David James Cantor

The Inter-American human rights system: a new model for integrating refugee and complementary protection?

A novel set of protections for refugees and asylum-seekers exists within the Inter-American human rights system, the scope of which has been developed considerably in recent years through the jurisprudence of its institutions. Whilst these advances have attracted comparatively little academic commentary, and are relatively unknown even among practitioners in the region, the present article shows that they offer an important new model for integrating principles of both refugee and complementary protection. This article contributes to a wider literature on the relationship between the regime established by international refugee law and the complementary protection regimes that have emerged in human rights law for persons who have international protection needs despite not being refugees. By describing and analysing the distinct strands of the generous Inter-American standards relating to refugees and asylum-seekers, the article explores both their positive implications and interpretative challenges for the future of asylum in the Americas.

Returns of Internally Displaced Persons during Armed Conflict

This book presents a detailed study of the return of conflict-afffected internally displaced persons (IDPs) under international law. Part I of the book undertakes a wide-ranging analysis of the scope of protection under existing international law for IDP returns. Part II addresses the implementation of the international framework in practice through a case study of the national law, policy and practice of IDP returns during the most intense ten years of the armed conflict in Colombia. Part III, the conclusion, draws together these diffferent strands of analysis.

¿Tan mortal como un conflicto armado? La violencia por pandillas y el desplazamiento forzoso en el Triángulo Norte de Centroamérica

The flurry of interest around the European refugee crisis, whilst plainly justified, should not have the effect of distracting international attention from equally pressing humanitarian and refugee crises in other parts of the world. As such, this article highlights the extreme nature and scale of gang violence in the Northern Triangle countries of Central America, which has resulted in substantial forced displacement of affected populations. The article argues that, despite certain commonalities with situations of internal armed conflict (such as Syria), the scenario in the Northern Triangle poses a distinct set of additional challenges for ensuring the protection of refugees and displaced persons from these countries. The urgent need to address these challenges in the Americas is no less than for those presented by the current refugee crisis in Europe.

¿Una solución simple para los refugiados que huyen de la guerra? La definición ampliada de América Latina y su relación con el derecho internacional humanitario

Resumen Este articulo explora como la definicion ampliada de refugiado de la Declaracion de Cartagena sobre los Refugiados de 1984, protege a los refugiados que huyen de conflicto armado. Apoyandose en el derecho internacional humanitario (DIH), propone una nueva interpretacion para la definicion de Cartagena. El mismo adopta un analisis contextual de la definicion, con base en el proposito general de la Declaracion: la proteccion de los refugiados que huyen de la guerra en America Latina. El articulo evalua interpretaciones pasadas o “convencionales” de la definicion regional de refugiado y propone un nuevo enfoque alternativo que da un mayor enfasis al contexto y proposito de la Declaracion. Con la nueva propuesta, el articulo ilustra el papel actual y futuro del DIH en la determinacion del alcance de la definicion de refugiado de la Declaracion de Cartagena.

Refuge from Inhumanity? Canvassing the Issues

This introductory chapter begins by setting out the factual and legal context within which the contemporary appeal of exploring and charting the interaction between international refugee law (IRL) and international humanitarian law (IHL) has emerged. It then turns to consider why the issue of interaction between these two legal regimes is important and how the relationship might be configured; various important points of interaction cross-cutting the chapters contributed to the volume are highlighted for the benefit of the reader. Finally, an explanation of the structure of the book is provided, including a summary of the main contentions of each of its individual chapters. The book provides a useful point of reference in the emerging conversation concerning the potential utility of IHL to refugee protection and, more widely, in the ongoing debate about the possibility of international protection for war refugees. Keywords: humanity; international humanitarian law (IHL); international refugee law (IRL); war refugees