinary research and debate and would welcome papers from many (and multiple) disciplines including Sociology, Anthropology, Law, Politics, Philosophy, Economics, Peace and Conflict Studies, Development Studies and History.  Please send abstracts of up to 300-350 words to HRC@sas.ac.uk by 26 October 2012. Presenters will be asked to speak for 15-20 minutes on their research proposal and work to date.  Futher details available here: http://events.sas.ac.uk/support-research/events/view/12694

Strategies for realising social economic rights in practice: Multi-disciplinary experiences from early career researchers
13 December 2012, School of Law, University of Warwick
Socio-economic rights are extensive.  They cover the right to food, water, education, housing, and an all-encompassing right of ‘adequate standard of living.’  However, by their very nature they are ambiguous; instinctively, we want to ask how much, of what quality, which goups should we prioritise?  The workshop aims to explore some fundamental questions raised by these rights. Full details: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/law/pg/researchdegrees/currentphds/largai/early_career_workshop.pdf

The workshop does not require a full paper.  All we require at the moment is 100 words expressing your scholarly perspective on any of these rights. Closing Date: 30 0ctober 2012.  The Institute of Advanced Studies will cover all reasonable expenses for participants.  For all queries and submissions please contact Sharifah Rahma Sekalala at sharifah.sekalala@warwick.ac.uk

3. Funding Calls

2013 FP7 Socio-Economic Sciences and Humanities (SSH) Work Programme
The 2013 FP7 Socio-Economic Sciences and Humanities (SSH) Work Programme has just been published (closing date: 31 January 2013) - see link for further details: http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/appmanager/participants/portal;efp7_SESSION_ID=xh32P8GFjk81zLfyKkGNsQG5bQQlTmnBnhf759m9mLzlLzFN3VyP!-595117945?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=cooperation

European Research Council (ERC) calls
The European Research Council (ERC) calls have also been announced. A number of changes apply in this year's ERC calls for proposals. The main changes include:

  • The introduction of the "ERC Consolidator grant":
    The previous ERC Starting grant scheme will be divided into two separate calls:
    - Starting grant (StG): for researchers who have been awarded their first PhD at least 2 and up to 7 years prior to the publication date of the call.
    - Consolidator grant (CoG): for researchers who have been awarded their first PhD over 7 and up to 12 years prior to the publication date of the call.  A Consolidator grant is worth up to €2 million (under certain circumstances up to €2.75 million). 
  • One single deadline for each call, and not different deadlines for the three domains as in the past. 
  • The publication of the next Advanced grant (AdG) call is now published on 10 July (not in the autumn as previously), with the deadline for applications in the autumn (not in spring as in the past).

Further details at:

Advanced Grant (ERC-2013-AdG) – closing date 22 November 2012


4. News

GHRN PG Cluster Blog
The Glasgow Human Rights Network Postgraduate Cluster includes Masters and PhD students from the University of Glasgow, the University of Strathclyde and Caledonian University.  Their blog features information about meetings, conferences, links to papers and other things falling under the categories of either “interesting” or “useful”. Sometimes, the two may coincide: http://ghrnpostgradcluster.wordpress.com/

Resources for students - Scottish Human Rights Commission
As the new academic year approaches the Scottish Human Rights Commission has highlighted some of the online resources which may be useful to students who are studying human rights law, European law, health and social care, the environment, or international development in the coming year.

  • Free Access to the Scottish Human Rights Journal: http://www.scottishhumanrights.com/publications/journal 
    Published by Greens, the Journal gives current and detailed analysis of human rights issues in Scotland and beyond.  The Journal focuses on all areas of legal practice, combining practical articles with case law reports and commentary.  Edited by Professor Alan Miller, Chair of the Commission, back issues appear online on our website with a six month time delay, and past issues are available to 2006.  Contributors include Dr Mary Robinson, Professor Francesca Klug, Niall McCluskey and Diego Quiroz.
  • Podcasts: http://scottishhumanrights.com/news/podcasts
    Our Audio Bank contains over 20 episodes of our podcast series that includes discussions on climate justice, the Disability Convention, the care landscape in Scotland & human rights, and the role of the Commission.  Also in the Audio Bank, available through our website or through iTunes, are several episodes of a visit to Scotland by Albie Sachs, the renowned South African judge and academic, discussing his own experiences of truth and reconciliation.
  • Publications and Submissions: http://scottishhumanrights.com/publications/consultationresponses 
    Part of the role of the Commission is to support the implementation of human rights in practice, and to improve human rights protection in Scotland through influencing law and policy.  Our Publications page lists all the Commission’s consultation submissions to Parliament and Government, including advice on diverse issues including policing reform, Scotland’s constitutional future, mental health policy, climate justice, and care policy issues.  There are also discussion papers on public procurement and personalisation of care.
  • Scotland’s National Action Plan for Human Rights: http://scottishhumanrights.com/actionplan
    Over the past three years the Commission has been mapping the state of human rights in Scotland.  A summary of the findings are online now, and in October 2012 the mapping research will be published in full.  This work is in preparation for developing Scotland’s National Action Plan for Human Rights, a negotiated, meaningful and collaborative national action plan which will highlight where gaps in human rights protection can and should be filled, and promote areas of best practice.  
  • Information about human rights in Scotland, and the international human rights framework
    Our website has resources and information about the international human rights framework including international human rights treaties, the Universal Periodic Review process and information about the international role of the Commission (http://scottishhumanrights.com/international).  There is also a series of educational seminars (http://scottishhumanrights.com/ourwork/crpd) that discuss the role of the UN Disability Convention in Scotland.  Finally, there is an extensive database of voluntary and community groups in Scotland that work with human rights issues (http://scottishhumanrights.com/abouthumanrights/stakeholdermap).

The SHRC Chair, Professor Alan Miller, can occasionally contribute to guest seminars or lectures to discuss the work of the Commission and the current human rights landscape in Scotland - please contact us if this is also of interest to your school or department: http://scottishhumanrights.com/about/team/alanmiller 

Website: www.scottishhumanrights.com | Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/ScotHumanRights