Developments in the Inter-American Human Rights System 2011-12: Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Domestic Violence

Abstract

This article examines two recent and significant case law developments in the key institutions of the Inter-American Human Rights System, namely the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. The cases are Karen Atala Riffo and Children v Chile and Jessica Lenahan (Gonzales) v United States. The two cases examined are significant because of the creativity employed in the interpretation of human rights provisions and the application of regional human rights standards to domestic violence issues.