A/HRC/21/42
United Nations
General Assembly
Distr.: General
2 July 2012
Original: English
Human Rights Council
Twenty-first session
Agenda item 3
Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil,
political, economic, social and cultural rights,
including the right to development
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe
drinking water and sanitation, Catarina de Albuquerque
Stigma and the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation
Summary
The Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation
submits the present report in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 16/2.
She focuses on the links between stigma and the human rights framework as it relates to
water and sanitation. She has found that stigma, as a deeply entrenched social and
cultural phenomenon, lies at the root of many human rights violations and results in
entire population groups being disadvantaged and excluded.
The Special Rapporteur seeks to convey an understanding of stigma and to
elucidate its drivers. She links stigma explicitly to water, sanitation and hygiene before
examining different manifestations of stigma. She situates stigma in the human rights
framework considering, in particular, human dignity, the human rights to water,
sanitation, non-discrimination and equality, the prohibition of degrading treatment, and
the right to privacy. Based on this analysis, the Special Rapporteur seeks to identify
appropriate strategies for preventing and responding to stigma from a human rights
perspective, before concluding with a set of recommendations. She emphasizes that
States cannot fully realize the human rights to water and sanitation without addressing
stigma as a root cause of discrimination and other human rights violations.
GE.12-14898