top of page

Research work to foster an informed public debate on human rights in Italy

Updated: Jan 19, 2023

My name is Akram and I am a European and Global Studies graduate. Throughout my five years of academic experience at the University of Padova I had the chance to be involved in several educational and professional activities taking place outside the university lecture halls. The most significant one was research for the periodic publication of the Italian Yearbook of Human Rights.


This publication is realised by the “Antonio Papisca” Human Rights Centre and it intends to take stock of how the international human rights monitoring system evaluates Italy's action, in order to foster an informed and transparent debate on this fundamental aspect of public life. Like its ten other previous issues, the 2021 Italian Yearbook of Human Rights aims to present a snapshot on the state of human rights in Italy both from the normative and 'infrastructural' standpoint and from the concrete implementation of policies and initiatives for their promotion and protection.

2021 Italian Yearbook of Human Rights, first edition February 2022

My involvement in the research work focused on the fourth section of the Yearbook, dealing with the national jurisprudence concerning human rights. This section offers a cross-cutting and horizontal analysis of the Italian case law rendered in 2020, with the ambition of identifying general trends and specific judgements that have contributed to the Italian debate on internationally recognised human rights. The cases presented are subdivided according to the themes to which the various pronouncements refer, and they mainly deal with discriminations, with rights of children, women, people with disabilities, asylum seekers, journalists, and with freedoms of expression, of confession and of association. My research work was carried out with the use of the online database “De Jure”: a complete digital instrument gathering all judgements issued by Italian Courts.


During the period of my activity, I worked alongside other members of the research and editorial board, which guided me in the initial phases, supported my efforts, and contributed to my acquisition of the methodological framework of the Italian Yearbook of Human Rights. The supervision of experienced professors and researchers allowed me to learn more on what happens behind the scenes of an academic publication and to gain a certain familiarity with methodologies and language to which I was not yet accustomed. Moreover, getting to work with jurisprudence and normative sources was a great challenge that I undertook with deep enthusiasm and eagerness to learn.


To conclude, my research work for the 2021 Italian Yearbook of Human Rights was a valuable and solid experience in the distinguished “Antonio Papisca” Human Rights Centre that helped me verify my interest in research and to develop my expertise in jurisprudence analysis. Another source of gratification is the open accessibility of the final publication which has been jointly produced by the research and editorial board. The digital version of the 2021 Italian Yearbook of Human Rights can be accessed for free on the website of Padova’s Human Rights Centre. I therefore invite you to consult the latest publication and, for those interested, to keep following the Human Rights Centre’s activities and the next issues of the Italian Yearbook of Human Rights.

Written by Akram Ezzamouri Edited by Giulia Rosina

 

Akram holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science, International Relations and Human Rights and a Master’s degree in European and Global Studies from the University of Padova. His educational background is oriented towards historical and politological topics.

40 views0 comments
bottom of page