Human Rights and Access to Justice

Recognizing a gap in research and advocacy on women’s imprisonment, the Vance Center’s Human Rights and Access to Justice Program launched the Women in Prison Project in 2017 to convene women prisoners’ rights advocates from the Americas, Africa, and Asia to: 

1. Share information across the spectrum of women’s imprisonment – causes, conditions, and consequences – in their respective countries and regions to tackle a wide scope of issues under this umbrella.
2. Build capacity for improved monitoring and reporting of conditions.
3. Pursue strategic litigation and advocacy to clarify states’ responsibilities under international law to adopt gender-specific laws and policies on women’s imprisonment. 

The project launched with an international conference in Bogotá, Colombia, which brought together 49 advocates from 23 countries, including 9 formerly incarcerated women. The result was the first global network of advocates for women prisoners: the Women in Prison Network. The Network now consists of 50 individuals, including formerly incarcerated women, and 34 organizations from a total of 21 countries around the world. Many of the member organizations are women-led, and several are led by formerly incarcerated women. 

Learn more about the Network’s global reach and activities here.

Gender-affirming care, as defined by the World Health Organization, encompasses any single or combination of social, psychological, behavioral or medical (including hormonal treatment or surgery) interventions designed to support and affirm and individual’s gender identity.  

As 18 U.S. states (and rising) have banned or sharply limited access to health care for transgender youth and adults, there is a spotlight on court battles and international legal precedents contesting these actions. The Vance Center assisted the Human Rights Watch (HRW) LGBT Rights Program in conducting a multi-national survey of laws governing gender-affirming care for transgender people. 

RESEARCH & REPORTS:   

• We completed a multi-national survey of laws governing gender-affirming care 
• We conducted research on international and regional standards, including the Inter-American, African, European, United Nations Human Rights systems (including UN committees, such as the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child and Special Procedures), and others 
• We compiled the above responses and research to produce a report for HRW’s LGBT Rights Program

The multi-national survey enabled the organization to: 

1. Be in a better position to challenge these precedents when necessary 
2. Assemble positive precedents that may be available for U.S. lawyers to use in challenging bans and limitations enacted in states

The urgent problem of child sexual abuse and the need to protect the civil rights of children confronts pressing issues like statutes of limitations (SOLs), child marriage, and lack of institutional accountability. CHILD USA, the leading national think tank fighting for the civil rights of children, co-chairs of the Global Statute of Limitations Reform Task Force, a body which brings together the Brave Movement and CHILD USA to eliminate SOLs for child sex abuse worldwide.   

The Vance Center worked with CHILD USA to review global laws and regulations that prevent accountability for child sexual abuse.

LEGAL REVIEW: 

We assisted the Global Task Force in conducting a legal review of laws and regulations on SOLs and other barriers to accountability for child sexual abuse in 27 EU countries and 19 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean.  

The legal review contributed to the SOL International Tracker project, which is part of the Task Force’s larger effort to advocate for the repeal of SOLs so perpetrators can be held accountable for child sexual abuse crimes. The Tracker is featured on the Task Force’s website and serves as reference to advocates working to bring justice to child victims of sexual abuse.

In 2015, the Vance Center’s Human Rights and Access to Justice Program launched the Business and Human Rights Initiative, which draws on our expertise and experience to assist NGOs and international organizations on human rights issues related to business activities and contribute to the development of best practices in this area. Our work is grounded in the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs).

WRITTEN ANALYSES:

• We contributed a roadmap for bar associations to engage with the UNGPs as part of the UNGPs 10+ Project. 
• We published a report on strong legal frameworks for digital justice in Latin America and the Caribbean We supported the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) with the project “Responsible Business Conduct in Latin America and the Caribbean.” 

ADVOCACY & EVENTS:

• We set up and coordinated the New York City Bar’s Working Group on Business and Human Rights, which in 2020 approved a pioneer policy statement on the subject. 
• We hosted a session on the role of regional bar associations as part of the United Nations VI Regional Forum on Business and Human Rights in Latin America and the Caribbean.
• With our partners, we developed guidance and accompanying toolkit for companies operating in conflict environments We hosted a panel on the effectiveness of arbitration to resolve business and human rights disputes.
• We co-sponsored a conference in Geneva on the role of lawyers and law firms in ensuring access to remedy for business related human rights harms. 

TRAININGS & WORKSHOPS:

• We trained New York-based lawyers on business and human rights principles through various event series and panel discussions.
• We led a workshop in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on alternative dispute mechanisms for business and human rights issues as part of the first International Forum on Arbitration in Haiti.