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Reflections on the six-year tenure of the Special Rapporteur 2017, para. 51
- Paragraph text
- In her report to the General Assembly, the Special Rapporteur shared her observation that persons belonging to minorities were frequently the victims of violence and atrocities. Violence could take the form of attacks on individuals, their homes, shops or places of worship, or wider acts of aggression against communities with different national, ethnic or religious identities. In the worst cases, violence constituted mass atrocities, crimes against humanity, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and even genocide, often perpetrated with impunity. Sometimes violence was committed by non-State actors, including those belonging to the majority, or by larger, more powerful groups, extremist groups, or even business actors. Sometimes it was perpetrated by State actors.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Reflections on the six-year tenure of the Special Rapporteur 2017, para. 52
- Paragraph text
- She recalled that a primary objective of the United Nations and of most States in the area of peace and stability was to prevent violence before it broke out. The tragic experiences of past violence and atrocities had helped to better understand the causes of violence and the fact that minorities were frequently targets, and to produce indicators to predict violent incidents and provide early warning. However, States too often failed to translate clear early warnings into adequate, appropriate and timely measures to prevent or stop violence. In order to save lives and ensure peaceful societies, a high priority of stakeholders at all levels must be to improve prevention mechanisms and turn early warning into early action. At the national level, good and inclusive governance that included minorities and measures to ensure equality was a key prevention prerequisite. The international community must also improve its ability to engage and assist States in efforts to prevent and resolve violence and to intervene effectively where States failed in their responsibility to protect minorities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Reflections on the six-year tenure of the Special Rapporteur 2017, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- Information received by the previous mandate holder and the work of the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, as well as other holders of thematic mandates, have revealed disturbing patterns of attacks and violence against members of religious minorities and their places of worship. In this context, the Special Rapporteur presented a thematic report to the General Assembly in 2013 (A/68/268) on minority rights-based approaches to the protection and promotion of the rights of religious minorities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Reflections on the six-year tenure of the Special Rapporteur 2017, para. 50
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur sought further opportunities to build on the work of the previous mandate holder on the role of minority rights protection in conflict prevention presented to the General Assembly in 2010 and the Human Rights Council in 2011, and dedicated her report to the General Assembly in 2014 (A/69/266) as well as the seventh session of the Forum on Minority Issues to preventing and addressing violence and atrocities against minorities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Reflections on the six-year tenure of the Special Rapporteur 2017, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- In her report, the Special Rapporteur indicated that she had become increasingly alarmed by the situation of millions of persons belonging to religious minorities globally who frequently faced discrimination, social exclusion, marginalization and, in many instances, harassment, persecution and violence. It was the primary duty of States to protect the security of religious minorities. Beyond reacting to incidents of violence, this duty required positive and preventive actions through active engagement with religious minorities. The Special Rapporteur advocated a minority rights-based approach to the protection of religious minorities that not only included guarantees for freedom of religion or belief, but also required States to take positive legislative and policy measures and concrete steps to create substantive equality for religious minorities in all areas of cultural, economic, political, public, religious and social life. Protection of minority rights, together with initiatives by States to foster dialogue between faith groups, helped to build a culture of understanding, acceptance and trust across faiths and helped to prevent tensions from emerging and deteriorating into violence and conflict.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 94
- Paragraph text
- In terms of return or repatriation, minorities may face particular obstacles, if they fled owing to violence perpetrated against them because of their minority status and the root conditions of that violence have not been resolved. Minorities may also be reluctant or unable to return home where, upon returning to their place of origin or habitual residence they have become even more marginalized because the conflict or disaster has for instance changed the demographics of an area. Furthermore, return or repatriation is often more difficult for those who have no land to return to, which may often be the case for marginalized minorities who may not have security of tenure over their lands.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Movement
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 77
- Paragraph text
- In Pakistan, Dalits, who are mainly minority Hindus, are disproportionately affected by forced and bonded labour, particularly in the Sindh and Balochistan provinces.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 59
- Paragraph text
- In South Asia, violence against Dalits is reported to be widespread and driven by the effects of the caste system and the lack of justice for victims. Although official data are scarce, information from some States indicates that the number of reported crimes against Dalits is rising. For instance, data from the National Crime Records Bureau in India reveal that reported crimes against individuals from scheduled castes increased 19 per cent in 2014 from the previous year. In Nepal, Amnesty International reported that in 2014 victims of discrimination on the grounds of caste were subject to torture and other ill treatment, including sexual violence.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 62
- Paragraph text
- Violence against minorities can also be more insidious, as has been evident with the recent migration crisis in Europe. Recent protracted conflicts in the Middle East, and in particular the Syrian Arab Republic, led to mass migration flows to Europe in 2015 and 2016. However, this has also been coupled by certain xenophobic reactions against particular flows of asylum seekers and refugees fleeing crisis, which may in turn lead to more violence and insecurity against them.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 96
- Paragraph text
- They are often the victims of caste-based violence, particularly sexual violence. A study identified 12 major forms of violence against Dalit women: nine in the community (physical assault, verbal abuse, sexual harassment and assault, rape, sexual exploitation, forced prostitution, kidnapping or abduction, forced incarceration and medical negligence), and three within the family (female feticide and infanticide, child sexual abuse and domestic violence).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 69
- Paragraph text
- Minority women, many of them from low-caste backgrounds, may be subjected to kidnapping and forced religious conversion. According to the Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of religion or belief, "such incidents seem to occur in a climate of impunity". Civil society organizations have reported several cases of Dalit Hindu girls being kidnapped and forcibly converted to Islam following marriage in Pakistan.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 98
- Paragraph text
- Women from disadvantaged caste groups are also the main victims of trafficking, and are especially vulnerable to early and/or forced marriage, bonded labour and harmful cultural practices. Accusations of witchcraft are sometimes made to deprive Dalit women of their basic economic and social rights, including access to land and their assets.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 76
- Paragraph text
- Owing to multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, specific challenges face minority women and girls affected by humanitarian crises. According to the General Recommendation on women in conflict prevention, conflict and post-conflict situations of the Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (see CEDAW/C/GC/30, para. 36), during and after conflict specific groups of women, including, inter alia, internally displaced and refugee women, women of diverse caste, ethnic, national or religious identities, or of other minorities, are at a particular risk of violence, especially sexual violence. These groups of women "are often attacked as symbolic representatives of their community". The Committee has further noted that stateless women and girls face heightened risk of abuse during conflict, owing to, among other factors, their minority status (ibid, para. 60). Minority women may be particularly at risk of sexual and gender-based violence and other forms of violence, including slavery and trafficking. The Special Rapporteur was deeply troubled and saddened when she listened to the testimonies of Yezidi women in Iraq of sexual and gender-based violence committed against them by Daesh, which acts must be fully investigated and their perpetrators prosecuted.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Girls
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 60
- Paragraph text
- Entrenched caste discrimination within the criminal justice system translates into victims facing multiple obstacles at every stage of the legal process: from lodging a complaint to investigation, trial and judgement. Often, the fear of reprisal prevents victims from reporting attacks, resulting in underreporting and impunity. In South Asia, most violence against Dalits and Dalit communities is underreported and not addressed by Governments.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 67
- Paragraph text
- Multiple forms of discrimination which may further curtail access to justice can also arise from within the minority community. Minority women may face multiple stigmas in relation to their ethnic or religious background, their sex, and the nature of the crime of which they were the victim. In India, for instance, Dalit women subjected to violence reportedly face unnecessary delays and pressure to drop charges, which are linked to a combination of their gender and minority status. In some countries of Eastern and Central Europe and Central Asia, parental attitudes can limit minority children's access to justice: girls in particular are expected to remain silent about problematic family situations.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Ethnic minorities
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 25
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur is alarmed by the high number of complaints reaching her about hateful messages and incitement to hatred that have fuelled tensions and often led to hate crimes. In her 2014 report to the General Assembly (A/69/266), she focused on violence and atrocity crimes against minorities and listed cases of attacks against minority groups that she had brought to the attention of Member States concerned, either through communications (letters of allegation or urgent action letters) or public press releases. She believes that more should be done to monitor and react, in a timely manner, to hate speech and incitement to hatred and violence to prevent tensions and violence which damage the entire social fabric, unity and stability of societies. Tolerance and inaction reinforce the subordination of targeted minorities, making them more vulnerable to attacks, but also influencing majority populations and potentially making them more indifferent to the various manifestations of such hatred.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- In Europe, in 2008, the Fundamental Rights Agency conducted a survey of 23,500 respondents from ethnic minority and immigrant groups to assess how many had been victims of assault, threat or serious harassment with a perceived racist motive. The survey found that between 16 per cent and 32 per cent of Roma, and between 19 per cent and 32 per cent of persons of African origin reported being victims of racial discrimination. Another survey of 5,900 respondents in nine European Union Member States found that up to one third of Jewish people had experienced verbal abuse or physical anti-semitic violence. The Special Rapporteur considers that many incidents could be prevented with timely and appropriate responses to hateful messages, including through better representation and inclusion of minorities in mainstream communication platforms.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- During the Rwandan genocide in 1994, media played a major role in supporting and inciting ethnic hatred and violence against Tutsi and moderate Hutu populations. The newspaper Kangura spread hatred against Tutsis, publishing articles and graphic cartoons in which Tutsis were attacked. A wider audience was reached by radio stations, which were key in transmitting hate propaganda and incitement to violence. Radio Rwanda and Radio Télévision des Milles Collines (RTML) instigated, encouraged and directed massacres. Hate messages broadcast during the genocide referred to Tutsis as "cockroaches" and issued instructions to kill them. Nearly one million people were killed.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- On 2 July 2014, the Special Rapporteur called on Sri Lanka to stop racial and faith-based hatred and violence directed at Muslim and Christian communities by Buddhist groups with extremist views, and to bring perpetrators to justice. Various statements have promoted extremist views, proclaiming the racial superiority of Sinhala Buddhists and alleging that statues of Buddha are being bulldozed by religious minorities or that evangelical Christians are forcibly converting vulnerable people. Those statements reportedly contributed to over 350 violent attacks against Muslims and over 150 attacks against Christians in the past two years.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 63
- Paragraph text
- There is a broad spectrum of either deliberate or unintentional negative stereotyping of minority groups in the media, ranging from emphasis on the ethnic or religious background of a person responsible for an offence or repeated association of derogatory and dangerous characteristics with specific groups, to the most virulent attacks against minority members, which commonly highlight alleged differences between "us" versus "them". In some cases, there is direct incitement to violence. Such negative portrayals may reinforce entrenched views of ethnic or religious minorities as "others" and perpetuate ideas of structural disadvantage and inequality, as they fail to present a broader and more accurate representation of the situation and challenges faced by minority groups.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 91
- Paragraph text
- Several self-regulatory media bodies have started to operate in Africa, some of them in countries with a history of hate speech and incitement to violence against minority groups. The Rwanda Media Commission was established in 2013 with the mandate to promote ethical journalism, defend media freedom and adjudicate complaints against the media; some commentators have alleged censorship and serious restrictions on media freedoms.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 32
- Paragraph text
- Governments, civil society and the international community must be alert to the warning signs of hatred and violence much earlier: when the first words of hate speech are uttered; when media start to promote negative stereotypes; or once there is an atmosphere of discomfort and animosity when minorities exercise their right to freely and openly practise their religion, use their language, or assert their right to have a voice in political life and the decisions that affect them.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Preventing and addressing violence and atrocities against minorities 2014, para. 29
- Paragraph text
- Other relevant factors which contribute to the outbreak of violence include past and unresolved grievances, a history of ethnic and/or religious tensions between groups without reconciliation, agitation of ethnic or religious components by political leaders, and impunity when perpetrators act without consequences. The Special Rapporteur has noted concern regarding the extent of violence against religious minorities, including in her report to the General Assembly in 2013 (A/68/268) in which she stated that acts of violence and widespread and systematic violations of human rights - sometimes by the State itself - threaten the very existence of religious minorities in some States or territories. The international community should pay particular attention to States in which violence has been targeted against certain population groups with impunity.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Preventing and addressing violence and atrocities against minorities 2014, para. 30
- Paragraph text
- Caught between warring factions, minorities in Iraq have been the targets of violence for more than a decade. In 2014, the targeting of minorities has continued and intensified under the so-called Islamic State which took control of much of the country. The Special Rapporteur, along with another United Nations expert, issued a press release in July 2014, in which she expressed her grave concern about the physical safety of several minority groups in Iraq, including Christians, Shia, Shabaks, Turkmen and Yazidis, who were being persecuted on the grounds of their religion and ethnicity. She urged the Iraqi Government and the international community to do their utmost to protect vulnerable civilians and minorities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Preventing and addressing violence and atrocities against minorities 2014, para. 31
- Paragraph text
- In some cases, violence or the threat of violence against certain stigmatized minority communities is common and almost socially accepted. Despite legislation in India (Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, adopted in 1989) which bans caste-based discrimination, violence against Dalits remains widespread and their access to justice poor. In May 2013, the Special Rapporteur, along with other United Nations experts, noted that caste-based discrimination remained widespread and deeply rooted, that its victims faced violence, structural discrimination, marginalization and systematic exclusion and that the level of impunity was very high.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Preventing and addressing violence and atrocities against minorities 2014, para. 8
- Paragraph text
- In Colombia, which was visited by the former Independent Expert on minority issues in 2010, Afro-Colombians reported ongoing violence, selective murders, disappearances, threats and communities forced to flee, despite Government claims that the armed conflict had ended. The Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions found that indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities had been victimized by all parties to Colombia's conflicts and that, historically, paramilitaries, sometimes in collusion with State forces, had appropriated land and committed massacres to intimidate local populations (A/HRC/14/24/Add.2, para. 76). Resource exploitation, agriculture and mega-projects have created new motivations for violence.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Preventing and addressing violence and atrocities against minorities 2014, para. 65
- Paragraph text
- The establishment of domestic legal protection for minority rights is an essential first step; however, legislative measures alone are not sufficient to protect minorities from violence. Ensuring institutional attention to minority issues constitutes an essential measure to prevent violence, particularly in countries in which historical tensions and violence may have been evident. Dedicated institutional attention increases the Government's capacity to protect minorities in practice and to respond to situations that arise. It promotes engagement with minorities and enables threats to be identified and responded to at an early stage.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Preventing and addressing violence and atrocities against minorities 2014, para. 49
- Paragraph text
- [Violence against minorities may be difficult to predict and rapidly develop based on a particular event or trigger. However, in some cases warning signs are evident long before violence breaks out and opportunities exist to prevent it at an important early stage. What is essential is that early warning indicators lead to early action to avert violence. The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has elaborated indicators relating to the threat of genocide. These and similar indicators can and should be used to identify lower-level risk of violence against minorities. Fifteen indicators were elaborated to assess the existence of factors known to lead to conflict and genocide (see A/60/18, chap. II), and can be summarized as follows:] Statements that express support for the superiority of a race or an ethnic group, dehumanize and demonize minorities, or condone or justify violence
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Preventing and addressing violence and atrocities against minorities 2014, para. 49
- Paragraph text
- [Violence against minorities may be difficult to predict and rapidly develop based on a particular event or trigger. However, in some cases warning signs are evident long before violence breaks out and opportunities exist to prevent it at an important early stage. What is essential is that early warning indicators lead to early action to avert violence. The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has elaborated indicators relating to the threat of genocide. These and similar indicators can and should be used to identify lower-level risk of violence against minorities. Fifteen indicators were elaborated to assess the existence of factors known to lead to conflict and genocide (see A/60/18, chap. II), and can be summarized as follows:] Violence or severe restrictions targeting minority groups perceived to have traditionally maintained a prominent position
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Preventing and addressing violence and atrocities against minorities 2014, para. 71
- Paragraph text
- Careful consideration must be given to the training of law enforcement personnel and their ability to respond appropriately and effectively to violent situations, their ethnic or religious make-up, and their motivation. Often minorities are poorly represented in law enforcement bodies and have poor relations with them. Such bodies are largely made up of members of the majority or of certain ethnic or religious groups. As key protection actors, law enforcement personnel must be objective in their response to situations of possible or actual violence against any community. Nevertheless, even a small law enforcement presence can be critical in preventing or stopping violence.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph