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Preventing and addressing violence and atrocities against minorities 2014, para. 94
- Paragraph text
- Predicting and preventing violence must not remain an academic exercise. Post-violence analysis has helped to develop indicators and improve the potential to raise alarms and trigger early warning mechanisms; however, analysis conducted after violence has begun means that the action taken is often too little and too late. The lessons of past atrocities must be put into practice when the warning signs are clear and, even when they are not, States must become more capable of responding to them.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
Protection of minority rights in conflict prevention 2010, para. 91
- Paragraph text
- An early focus on the protection of minority rights at the national and international levels prior to the point when grievances harden into violence would make a substantial contribution towards their protection. In that regard, it may be instructive to evaluate and learn from the relatively successful experience of mainstreaming awareness of the issues of indigenous peoples across the funds, programmes and specialized agencies of the United Nations.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2010
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 93
- Paragraph text
- States should take measures to monitor hate speech and incitement to violence against Roma, including in the media and social media, and respond appropriately, including by prosecuting perpetrators. States should collect data on hate crimes against Roma. Such data should include the reporting, investigation, prosecution and sentencing of the crimes. The data should be made publicly accessible, while respecting the right to privacy, in order to assist the development of policies to combat hate crimes against Roma.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Year
- 2015
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
Preventing and addressing violence and atrocities against minorities 2014, para. 98
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur considers that violence against minorities must constitute a high priority for States, regional bodies and the international community, as well as civil society. She notes that the seventh session of the Forum on Minority Issues, to be held in Geneva on 25 and 26 November 2014, will be dedicated to this issue and will provide an appropriate venue for stakeholders, including minorities, Member States, regional bodies, United Nations bodies and mechanisms, specialized agencies and civil society, to hold a dialogue on the subject and produce recommendations for presentation to the Human Rights Council.
- 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 type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 92
- Paragraph text
- States must ensure that authorities effectively and promptly investigate any crimes against Roma individuals and communities, including by investigating any alleged discriminatory motive behind the attacks. Police officers should refrain from using force during police operations, including in informal settlements, and all allegations of harassment or unlawful use of force by police should be thoroughly investigated.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Year
- 2015
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
Protection of minority rights in conflict prevention 2010, para. 87
- Paragraph text
- Additionally, while there has been added emphasis placed on the prevention of certain specific crimes, including genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity, violent conflicts that do not fit those definitions may also warrant additional attention.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
The role of minority rights protection in promoting stability and conflict prevention 2011, para. 81
- Paragraph text
- Additionally, while there has been added emphasis placed on the prevention of certain specific crimes, including genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity, violent conflicts that do not fit those definitions may also warrant additional attention.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
Preventing and addressing violence and atrocities against minorities 2014, para. 96
- Paragraph text
- Mechanisms to ensure dialogue, consultation and participation, the fundamental principles of minority rights, should be established to assist States in understanding the situations of minorities, their issues and concerns. Where violence has previously taken place, such mechanisms are particularly essential, including in post-conflict and post-violence reconciliation and peacebuilding processes.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2014
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
Preventing and addressing violence and atrocities against minorities 2014, para. 97
- Paragraph text
- Establishing institutions for the protection of minority rights and ensuring attention to minority rights within existing national and human rights institutions are essential violence prevention measures. Such institutional attention facilitates early warning and early response and the establishment of the appropriate policy frameworks and violence prevention strategies that are essential to the prevention of violence.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Year
- 2014
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
Preventing and addressing violence and atrocities against minorities 2014, para. 91
- Paragraph text
- Protection of disadvantaged and vulnerable minority groups facing violence is required as much as ever. Continuing violent incidents suggest that only limited advances have been made in employing indicators, protection strategies and methodologies at the national, regional and international levels and that much remains to be done to protect vulnerable minority groups.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2014
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
Preventing and addressing violence and atrocities against minorities 2014, para. 92
- Paragraph text
- Violence has far-reaching impacts on individuals, communities and societies. The immediate impact may be death, injury, destruction of property, displacement and sexual violence against minorities. The longer-term impact on minorities, their enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms and their relations with other groups in society may last for generations after incidents of violence.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2014
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 117
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur welcomes the commendable work of civil society in conducting public-awareness campaigns to combat hate speech, including on the Internet. She encourages States to work collaboratively with and support those organizations and projects, including providing financial support.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
Minority rights-based approaches to the protection and promotion of the rights of religious minorities 2013, para. 91f
- Paragraph text
- [The Independent Expert provides the following broad recommendations to national Governments and the international community:] The security situation of religious minorities in some States is cause for serious concern and requires the urgent attention of national Governments, regional intergovernmental human rights bodies and the United Nations. 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. States have the responsibility to protect human rights and security for all and to create conditions of peace and stability. They must act appropriately and rapidly to protect the rights and security of religious minorities under threat and prosecute anyone who commits, supports or incites violence against them;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2013
- Paragraph type
- Conclusion / Recommendation
Paragraph
The role of minority rights protection in promoting stability and conflict prevention 2011, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- Minorities are often the targets, rather than the perpetrators, of violence. When minority rights are violated, members of minorities may be at a greater risk of being subjected to systematic violence, even when they are bystanders to a conflict involving other parties. Such incidents can happen as a result of minorities' poverty and exclusion from political decision-making processes, or because their often remote communities, poorly served by State infrastructure, can become targets for occupation for strategic purposes or for exploitation of natural resources. Furthermore, owing to the suspicion and prejudice with which they are often viewed by both members of the majority and security forces, minorities may be targeted with impunity.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2011
- Paragraph type
- Other
Paragraph
Priorities for the work of the Independent Expert and the twentieth anniversary of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities 2012, para. 23
- Paragraph text
- The independent expert is particularly concerned about the situation of religious minorities in all regions. Information received by the mandate of the independent expert and the work of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion and belief, as well as other thematic mandates, have revealed disturbing attacks and violence against members of religious minorities and their places of worship, affecting Buddhist, Christian, Jehovah's Witnesses, Muslim, and other religious minorities in several regions. Such violent attacks have been documented in numerous countries and different regions and are not confined to any one region. Long-standing and new forms of anti-religious extremism and the use of the internet and social media to spread hate speech and encourage discrimination and violence must be condemned at the highest levels.
- 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
- 2012
- Paragraph type
- Other
Paragraph
Priorities for the work of the Independent Expert and the twentieth anniversary of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities 2012, para. 76
- Paragraph text
- Sex- and minority-based discrimination in hiring, promotion and pay also create significant barriers for minority women. Increasingly informal labour markets - a result of globalization - have brought more women into paid work, but often with low pay, excluded from basic labour protection and employed under poor working conditions. This renders the conditions under which minority women - and all too often young girls - earn incomes that may be insecure, difficult, harmful or even dangerous. Their workload can be made heavier by the lack of such basic amenities as clean water and sanitation, the availability of child-care support and protection against domestic and social violence. Minority girls and women in difficult circumstances are often forced to find survival opportunities outside their communities and home, and can easily fall victim to trafficking, exploitation and illegal migration within or outside their own country, which makes them even more vulnerable.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2012
- Paragraph type
- Other
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 type
- Other
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 type
- Other
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 type
- Other
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 type
- Other
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 type
- Other
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 type
- Other
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 type
- Other
Paragraph
Preventing and addressing violence and atrocities against minorities 2014, para. 68
- Paragraph text
- The establishment of mechanisms and processes to raise and respond to alarms is essential to preventing and stopping violence. Ensuring appropriate community liaison promotes trust and establishes and maintains strong and efficient channels of communication between communities and law-enforcement bodies. Identifying the individuals, communities or locations, community leaders or high profile places of worship or congregations that are most at risk is an important step. Increasing a visible security presence in key locations, including places of worship or nearby identified at-risk communities, is a deterrent to violence. In remote locations where there is a low presence of authorities, it may be necessary to establish a security presence to protect local communities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
- Paragraph type
- Other
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 type
- Other
Paragraph
Ensuring the inclusion of minority issues in post- 2015 development agendas 2014, para. 69
- Paragraph text
- The huge impact of conflict and instability on minorities in Iraq has been documented, including for Muslim minorities, Baha'is, Christians, Armenians, Chaldo-Assyrians, Faili Kurds, Palestinians, Jews, Sabian Mandaeans, Yazidis and others. Minority Rights Group states that: "Minorities in Iraq have continued to be targeted on the grounds of their religion or ethnicity since the US-led invasion and fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003. They have suffered from killings, kidnappings, torture, harassment, forced conversions and the destruction of homes and property." Persecution, human rights violations and targeted attacks have led to vast numbers of internally displaced persons and a mass exodus of minority communities to neighbouring countries, where they continue to experience severe challenges and poverty. Equally, in Egypt and the Syrian Arab Republic, the full extent of unrest and conflict on minorities is becoming evident and has far-reaching implications for their rights and security.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2014
- Paragraph type
- Other
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 type
- Other
Paragraph
Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 70
- Paragraph text
- Police, prosecutors, judges and lawyers should demonstrate sensitivity and cultural familiarity when questioning or taking testimony from minority victims. For instance, the Special Rapporteur has been a witness to the questioning of a Roma woman who had been sterilized without her consent, and faced serious cultural and religious challenges in explaining her experience to the authorities. The rude response of the authorities imposed additional suffering, thereby deepening the impact of the original violation. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) publication entitled "The status and role of prosecutors: a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and International Association of Prosecutors guide" recommends that protocols be established to guide prosecutors when dealing personally with those who require special assistance, so as to ensure their full participation in the criminal process.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2015
- Paragraph type
- Other
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 type
- Other
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 type
- Other
Paragraph