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	Most people believe their government should abide by international law by University of Maryland Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA)   Nov 2009   A poll by WorldPublicOpinion.org finds that most people in 17 of 21 nations surveyed say their government should abide by international law and reject the view that governments are not obliged to follow such laws when they conflict with the national interest.   Most respondents in two out of three nations polled are also confident that the International Court of Justice, also known as the World Court, would treat their country fairly and impartially, the WPO poll shows.   The poll, conducted in 21 nations from around the world asked respondents which of two statements is closest to their own view. The first statement said, "Our nation should consistently follow international laws. It is wrong to violate international laws, just as it is wrong to violate laws within a country": the second said, "If our government thinks it is not in our nation''s interest, it should not feel obliged to abide by international laws."   On average, across all nations polled, 57% said that their country should put a higher priority on international law than national interest.   WorldPublicOpinion.org conducted the poll of 20,202 respondents in 21 nations that comprise 64 percent of the world''s population. This includes some of the largest nations--China, India, the United States, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Russia--as well as Mexico, Chile, Germany, Great Britain, France, Poland, Ukraine, Kenya, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Turkey, Iraq, Pakistan, the Palestinian territories, and South Korea.   Support for abiding by international law is strongest in China, where 74% of those polled on the mainland say their government should abide by international law, while just 18% say the national interest should take precedence.   Belief in the primacy of international law was also strong in the United States Europe, Africa and the rest of the Far East. Seventy percent of Germans, 69% of Americans, 68% of Taiwanese, and 65% of Kenyans and Nigerians put international law ahead of their national interest.   Confidence in the World Court, which adjudicates cases involving international law, is also widespread. The court, which is based in The Hague and began operations in 1946, is the principal judicial body of the United Nations and consists of 15 justices from around the world.   Respondents in 20 nations were asked if there were a case involving their country, "how confident are you that the Court''s decision would be fair and impartial?" Most respondents in 13 nations say they would be somewhat or very confident, while five countries say they are not very confident or not confident at all.   On average 54% say that they would be at least somewhat confident that the Court would be fair, while 36% express a lack of confidence. Majorities also express confidence in Taiwan (54%), Hong Kong (58%), and Macau (65%).   Steven Kull, director of WorldPublicOpinion.org, comments: "It appears that publics around the world show a fairly strong internationalist orientation. Most favor subordinating national interest to international law and are ready to trust the World Court to be impartial."   Confidence in the world court is strongest among Kenyans, where 79% say they are confident a case involving their country would be decided freely and fairly. Seventy-four percent of Germans are confident, 73% of Poles, 67% of Egyptians, and 66% of Nigerians.   It appears that people in nearly all nations have a tendency to underestimate the support for international law among their fellow citizens. Respondents were asked whether they think their own support for consistently abiding by international laws is greater or less than that of the average citizen in their country. If people as a whole were estimating their fellow citizens correctly, those saying that others are more supportive would be equal to those saying others are less supportive.   However, in 14 of the 16 nations asked this question, many more said that they were more supportive of abiding by international law than said they were less supportive. On average, 48% said they were more supportive, while just 28% said they were less supportive.   Kull comments, "Clearly people are underestimating how ready others are to consistently abide by international law. People tend to think they are above average."   * WorldPublicOpinion.org, a collaborative project involving research centers from around the world.. Visit the related web page
	Feminicide and Torture in Ciudad Juárez and Chihuahua, Mexico by WITNESS Comisión Mexicana de Defensa y Promoción de los Derechos Humanos Mexico / Zimbwawe   Jan. 2010   Dual Injustice: Feminicide and Torture in Ciudad Juárez and Chihuahua, Mexico.   The Inter-American Court of Human Rights issued a landmark ruling that lays out remedies to ensure justice for families and end violence against women in Ciudad Juárez and Chihuahua, Mexico.   The case involved three young women who were found slain along with five others at a Ciudad Juárez cotton field in November 2001. After finding no justice in the Mexican legal system, the mothers pursued human rights complaints before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and later at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, both of which are part of the Organization of American States (OAS). As an adherant to these mechanisms, Mexico cannot appeal and must comply with the ruling.   The court''s 167-page sentence lays out remedies the Mexican government must follow to curb future acts of violence against women in Ciudad Juárez and Mexico. In addition to conducting a serious murder investigation and investigating law enforcement officials responsible for obstructing the cotton field case, which included the fabrication of scapegoats under torture, within one year the Mexican government must hold a public ceremony in Ciudad Juárez to apologize for the crimes; build a monument to the three murdered women in the border city; publish the sentence in the official government record and in newspapers; expand gender sensitivity and human rights training for police; step-up and coordinate efforts to find missing women; permanently publicize the cases of disappeared women on the Internet; and investigate reported death threats and harassment against members of the families of murdered women. [Information from Frontera Norte-Sur]   Since 1993, over 470 women have been violently killed in Ciudad Juárez and Chihuahua in northern Mexico. Known as "feminicide," this phenomenon has become one of the most embarrassing human rights scandals in recent Mexican history. Under fire for their inability to resolve these crimes, the police have attempted to appease the public outcry by torturing people to confess to the murders. However, neither the families of the disappeared nor those of the accused believe the right people are behind bars.   Nov. 2009   Women affected by Political Violence in Zimbabwe Speak Out, by Susan Sarandon.   Every woman should have the right and the opportunity to take part in the life of her country, to freely participate in the political process without retribution.   Memory Shiriinorira is a young Zimbabwean mother of two, and a youth secretary for the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in her community.   On June 11, 2008, Memory was taken from her workplace and brought to a base where she was tortured, beaten, and raped by members of a state-sanctioned militia. She was seized as a result of her political affiliation, just after highly contested national elections.   Memory is now HIV positive. One of the men who raped her lives next door to her local clinic. Frequently, when she goes to receive treatment, she sees him. Memory worries that she will be attacked again and that her children may also be targeted.   Despite the risks of speaking out, Memory decided that she had to tell her story so that other women would not endure what she did. Memory tells her story in Hear Us: Women Affected by Political Violence in Zimbabwe Speak Out.   I have long championed the work of WITNESS to use video to change lives. As a woman and a mother, I am concerned by the violence, discrimination and pain women face all over this world every day - on the basis of their gender. But I am hopeful and inspired by the brave women like Memory who tell their stories.   Join me in demanding a more safe, just world for Memory and the women of Zimbabwe. And join me in supporting WITNESS which so effectively uses video to bridge the gap between survivors and audiences, between seeing and changing. Visit the related web page
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