Every year the regional master’s programmes select the best master theses of the previous academic year that is published online as part of the GC publications. The selected GC master theses cover a range of different international human rights topics and challenges. Below we present the Global Campus Awarded master theses of our students.
From democracy to autocracy? Growing threats to civil society and media in Kyrgyzstan
Date: 2019
Author: Begalieva, Nuriza
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
http://doi.org/20.500.11825/1823
Despite the repeal of the ‘foreign agent’ law in 2016 which was initiated in Kyrgyzstan to limit activities of human rights defenders, government officials still continue to oppress them by using other legislative restrictions. This idea contradicts the principles of a democratic country which stands for plurality of opinions. Recent intimidation and unlawful surveillance of human rights defenders and media representatives demonstrate that state officials can have a suspicious attitude and try to restrict their freedom of movement. According to given theories, thepresence of active civil society and independence of media is important for the full functioning of democracy. Kyrgyzstan, being in the transition period, similarly to its neighbouring countries, uses tools to monopolise the important institutions. By using content analysis of published speeches of government representatives, human rights activists and media representatives the thesis reveals that the government continues to degrade the status of civil society by using disinformation as well as by misusing existent laws for their own profit to preserve the current regime. By examining hypotheses through correlation analysis, the study finds out that there is a strong relationship between active participation of civil society and media with the development of democracy. As a result, the more a country strives for democratic changes, the more effective the activity of the executive branch is. However, human rights itself has weak negative correlation with democratic development. It can be explained by the fact that when civil society takes more action against the government, autocratic rulers allow more human rights violations.
Thus, this work demonstrates that although the Kyrgyz government continues to preserve democratic values and meet universal human rights principles, the recent cases show that these statements can be regarded only as a facade, as it is in the interest of the government to limit political mobilisation to maintain the current regime.
Comparative analysis of minority women rights protection in Moldova and Ukraine in the light of the international human rights standards
Date: 2018
Author: Balan, Ecaterina
The current research ‘Comparative Analysis of Minority Women Rights Protection in Moldova and Ukraine in the Light of the International Human Rights Standards’/ «Մոլդովայում և Ուկրաինայում փոքրամասնություն կազմող կանանց իրավունքների պաշտպանության համեմատական վերլուծություն մարդու իրավունքների միջազգային ստանդարտների հիման վրա։» / «Сравнительный анализ защиты прав женщин из числа меньшинств в Молдове и в Украине через призму международных стандартов в области прав человека» explores the extent of policy protection of minority women rights in Moldova and Ukraine, comparatively analyses the correspondence of the national legal frameworks of these countries with the international standards in the field of minority women protection, and justifies the necessity to study this field in Moldovan and Ukrainian context. For these purposes the situation with minority women protection in Moldova and Ukraine has been briefly analysed, standards and recommendations of the international human rights mechanisms have been studied, the policies and legislative frameworks in this field have been analysed on a comparative basis, and the issues of their correspondence to the international standards have been explored. The research has led to the following conclusions: 1) Minority women in both, Moldova and Ukraine, experience multiple forms of discrimination and marginalization, making them one of the most vulnerable social groups; 2) International human rights mechanisms provide a moderate body of standards and recommendations to guide national policy-making in Ukraine and Moldova; 3) The national policy frameworks in Moldova and Ukraine with few insignificant exceptions miss the minority women perspective in planning, programming, and regulation, leaving this particular social subgroup basically unaddressed, despite their international obligations; 4) Both states strongly need to harmonize their policy and legal frameworks with the international human rights standards and recommendations concerning minority women, and subsequently implement them effectively; 5) National strategies and laws have to be based on gender and minority disaggregated and cross-disaggregated data.
The Role of the Institution of Ombudsman in Strengthening the Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms in Armenia, Moldova and Ukraine
Date: 2017
Author: Chobanyan, Marianna
Today the ombudsman institution is widely and actively used in state systems of protection of human rights and freedoms from arbitrariness of public authorities and from abuse of power by state officials.The main role of the ombudsman institution is to control the balance between the legislative, executive and judicial branches of power, observe the lawfulness of public authorities’ activities as well as protect the violated rights and interests of people because of action (inaction) of government bodies and officials. The master’s thesis aims to assess the role of the ombudsman institution in the three countries of the Eastern Partnership (EaP) which are Armenia, Moldova and Ukraine. These countries were chosen since they share the common historic legacy after the collapse of the Soviet Union and all three countries have undergone a long way of transition towards democracy. The research component of the paper will focus on qualitative measures such as public opinion surveys regarding the general awareness of the societies about the institution and its role in protecting and promoting human rights and freedoms in the respective countries.
The protection of the rights of refugee children in Armenia: the challenges of refugee children and their families
Date: 2017-09-20
Author: Santrosyan, Anahit
In recent years the issue of refugees has affected the international community. The existing wars force people to leave their homes and search for new places for their survival and safety. More than 100 thousand people have found themselves in the Republic of Armenia and face many problems and challenges, although the fact that majority of them are ethnic Armenians made it seem that adaptation would be easier. As they mostly come with their families, there are many children as well, and in contrast with the adults who more or less are capable of solving problems that they are facing, the refugee children are more vulnerable and helpless. The scope of the study is the level of the proper legal regulation and the execution of those norms in real life. We compared the correspondence of national legislation to the international one. We also argued that refugee children’s rights in different spheres (such as living conditions, education, medical care and etc.) are not properly protected and most of them have problems with integration in society and gave some recommendations that could change the current situation.
Integration vs. Discrimination : protection of human rights in EU migration policy and the role of the ENP in shaping migration policy framework in the RA
Date: 2016-11
Author: Muradyan, Nika
This paper examines three separate – but very interconnected topics on the protection of migrants’ rights in the EU and Armenia. Migration policy development in the EU is discussed together with the need for ratification of ICRMW by EU Member States, which may be a strong tool for better protection of human rights. Also analyzed in the paper is how integration policy is significant for migration policy development, more precisely, how economic and cultural exclusion becomes a threat for integration. The analysis of endogenous relationship of integration and discrimination is based on various sociological and statistical data; surveys carried out in several EU countries and final observations, reports from the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The final chapter is devoted to immigration flows in Armenia, the impact of the Syrian crisis on the country’s migration management and the role of the European Neighbourhood Policy on migration policy development in the Republic of Armenia.
Restrictions of freedom of speech in the post-Soviet region: Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova
Date: 2015-08
Author: Supac, Marina
Ensuring fair examination of criminal cases for juvenile suspects: assessment of rules and practices for pre-trial interrogation of juveniles
Date: 2014-09
Author: Muradyan, Miriam