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Article 3: The equality of rights between men and women - replaces GC No. 4 2000, para. 22
- Paragraph text
- In relation to article 19, States parties should inform the Committee of any laws or other factors which may impede women from exercising the rights protected under this provision on an equal basis. As the publication and dissemination of obscene and pornographic material which portrays women and girls as objects of violence or degrading or inhuman treatment is likely to promote these kinds of treatment of women and girls, States parties should provide information about legal measures to restrict the publication or dissemination of such material.
- Body
- Human Rights Committee
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2000
Paragraph
Women’s access to justice 2015, para. 10
- Paragraph text
- The Committee has documented many examples of the negative impact of intersecting forms of discrimination on access to justice, including ineffective remedies, for specific groups of women. Women belonging to such groups often do not report violations of their rights to the authorities for fear that they will be humiliated, stigmatized, arrested, deported, tortured or have other forms of violence inflicted upon them, including by law enforcement officials. The Committee has also noted that, when women from those groups lodge complaints, the authorities frequently fail to act with due diligence to investigate, prosecute and punish perpetrators and/or provide remedies.
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Women’s access to justice 2015, para. 62
- Paragraph text
- The presence of plural justice systems can, in itself, limit women's access to justice by perpetuating and reinforcing discriminatory social norms. In many contexts, the availability of multiple avenues for gaining access to justice within plural justice systems notwithstanding, women are unable to effectively exercise a choice of forum. The Committee has observed that, in some States parties in which systems of family and/or personal law based on customs, religion or community norms coexist alongside civil law systems, individual women may not be as familiar with both systems or at liberty to decide which regime applies to them.
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Women
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Women’s access to justice 2015, para. 14a
- Paragraph text
- [Six interrelated and essential components - justiciability, availability, accessibility, good quality, provision of remedies for victims and accountability of justice systems - are therefore necessary to ensure access to justice. While differences in prevailing legal, social, cultural, political and economic conditions will necessitate a differentiated application of these features in each State party, the basic elements of the approach are universally relevant and immediately applicable. Accordingly:] Justiciability requires the unhindered access by women to justice and their ability and empowerment to claim their rights as legal entitlements under the Convention;
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Prevention of racial discrimination in the administration and functioning of the criminal justice system 2004, para. 26c
- Paragraph text
- [Formulates the following recommendations addressed to States parties:] [Bearing in mind statistics which show that persons held awaiting trial include an excessively high number of non nationals and persons belonging to the groups referred to in the last paragraph of the preamble, States parties should ensure:] That the guarantees often required of accused persons as a condition of their remaining at liberty pending trial (fixed address, declared employment, stable family ties) are weighed in the light of the insecure situation which may result from their membership of such groups, particularly in the case of women and minors;
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Women
- Year
- 2004
Paragraph
Article 3: The equality of rights between men and women - replaces GC No. 4 2000, para. 2
- Paragraph text
- Article 3 implies that all human beings should enjoy the rights provided for in the Covenant, on an equal basis and in their totality. The full effect of this provision is impaired whenever any person is denied the full and equal enjoyment of any right. Consequently, States should ensure to men and women equally the enjoyment of all rights provided for in the Covenant.
- Body
- Human Rights Committee
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2000
Paragraph
Eliminating discrimination against women in political and public life with a focus on political transition 2013, para. 29
- Paragraph text
- Democracy and human rights are mutually reinforcing. Women's rights are human rights and hence are an integral element of the democracy and human rights axis. The General Assembly, in its resolution 59/201 (para. 1), declared the "essential elements of democracy" to consist of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, inter alia, freedom of association and peaceful assembly and of expression and opinion; the right to take part in the conduct of public affairs, directly or through freely chosen representatives; to vote and to be a candidate in free elections by universal and equal suffrage; a pluralistic system of political parties and organizations; respect for the rule of law; the separation of powers; the independence of the judiciary; transparency and accountability in public administration; and free, independent and pluralistic media.
- Body
- Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and practice
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Challenges faced by groups most at risk when exercising or seeking to exercise the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and/or of association 2014, para. 20
- Paragraph text
- [International human rights instruments that protect the rights of particular groups specifically recognize directly or indirectly the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association for those groups:] The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women requires States to take all appropriate measures to ensure that women are able to participate in the political and public life of the country on equal terms with men. That includes the right to participate in non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and associations concerned with the public and political life of the country (art. 7).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
The rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in the context of natural resource exploitation projects 2015, para. 19
- Paragraph text
- In many cases, the most egregious violations of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in the context of natural resource exploitation are committed against groups and individuals inhabiting regions far from centres of power, who are often at risk or already marginalized within society. They may lack access to information or the means of effectively advocating for their concerns, or they may be confronted with authorities are that are unable or unwilling to address their grievances. The ability to freely associate and to peacefully assemble are indispensable in this regard. Some of the categories of persons that require special attention in the context of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association and of natural resource exploitation are women (including women human rights defenders), Afro-descendants, indigenous peoples, peasant farmers, fisher folk and forest dwellers.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Environment
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Ethnic minorities
- Women
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Mapping and framing security of tenure 2013, para. 16
- Paragraph text
- Conversely, when access to secure housing or land is provided, the potential for social and economic progress is immense-a fact recognized globally. Tenure security means a lot to families and individuals. It gives people certainty about what they can do with their land or home; and it offers them protection from encroachments by others. It often protects, increases and enables access to public services and benefits. It increases economic opportunities. It is a basis for women's economic empowerment and protection from violence. The relevance of the issue, not only to human rights but also to development, is evident.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Women
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Women human rights defenders and those working on women’s rights or gender issues 2011, para. 48
- Paragraph text
- The mandate also sent 64 communications concerning the situation of women defenders working on issues of impunity and access to justice, including witnesses and victims of human rights violations seeking redress, as well as the lawyers, individuals and organizations representing or supporting them. This group seems to be particularly at risk in certain countries in Europe, Central Asia and the Americas. Over half of the communications in this regard were sent to the Russian Federation (15 cases), Colombia (14 cases) and Mexico (nine cases).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Women
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Global trends in risks and threats facing human rights defenders 2015, para. 35
- Paragraph text
- For the Special Rapporteur, the evidence is oppressive. Everywhere in today's world, the situations defenders find themselves in give rise to multiple concerns. In very many countries, the situation is getting worse by the day. While the Special Rapporteur is happy about the emergence of a more prominent and better organized civil society, the fact is: there are still too many and, increasingly, multiple hurdles put in the way of those women and men who strive peacefully to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Women
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Global trends in risks and threats facing human rights defenders 2015, para. 93a
- Paragraph text
- [The Special Rapporteur recommends that States adopt the following measures:] Do more to disseminate the work of defenders and to support their work through campaigns and specific communication and information activities that pay tribute, in particular, to the contributions made by certain categories of defender, such as women; defenders of the rights of lesbian, homosexual, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons; defenders working in the area of corporate social responsibility and land-related rights; defenders of the rights of minorities and indigenous peoples; and defenders who combat impunity and corruption;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Ethnic minorities
- LGBTQI+
- Women
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
The death penalty and the prohibition of torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment 2012, para. 58
- Paragraph text
- In addition, and especially relevant to the emergence of a customary norm to consider the death penalty as running afoul of the prohibition of torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, is evidence of a consistent global practice by States that reflects the view that the imposition and enforcement of the death penalty in breach of those standards is a violation per se of the prohibition of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. This conclusion originates from the fact that international law does not attribute a different value to the right to life of different groups of human beings, such as juveniles, persons with mental disabilities, pregnant women or persons sentenced after an unfair trial, but considers the imposition and enforcement of the death penalty in such cases as particularly cruel, inhuman and degrading and in violation of article 7 of the Covenant and articles 1 and 16 of the Convention against Torture.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Women
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Activities of the Working Group 2014, para. 64
- Paragraph text
- Quality, free legal aid should be offered for women of African descent who are in need, so that access to justice is available to everyone. Information about legal services and legal centres should be easily available and widely distributed, especially among groups facing multiple forms of discrimination, such as women of African descent. Regular training and education about their legal rights and available services should be provided to people of African descent.
- Body
- Working Group of experts on people of African descent
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Gender perspectives on torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment 2016, para. 70f
- Paragraph text
- [With regard to women, girls, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons in detention, the Special Rapporteur calls on all States to:] Provide for non-custodial means of protection, such as shelters and other community-based alternatives, and guarantee that the placement of women in detention centres for protection - only where necessary and expressly requested by the woman in question - will be temporary, subject to supervision and competent authorities and never continued against their will;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- LGBTQI+
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Groups in need of attention, limitations to the right to freedom of expression, and protection of journalists 2010, para. 42
- Paragraph text
- In accordance with the Special Rapporteur's mandate to mainstream women's human rights and a gender perspective in all his activities, this report reiterates the undeniable link between freedom of expression and women's human rights, which include the right to express their opinions, to have access to their own means of communication and to work in the existing mass media. The following considerations should be taken into account in this regard.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Internally displaced women: progress, challenges and the way ahead 2013, para. 67
- Paragraph text
- [The Special Rapporteur makes the following recommendations:] Humanitarian and development organizations: Ensure meaningful participation of IDW and girls in the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of laws, policies, programmes and activities that affect their lives at all stages of displacement, through ongoing and direct engagement in identifying priorities and devising and implementing responses to them;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Gender-based violence against women, updating general recommendation No. 19 2017, para. 15
- Paragraph text
- Women’s right to a life free from gender-based violence is indivisible from and interdependent on other human rights, including the rights to life, health, liberty and security of the person, equality and equal protection within the family, freedom from torture, cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment, and freedom of expression, movement, participation, assembly and association.
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Women
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Women’s access to justice 2015, para. 15f
- Paragraph text
- [With regard to justiciability, the Committee recommends that States parties:] Confront and remove barriers to women's participation as professionals within all bodies and levels of judicial and quasi-judicial systems and providers of justice-related services, and take steps, including temporary special measures, to ensure that women are equally represented in the judiciary and other law implementation mechanisms as magistrates, judges, prosecutors, public defenders, lawyers, administrators, mediators, law enforcement officials, judicial and penal officials and expert practitioners, as well as in other professional capacities;
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Women’s access to justice 2015, para. 17c
- Paragraph text
- [With regard to accessibility of justice systems, the Committee recommends that States parties:] Develop targeted outreach activities and distribute through, for example, specific units or desks dedicated to women, information about the justice mechanisms, procedures and remedies that are available, in various formats and also in community languages. Such activities and information should be appropriate for all ethnic and minority groups in the population and designed in close cooperation with women from those groups and, especially, from women's and other relevant organizations;
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Women
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Rights of rural women 2016, para. 78d
- Paragraph text
- [States parties should give priority to rural women's equal rights to land when undertaking land and agrarian reforms and consider it a specific and central objective of land reform. They should:] Develop and implement measures, including temporary special measures, to enable rural women to benefit from the public distribution, lease or use of land, water bodies, fisheries and forests, and from agrarian reform policies, rural investments and the management of natural resources in rural areas. Landless rural women should be given priority in the allocation of public lands, fisheries and forests.
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Contemporary challenges to freedom of expression 2016, para. 48
- Paragraph text
- Women may also face particular restrictions targeting their expression. In 2013, the Human Rights Council affirmed the fundamental role that freedom of opinion and expression plays in the ability of women to interact with society at large, in particular in the realms of economic and political participation, and called upon States to promote, respect and ensure women's exercise of freedom of opinion and expression, both online and offline, including as members of NGOs and other associations (see Council resolution 23/2). Unfortunately, this commitment remains largely unfulfilled in many parts of the world. In 2014, in Saudi Arabia, two advocates for the rights of women were detained for driving. Earlier in 2016, I, along with other mandate holders, raised concerns about the systematic attacks and threats of sexual and physical violence made against three women human rights defenders and two women human rights lawyers in the State of Chhattisgarh, India.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
The exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in the context of elections 2013, para. 5
- Paragraph text
- The right to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association are pertinent to the democratic process, both during the election period and between elections. The Special Rapporteur reiterates that these rights are essential components of democracy since they empower women, men and youth to "express their political opinions, engage in literary and artistic pursuits and other cultural, economic and social activities, engage in religious observances or other beliefs, form and join trade unions and cooperatives, and elect leaders to represent their interests and hold them accountable" (Council resolution 15/21, preamble).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Men
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Women and their right to adequate housing 2012, para. 26
- Paragraph text
- Women's right to equality in matters of inheritance is also relevant within the context of Sharia law, the application of which particularly affects women in the Middle East and North Africa. While Sharia law generally supports women's rights to acquire, hold, use, administer and dispose of property, women and girls receive a lesser share than their male counterparts when it comes to matters of inheritance (generally half of what a male in the same position would be entitled to receive). Customary practices and traditional structures can also contribute to further aggravating the situation. A prime example is that women are often forced, due to social pressures, to renounce their already reduced share of the inheritance in favour of male members of the family. In order to discourage this practice, in the occupied Palestinian territory, the Deputy Supreme Judge of Palestine of the Head of the Upper Council of Sharia Jurisdictions issued a notice in 2011 in which he instructed relevant authorities to apply certain conditions before legalizing a woman's renunciation of her inheritance share, including that at least four months pass after a person's death before a renunciation of inheritance can be registered. The notice also instructs the relevant authorities to verify the real value of the inheritance share, relying on an official report by three experts authorized by the municipality or local council. This new protocol is aimed at helping women to retain their inheritance shares and protecting women from losses as a result of reduced valuations of those shares.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Women human rights defenders and those working on women’s rights or gender issues 2011, para. 73
- Paragraph text
- Thirty-six communications were sent to China regarding alleged arrests and 17 regarding other forms of criminalization. Those at risk include women defenders working on the rights of religious and national minorities, women's rights, including family planning and reproductive rights, housing rights, democratic reform, and impunity for alleged use of torture, among various others. Of particular concern is the frequency with which it was alleged that such defenders were sentenced to prison terms, including periods of administrative detention, often referred to as "re-education through labour".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Ethnic minorities
- Women
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Elements of a safe and enabling environment for human rights defenders 2014, para. 101
- Paragraph text
- In this regard, the Special Rapporteur welcomes the newly adopted General Assembly resolution on protecting women human rights defenders, which she believes is both timely and of utmost importance. In the resolution, the important contribution of women human rights defenders to the promotion and protection of human rights, democracy, rule of law, development, and peace and security is acknowledged. The General Assembly also highlights specific protection measures that States must implement for women defenders to be able to carry out their work safely and without fear of reprisals. It further calls upon States to exercise due diligence in preventing violations and abuses against women human rights defenders and combating impunity by ensuring that those responsible for violations and abuses, are promptly and impartially brought to justice.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Women
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Ongoing obstacles to the full realization of indigenous peoples’ rights; vision for the mandate 2014, para. 33
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur would like to point out that implementing all of the above-mentioned measures does not necessarily guarantee that true reconciliation will occur. An essential component of the process also involves shifting attitudes on a personal and societal level, which the Special Rapporteur fully acknowledges is not an easy task. She discusses particular concerns in that regard in the following section. It should also be noted that, in 2014, the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples continued its study entitled "Access to justice in the promotion and protection of the rights of indigenous peoples - restorative justice, indigenous juridical systems and access to justice for indigenous women, children and youth, and persons with disabilities" (see A/HRC/EMRIP/2014/3/Rev.1), including a discussion on restorative justice and provides further comments on the issue.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Ethnic minorities
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Rights of indigenous women and girls 2015, para. 40e
- Paragraph text
- [Data and comprehensive comparative research on indigenous women and the criminal justice system are very underdeveloped. However, reports suggest that indigenous women are overrepresented in the criminal justice systems and the number of indigenous women in custody is increasing in a number of countries, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand. What limited data is available suggests that the incarceration of women is increasing at a significantly quicker rate than that of men. Some relevant statistics include the following:] From 1996/97 to 2001/02, in Canada, the number of federally sentenced aboriginal women increased by 36.7 per cent, compared with 5.5 per cent for aboriginal men.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Women
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Minority rights-based approaches to the protection and promotion of the rights of religious minorities 2013, para. 53
- Paragraph text
- Religious minorities should always be able to avail themselves of complaints procedures and civil remedies in the courts. Nevertheless, barriers often exist to their access to justice, which must be addressed. Minorities may be reluctant to bring complaints to the police owing to hostility or the reluctance of authorities to receive their complaints, or general poor relations of religious minorities with law enforcement bodies. Women may face particular problems or anxiety in bringing complaints. Where the courts are, or are perceived to be, highly influenced by the dominant State religion, minorities may feel that such justice bodies are inappropriate to their needs, especially where national laws discriminate against them. Religiously diverse societies should take steps to ensure that religious minorities are represented in law enforcement bodies and the judiciary and that, where appropriate, training or special judicial mechanisms that meet the needs of religious minorities are put in place.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Women
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph