Coercion (drang) in the Dutch youth care system: legal position in limbo between judicial systems Last Tuesday the Dutch States General was informed about the effectiveness of the Youth Act. One of the important conclusions focuses on the use of coercion in the youth care system and the legal position of the clients and professionals involved. Denise Verkroost • February 02, 2018
Recycling as panacea for plastic pollution: the EU Plastics Strategy The circular economy and recycling are the key answers of the EU Plastics Strategy to the plastic soup. What happened to the idea of reducing plastic waste, as single-use plastics make up 50% of the marine litter? Esther Kentin • January 30, 2018
The right to respect for family life in deportation cases: Is the ECtHR taking a step backwards? Immigrants are protected from expulsion by the right to respect for private and family life. But in certain circumstances after a criminal conviction, expulsion may be justified. The ECtHR seems to lower the level of protection in its recent case law. Mark Klaassen and Gerrie Lodder • January 29, 2018
The natural process of mutual integration Western countries expect immigrants to adapt to their culture, whereas for centuries colonizing Europeans always imposed their ways on the native inhabitants they came across. In reality both cultures will always naturally fuse to become a new one. Wim Bonis • January 10, 2018
Unaccompanied children travelling by air, a human rights issue This blog explains how child trafficking in aviation may work in practice and why it desperately needs to be reframed as a human rights issue, in order for the relevant state agents and private actors to intensify their efforts to combat it. Chrisje Sandelowsky • January 08, 2018 • 1 comment
For further reflection: international students on the Dutch Sinterklaas tradition With the Black Pete discussion in the Netherlands in mind, I asked my international students, out of curiosity, what they thought of the Dutch Sinterklaas tradition. Turns out that international students have strong opinions on this. Esther Kentin • December 05, 2017 • 1 comment
Introducing: Experimental Jurisprudence Studying how the law works in practice using empirical methods is gaining in popularity. A new subfield within ‘Empirical Legal Studies’, has now emerged: Experimental Jurisprudence. Time for all researchers interested in this field to form a network. Niek Strohmaier • December 01, 2017 • 2 comments
Male privilege and the abuse of power The #MeToo reports have brought the ‘tradition’ of masculine domination out into the open and what it can lead to. When did it begin, and in what direction will it develop? To shed some light on this matter two kinds of power are distinguished… Wim Bonis • November 29, 2017 • 4 comments
The ethical dimension of ancient laws Due to the inclusion of unwritten laws, surviving from the Stone Age, the (pre-Hammurabi) Sumerian legal system was surprisingly liberal. We can still learn from it, now that our system has caused the ethical dimension to wither – with dire consequences. Wim Bonis • November 10, 2017 • 4 comments
