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Ensuring the inclusion of minority issues in post- 2015 development agendas 2014, para. 69
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- 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
Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 25
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- 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. 27
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- In the United States, in 2013, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Uniform Crime Reporting Program, recorded almost 6,000 hate crimes incidents: 48.5 per cent were racially motivated (66 per cent anti-Black, 21 per cent anti-White, 5 per cent anti-Asian, 4 per cent anti-American Indian or Alaska Native); 17.4 per cent were motivated by religious bias (59 per cent anti-Semitic, 14 per cent anti-Islamic, 6 per cent anti-Catholic); and 11.1 per cent stemmed from ethnicity bias (53 per cent anti-Hispanic or Latino biased).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 28
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- 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. 32
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- 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
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Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 34
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- The present thematic study provides an overview of the role of media in relation to hate speech and incitement to hatred and violence. It refers to the role of international standards and processes with regard to the prohibition of advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence, and will address the major challenges to combating hate speech in the media. Different measures and good practices that can be implemented by States and civil society actors will be analysed.
- 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
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 35
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- There are numerous examples, both historical and present-day, of how media is used as a means of portraying minority groups in an offensive and stereotyped way and, in the most extreme cases, to directly incite violence. The Nazi regime used media for a massive propaganda campaign against Jews, Roma, Jehovah's Witnesses, homosexuals and others. A propaganda ministry controlled the media, exerting censorship on books and authors to suppress opposing viewpoints and to reinforce Nazi ideology of racial superiority and anti-Semitism. Jews were repeatedly portrayed as the cause of societal problems and dehumanized in the public discourse. Around six million Jews, as well as Roma and others were murdered in the Nazi Holocaust.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 36
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- 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. 38
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- Prejudices and entrenched stereotypes against Roma are common and Roma communities are frequently the target of degrading and inflammatory language. In 2013, the case of a young blonde girl who was found living in a Roma settlement in Greece, prompted a wave of anti-Roma reports and accusations that Roma had abducted her. Such allegations prompted additional allegations from other countries. The accusations were subsequently found to be unfounded. Indeed, they were made prior to a comprehensive investigation and were based on sensationalist media coverage. The Special Rapporteur called on media and commentators to refrain from generalizations on the supposed criminality of Roma and warned that hateful rhetoric would trigger further stigmatization and even violence against Roma.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Youth
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 39
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- In the Central African Republic, hate speech has been recognized as having played a role in inflaming and fuelling violence and has been described by United Nations officials as a possible precursor to serious human rights violations, including potential genocide. In March 2014, the United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide alerted the media that Muslims were being "deliberately and systematically targeted by the anti-Balaka" in attacks referred to as "cleansing operations". He referred to reports of hate speech by anti-Balaka (Christian armed groups) on public media referring to Muslims as "rotten potatoes" and public justification of their actions.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 40
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- 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. 41
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- Social media is a fertile ground for radical and terrorist groups to spread hateful messages. ISIL uses online platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Youtube, to deliver updates on their actions as well as to reach out to potential donors and recruits, including posting videos and graphic material. The misuse of social media by ISIL has been described by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights as "the product of a perverse and lethal marriage of a new form of nihilism with the digital age".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 42
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- Social media platforms have also been used to disseminate hate speech content against groups, which has fuelled intercommunal tensions and led, in some cases, to violent clashes among communities. Following a country visit in July 2014, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar expressed her concern over the spread of misinformation, hate speech and incitement to violence, discrimination and hostility in the media and Internet, particularly targeted against Muslim communities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 52
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- There is no universally accepted definition of "hate speech". The term encompasses a wide array of hateful messages, ranging from offensive, derogatory, abusive and negative stereotyping remarks and comments, to intimidating, inflammatory speech inciting violence against specific individuals and groups. Only the most egregious forms of hate speech, namely those constituting incitement to discrimination, hostility and violence, are generally considered unlawful. Cultural paradigms must be understood and taken into account when considering whether certain comments or images constitute hate speech, incitement or defamation, and States have a margin of appreciation in establishing such thresholds. Nevertheless, a balance must be struck that does not unduly restrict the rights of individuals or place individuals under the threat of violence.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 63
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- 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. 75
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- The format of the media environment has undergone a dramatic transformation to host Internet and online media platforms, allowing live interaction and more rapid outreach worldwide. In the digital age, media has also widened its scope to include social media, where people share and/or exchange information, ideas and initiatives across vast national and international networks and virtual communities. New forms of online media which allow those who advocate hate speech or cyberhate to easily access large audiences are subject to less regulation than traditional media and provide anonymity to those who wish to exploit it.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 76
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- While digital media has provided new spaces for minority groups to participate in the public debate, the accessibility, rapidness and relative anonymity provided by the Internet also provide fertile ground for spreading hateful content. Hate speech on the Internet adopts many forms and is disseminated through different digital platforms - from highly organized hate groups which recruit, radicalize and instruct followers to attack targeted groups; the issuing of "hit lists" containing calls for violence against individuals; "cyberbullying", which targets primarily youth and often originates from racial, ethnic or religious bias; dissemination of propaganda, misinformation and hate spam; exchange of information and ideas via social media networks, discussion groups, listservs and communities of interest.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Youth
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 82
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- In 2012, the Council of Europe launched the "No hate speech movement", a campaign directed towards youth with the objective of combating online hate speech in all its forms. The campaign is part of the project "Young People Combating Hate Speech Online, 2012-2014", which aims to equip young people with competences to recognize and act against hate speech, racism and discrimination in their online expression.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Youth
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 87
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- Media outlets can actively engage in fighting incitement to hatred and violence in the media by adopting principles and guidelines of ethical and responsible journalism to improve the quality of information and reporting to avoid bias, prejudice and manipulation, as well as by promoting diversity among media workers and investing in adequate training for media professionals.
- 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
- All
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 91
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- 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. 94
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- Civil society organizations have developed innovative approaches and actions to combat hate in the media, including the Internet. Those actions include identifying hate trends, tracking and monitoring hate speech websites, notifying potentially affected or targeted communities about hate activities, working closely with Internet providers and governmental agencies to report hateful content and providing online educational materials and training programmes.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 96
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- The Umati project in Kenya emerged out of concern that mobile and digital technologies had played a catalyzing role in the 2007-2008 post-election violence in the country. The project seeks to better understand the use of dangerous speech in Kenyan online space, by monitoring blogs, forums, online newspapers, Facebook and Twitter. From October 2012 to November 2013, over 7,000 incidents of hate speech in English and local languages were identified. They were shared with other Kenyan organizations responsible for countering hate speech.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 99
- Paragraph text
- Some initiatives seek to involve ISPs in combating online hate speech, by advocating the implementation of reporting mechanisms for illegal material posted on their services, identifying hateful content that violates the terms of service or code of conduct of the ISPs and requesting the ISPs concerned to remove it. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has been actively involved in combating online hate speech through close collaboration with ISPs as well as law enforcement agencies, and providing training resources and educational materials on hate crimes.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 117
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- 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
Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 59
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- 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 and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 60
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- 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 and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 62
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- According to a recent study, the ways in which police refuse to register caste-based atrocities include: (a) showing apathy; (b) discouraging victims and encouraging compromises between the victims and the accused; (c) delaying arrival; (d) threatening or inflicting violence on victims; (e) bringing false cases against victims at the behest of the accused to pressure them to accept a compromise; (f) accepting bribes from the accused to drop the victim's case; and (g) declaring the accused innocent without following due process.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 68
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- 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