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Reflections on the six-year tenure of the Special Rapporteur 2017, para. 47
- Paragraph text
- Additionally, the Special Rapporteur organized separate meetings with minority women during her country visits to enable free and open discussions with them. Similarly, she frequently reached out to youth groups and organizations to listen to their views and recommendations. Wherever possible and necessary, the Special Rapporteur included the issues of women and girls in separate sections of her thematic and country reports to enhance their visibility and help raise awareness on their very specific challenges and situations.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Reflections on the six-year tenure of the Special Rapporteur 2017, para. 46
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur dedicated the first Forum on Minority Issues under her leadership, the fourth session, to the topic "Guaranteeing the rights of minority women". The Forum participants recognized that it was particularly important that the voices and views of minority women be heard and that they be consulted and have the opportunity to participate fully in all aspects of life, both within their communities and in the wider society. Barriers to the empowerment of some minority women, including lack of social or economic contacts, networks or minority women's support groups, and scarcity of female minority role models had an important impact on the enjoyment by minority women and girls of their human rights. The Forum considered specific thematic areas in detail, for example, the access of minority women and girls to education; their ability to take part effectively in economic life and to have access to labour markets; and issues relating to their participation in social, cultural and political life. It recommended that Governments should seek and encourage opportunities for women's participation and work together with minority communities as well as minority and women's rights organizations to develop and implement programmes to sensitize minority women about their rights, and men about minority women's rights. All the relevant documents, including statements, the final recommendations and the summary report, are available on the Forum's website.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Reflections on the six-year tenure of the Special Rapporteur 2017, para. 86
- Paragraph text
- The mandate of the Special Rapporteur thus complements and enhances the work of the Forum, and the Special Rapporteur has fostered the complementary and mutual reinforcement of both mechanisms throughout her tenure. She has guided a total of six sessions of the Forum on the following themes: "Guaranteeing the rights of minority women" (2011), "Implementing the United Nations declaration on minority rights: identifying positive practices and opportunities" (2012), "Guaranteeing the rights of religious minorities" (2013), "Preventing and addressing violence and atrocity crimes targeted against minorities" (2014), "Minorities in the criminal justice system" (2015) and "Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises" (2016). Since 2013, the Special Rapporteur has devoted her annual thematic report to the General Assembly to the same topic as the Forum session, as a means to contribute to and inform the discussions within the Forum. The Special Rapporteur notes that the themes she selected for the annual sessions focused on areas that had emerged as particularly concerning or problematic for minorities and where they believed that minority rights should be better applied and mainstreamed. She believes that the Forum makes a vital contribution to deepening international understanding on these important and topical areas as well as to international standard and norm setting.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Women
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Reflections on the six-year tenure of the Special Rapporteur 2017, para. 45
- Paragraph text
- The previous mandate holder recognized the role and potential of young men and women within minority communities to inspire and promote change and develop positive relations across communities, as well as to be agents of change within their communities. The Special Rapporteur has continued to engage with young people from minority communities to learn about their views and ideas and to encourage them to take leadership roles as well as to engage in positive activities to promote intercultural dialogue. She also continued to systematically engage with minority women and to consult them on their issues and concerns in all aspects of her work, including during country visits and in her communications to specific States.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Men
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Reflections on the six-year tenure of the Special Rapporteur 2017, para. 67
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur has observed that certain groups within minority communities, such as minority women, children, older persons, persons with disabilities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons, experience unique challenges and multiple and intersectional forms of discrimination emanating from their status as members of minorities and their specific condition or situation. The Special Rapporteur encourages further research to fully understand their situation and calls for targeted actions to address their particular challenges.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- LGBTQI+
- Older persons
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 77
- Paragraph text
- Furthermore, during conflicts, natural disasters and other emergencies, sexual and reproductive health needs are easily overlooked: This may be particularly compounded for minority women who may be less able to access already limited humanitarian services during crises, for many of the reasons noted above.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 100
- Paragraph text
- This means that the humanitarian system needs to make a concerted effort to ensure that their responses meet people who are hard to reach and address the specific needs of minority communities. Efforts need to take into account the vulnerability of minorities to displacement and multiple forms of discrimination during crises, as well as the specific challenges facing minorities affected by crises owing to their very situation as minorities, including through paying particular attention to a range of issues, notably, security and safety; documentation; standard of living; livelihood and employment; education; housing, land and property issues and the particular status of minority women and girls. Attention also needs to be paid to those most vulnerable within minority communities, including women, older persons, persons with disabilities, and youth among others.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 78
- Paragraph text
- In Mauritania, the Haratine are the ethnic group most associated with slavery, suffering from discrimination, marginalization and exclusion as the "slave caste", although slavery is also reported to affect black African communities there. Despite slavery being formally abolished and a recent anti-slavery bill passed in August 2015, the practice reportedly remains widespread, affecting predominantly the Haratine. According to some estimates, 50 per cent of the Haratine community is subjected to de facto slavery through domestic servitude and bonded or forced labour; 90 per cent of those affected are women.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 82
- Paragraph text
- In Bangladesh and India, Dalits are often systematically excluded from access to water and sanitation. Reports indicate that Dalits may be prohibited from fetching water; have to wait in different queues when accessing wells; and, in the event of water shortage, must give non-Dalits priority. Dalits may be subjected to large-scale violence and physical attacks by members of the dominant caste when attempting to access facilities in areas inhabited by them. Dalit women are particularly vulnerable to physical violence from members of the dominant castes while collecting water from public wells and taps.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 130
- Paragraph text
- Comprehensive national action plans and budgets to combat discrimination based on caste and analogous systems should be urgently developed and implemented in caste-affected countries. Plans should have clear objectives and measures in a wide range of areas, including poverty reduction strategies, employment, health, housing, education and access to basic services, including water and sanitation. They should include specific attention to the issues of caste-affected women, be developed in coordination with affected groups and local organizations working with them and be provided with sufficient funding. Their progress should be regularly monitored.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 39
- Paragraph text
- UNHCR has also developed policies and materials that provide further guidance regarding refugees on how to ensure that refugee protection responses are participatory, non-discriminatory, and sensitive to the specific needs of all persons of concern, including the specific needs of members of minority groups. Its Executive Committee (ExCom), comprising over 90 States, adopted in 2005 a General Conclusion on International Protection No. 102 which "acknowledges the important contribution of the age and gender and diversity mainstreaming strategy in identifying, through a participatory approach, the protection risks faced by the different members of the refugee community; and encourages UNHCR and its NGO partners to continue to roll out and implement on the ground this important strategy, as a means to promote the rights and well-being of all refugees, in particular the non-discriminatory treatment and protection of refugee women and refugee children and minority groups of refugees".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 102
- Paragraph text
- Outside South Asia, information on caste-affected women and girls is scarce. In Japan, a survey by the Buraku Liberation League revealed that Buraku women experienced discrimination in a wide range of areas, including marriage, employment and health care, and approximately 30 per cent had suffered from sexual violence. In Mauritania, Haratine women are reported to be at greater risk of violence, in both the public and private spheres, and to suffer from high levels of sexual violence, including rape and marital rape, domestic violence and sexual assault.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 101
- Paragraph text
- Women from caste-affected communities, particularly in rural areas, are often excluded from political processes and relegated to secondary or subordinate roles in decision-making. It is reported that rural Dalit women holding seats in the local panchayat (town assembly) have been forced to stay at home and be represented by their husbands at meetings. Those who have attempted to speak in the panchayat have been subjected to backlash, and even violence, against members of their caste.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- UNHCR's Age, Gender and Diversity policy (2011) specifically addresses diversity, which is understood as referring to "different values, attitudes, cultural perspectives, beliefs, ethnic background, nationality, sexual orientation, gender identity, ability, health, social status, skill and other specific personal characteristics" (see sect. II.5). It further acknowledges that "women and men belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities or indigenous groups often experience discrimination and marginalization, factors that are compounded in forced displacement situations. Age, gender and other specific factors may expose them to additional protection risks and discrimination." It therefore advises UNHCR staff to work closely with minority and indigenous groups to identify the risks they face as well as strategies to mitigate them, which is of fundamental importance (see sect. V.23).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Movement
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 112
- Paragraph text
- Specific constitutional or legislative provisions establishing reservations or quota systems for caste-affected groups have been adopted in some countries. In India, the Constitution and its amendments permit special measures for the social and educational advancement of marginalized communities, including scheduled castes, and provide reservations of electoral seats in the Lower House and state legislatures for scheduled castes. The new Constitution of Nepal contains several provisions for safeguarding the rights of Dalits, including in employment, education and health care, and articulates a political system based on proportional representation for disadvantaged groups, including Dalits, minorities and women, at the local and national levels.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 103
- Paragraph text
- Human rights violations against women and girls because of their caste status also include extremely disadvantaged social and economic conditions that have a direct impact on the enjoyment of their economic, social and cultural rights. Women and girls from lower castes have lower literacy levels and are more likely to be prevented from pursuing education. Many perform dangerous and unprotected work, including manual scavenging, and receive lower salaries. Many also have no or limited access to public services, including health care, as well as to government schemes and entitlements, and are de facto prohibited from owning land.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 78
- Paragraph text
- Minority women also face specific obstacles in terms of accessing and protecting their rights to land and property during crises. Where they are not entitled to own, inherit, or rent, women, and in particular minority women may find it impossible to find safe housing. They may also be unable to enforce their inheritance rights or claim jointly owned or matrimonial assets, especially if they mislay their marriage documents, or these have been destroyed or never existed, which may particularly affect minority women who are married under traditional or customary law not recognized by the State.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Women
- 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. 97
- Paragraph text
- Available data indicate that caste-based violence against women and girls, in particular sexual violence, may be increasing. Violence and the threat of violence are frequently hidden and go unreported in villages and rural areas, forming a culture of invisibility, silence and impunity which, in many instances, places the burden of shame on victims instead of perpetrators.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 68
- Paragraph text
- Caste-based discrimination on the grounds of religion has a particular impact on women and girls. The existence of practices labelled as "religious dedication" of girls to temple deities, including the Devadasi system, constitutes a de facto form of forced prostitution and sexual slavery, mainly targeting Dalit girls.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- 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. 72
- Paragraph text
- In India, manual scavenging constitutes a caste-designated occupation that is mainly imposed upon Dalits, particularly Dalit women, who represent 95 per cent of manual scavengers. Despite the passing of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act in 2013, the practice reportedly persists, institutionalized through State practice, with local governments and municipalities employing manual scavengers.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 95
- Paragraph text
- Caste is one of the factors that result in multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination against certain groups of women. Women and girls from low castes are particularly vulnerable to violation and denial of their rights in both public and private life.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- 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 and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 85
- Paragraph text
- Women in lower castes present the worst health outcomes. For instance, a study in India demonstrated stark disparities between Dalit and non-Dalit women in terms of life expectancy and access to prenatal and postnatal care.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Gender
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 86
- Paragraph text
- In 2009, a survey by the Ministry of Health in Nepal found that the maternal mortality rates for Dalit women and women from the Therai and Madhesi castes were significantly higher than those for women from higher castes.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- 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. 100
- Paragraph text
- Dalit women face obstacles in accessing formal justice systems. These include the refusal by police officers to register criminal complaints or delays in filing complaints, lack of proper investigation into complaints of violence and ill-treatment, and insensitivity by law enforcement officials.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 99
- Paragraph text
- Atrocities against women from marginalized castes are often committed when they try to assert their rights and challenge caste and gender norms. Perpetrators include dominant caste landlords, police officers, doctors and teachers, with the "punishment" both being expressive of caste outrage and intended to teach the woman and her community a lesson.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 48
- Paragraph text
- Core international human rights treaties build upon the principle of the inherent dignity and equality of all persons, which is recalled in their respective preambles, and enshrine the rights to equality and non-discrimination of all persons, as well as the equal enjoyment of human rights for men and women.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph