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Implementation of article 2 by States parties 2008, para. 21
- Paragraph text
- The protection of certain minority or marginalized individuals or populations especially at risk of torture is a part of the obligation to prevent torture or ill-treatment. States parties must ensure that, insofar as the obligations arising under the Convention are concerned, their laws are in practice applied to all persons, regardless of race, colour, ethnicity, age, religious belief or affiliation, political or other opinion, national or social origin, gender, sexual orientation, transgender identity, mental or other disability, health status, economic or indigenous status, reason for which the person is detained, including persons accused of political offences or terrorist acts, asylum-seekers, refugees or others under international protection, or any other status or adverse distinction. States parties should, therefore, ensure the protection of members of groups especially at risk of being tortured, by fully prosecuting and punishing all acts of violence and abuse against these individuals and ensuring implementation of other positive measures of prevention and protection, including but not limited to those outlined above.
- Body
- Committee against Torture
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2008
Paragraph
Joint general comment No. 4 (2017) of the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families and No. 23 (2017) of the Committee on the Rights of the Child on State obligations regarding the human rights of c ... 2017, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- It is essential that States take all necessary measures to prevent and combat the illicit transfer and non-return of children as well as the worst forms of child labour, including all forms of slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, the use of children for illicit activities, including begging, and hazardous work, and protect them from violence and economic exploitation. The Committees recognize that children face gender-specific risks and vulnerabilities which should be identified and specifically addressed. In many contexts, girls may be even more vulnerable to trafficking, especially for purposes of sexual exploitation. Additional measures should be taken to address the particular vulnerability of girls and boys, including those who might have a disability, as well as children who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex persons, to trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation and abuse.
- Body
- Committee on Migrant Workers
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
The right to sexual and reproductive health (Art. 12) 2016, para. 59
- Paragraph text
- Violations of the obligation to protect occur when a State fails to take effective steps to prevent third parties from undermining the enjoyment of the right to sexual and reproductive health. This includes the failure to prohibit and take measures to prevent all forms of violence and coercion committed by private individuals and entities, including domestic violence, rape (including marital rape), sexual assault, abuse and harassment, including during conflict, post-conflict and transition situations; violence targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons or women seeking abortion or post-abortion care; harmful practices such as female genital mutilation, child and forced marriage, forced sterilization, forced abortion and forced pregnancy; and medically unnecessary, irreversible and involuntary surgery and treatment performed on intersex infants or children.
- Body
- Committee on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Harmful Practices
- Health
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- LGBTQI+
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
The right of the child to freedom from all forms of violence 2011, para. 72g
- Paragraph text
- [Elements to be mainstreamed into national coordinating frameworks. The following elements need to be mainstreamed across the measures (legislative, administrative, social and educational) and stages of intervention (from prevention through to recovery and reintegration):] Children in potentially vulnerable situations. Groups of children which are likely to be exposed to violence include, but are not limited to, children: not living with their biological parents, but in various forms of alternative care; not registered at birth; in street situations; in actual or perceived conflict with the law; with physical disabilities, sensory disabilities, learning disabilities, psychosocial disabilities and congenital, acquired and/or chronic illnesses or serious behavioural problems; who are indigenous and from other ethnic minorities; from minority religious or linguistic groups; who are lesbian, gay, transgender or transsexual; at risk of harmful traditional practices; in early marriage (especially girls, and especially but not exclusively forced marriage); in hazardous child labour, including the worst forms; who are on the move as migrants or refugees, or who are displaced and/or trafficked; who have already experienced violence; who experience and witness violence in the home and in communities; in low socio-economic urban environments, where guns, weapons, drugs and alcohol may be easily available; living in accident- or disaster-prone areas or in toxic environments; affected by HIV/AIDS or who are themselves HIV infected; who are malnourished; looked after by other children; who are themselves carers and heads of households; born to parents who are themselves still under 18; who are unwanted, born prematurely or part of a multiple birth; hospitalized with inadequate supervision or contact with caregivers; or exposed to ICTs without adequate safeguards, supervision or empowerment to protect themselves. Children in emergencies are extremely vulnerable to violence when, as a consequence of social and armed conflicts, natural disasters and other complex and chronic emergencies, social systems collapse, children become separated from their caregivers and caregiving and safe environments are damaged or even destroyed;
- Body
- Committee on the Rights of the Child
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Ethnic minorities
- Girls
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
The implementation of the rights of the child during adolescence 2016, para. 48
- Paragraph text
- The digital environment can also expose adolescents to risks, such as online fraud, violence and hate speech, sexist speech against girls and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex adolescents, cyberbullying, grooming for sexual exploitation, trafficking and child pornography, over-sexualization and targeting by armed or extremist groups. This should not however restrict adolescents' access to the digital environment. Instead, their safety should be promoted through holistic strategies, including digital literacy with regard to online risks and strategies for keeping them safe, strengthened legislation and law enforcement mechanisms to tackle abuse online and fight impunity, and training parents and professionals who work with children. States are urged to ensure the active engagement of adolescents in the design and implementation of initiatives aimed at fostering online safety, including through peer mentoring. Investment is needed in the development of technological solutions on prevention and protection and the availability of assistance and support. States are encouraged to require businesses to undertake child-rights due diligence with a view to identifying, preventing and mitigating the impact of risks on children's rights when using digital media and information and communications technology.
- Body
- Committee on the Rights of the Child
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Girls
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Joint general comment No. 4 (2017) of the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families and No. 23 (2017) of the Committee on the Rights of the Child on State obligations regarding the human rights of c ... 2017, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- It is essential that States take all necessary measures to prevent and combat the illicit transfer and non-return of children as well as the worst forms of child labour, including all forms of slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, the use of children for illicit activities, including begging, and hazardous work, and protect them from violence and economic exploitation. The Committees recognize that children face gender-specific risks and vulnerabilities which should be identified and specifically addressed. In many contexts, girls may be even more vulnerable to trafficking, especially for purposes of sexual exploitation. Additional measures should be taken to address the particular vulnerability of girls and boys, including those who might have a disability, as well as children who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex persons, to trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation and abuse.
- Body
- Committee on the Rights of the Child
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Diversity in humanity, humanity in diversity 2017, para. 66i
- Paragraph text
- The role of the United Nations, including the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly, is pivotal in order to raise the issue of violence and discrimination and to address it through comprehensive and holistic measures, with due regard for the recommendations of the Independent Expert as an impetus for follow-up action. United Nations human rights presences are important and need to be bolstered in countries and regions where there are major gaps in human rights protection; this is certainly also the case in regard to sexual orientation and gender identity. This should be complemented by the catalytic role of United Nations country teams and inter-agency cooperation to integrate sexual orientation and gender identity issues into programming and practices on the basis of no “protection deficit” and no “protection vacuum”.
- Body
- Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Embrace diversity and energize humanity 2017, para. 18
- Paragraph text
- The inter-American system has made many contributions to action against violence and discrimination. In addition to its important range of human rights-related declarations and conventions, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights Court and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the inter-American system has appointed a regional rapporteur to cover the issue of LGBTI persons specifically. Resolution 275 of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, entitled “Protection against violence and other human rights violations against persons on the basis of their real or imputed sexual orientation or gender identity”, resonates with the message of non-violence and equality.
- Body
- Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Diversity in humanity, humanity in diversity 2017, para. 45
- Paragraph text
- OHCHR has been instrumental in preparing various reports and studies on violence and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. In particular, the publications Born Free and Equal: Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in International Human Rights Law and Living Free and Equal offer very useful information with global coverage. OHCHR supports the human rights treaty bodies, the universal periodic review and the special procedures in their work and helps to mainstream the issue into a cross-cutting United Nations setting. Together with other partners, it helps to organize the annual International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia event. Its field presences around the world assist in disseminating information, collecting information and addressing cases where there are violations, with a view to strengthening human rights protection on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Its Free and Equal campaign is a broad information campaign, with publications, films and videos raising the profile of sexual orientation and gender identity from the angle of action against violence and discrimination. Particularly popular are the videos Faces, which captures the myriad contributions by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons to families and communities, The Welcome, which provides a human rights message with a Bollywood touch, complete with music, and The Riddle, which examines the abuses facing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons across the globe.
- Body
- Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Embrace diversity and energize humanity 2017, para. 47
- Paragraph text
- In Kenya, civil society organizations have made a number of recommendations to the authorities, inter alia: the immediate repeal of sections 162(a) and (c) and 165 of the penal code; the introduction of legislation to criminalize hate speech and incitement to violence on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, and expression; An immediate ban on forced anal examinations; and prosecution to the full extent of the law of all persons suspected of committing acts of violence, including incitement to violence, on grounds of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression.
- Body
- Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Embrace diversity and energize humanity 2017, para. 35
- Paragraph text
- It should be noted that in some countries where these negative laws exist, they are not applied or not much applied in practice. While this is a stepping stone to mitigation of the situation, the mere existence of the laws still gives rise to bias and prejudices, feeding into extortion, persecution, multiple and intersectional phobia, and other forms of violence and discrimination, and violates international human rights norms and standards. The call to reform such negative laws must therefore be vigorous.
- Body
- Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Diversity in humanity, humanity in diversity 2017, para. 33
- Paragraph text
- Yet, there are evidently several gaps, interlinked with the root causes and environment behind the violence and discrimination, which will be elaborated upon in the sections below. Even in countries that are party to the human rights treaties and even where there are responsive laws, policies and programmes, there are sometimes major incidents of violence and discrimination, such as killings of transgender persons, attacks on sexual orientation and gender identity-related human rights defenders, and sexual orientation and gender identity-related hate speech on social networks, which invites sustained vigilance both at the national and the international levels.
- Body
- Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Embrace diversity and energize humanity 2017, para. 59e
- Paragraph text
- The work of human rights defenders and the much needed space for civil society, including non-governmental organizations and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex groups and persons, calls for more effective safeguards from States against incursions and reprisals from those protagonists, whether State or non-State actors, which act inconsistently with international human rights standards. Cooperation with a multiplicity of actors, including the business sector, the medical/scientific sector, religious and faith groups and the media, including social networks, should be fostered on the basis of international human rights law;
- Body
- Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Diversity in humanity, humanity in diversity 2017, para. 44
- Paragraph text
- The work of UNICEF is guided particularly by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. Its programming on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex issues, and its link with children and youth, is part of its equity strategy to enable all children to develop and realize their potential without discrimination. UNICEF is increasingly looking at child protection through the lens of action against violence and discrimination, inspired by the Sustainable Development Goals. Interestingly, in Goal 16, the target is to eliminate violence against children totally in the next 15 years; this also implies a relationship with sexual orientation and gender identity, in order to leave no children behind.
- Body
- Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- LGBTQI+
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Embrace diversity and energize humanity 2017, para. 53n
- Paragraph text
- A non-governmental organization noted that the law on violence against women in Colombia 2008 covers violence against lesbian and bisexual women. There is also intersectionality with conflict and land restitution issues and action against racism. In Latin America, the legalization of civil unions and/or marriage is also a constructive sign of the times; same-sex marriage is legal in a large number of countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Uruguay;
- Body
- Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Women
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Diversity in humanity, humanity in diversity 2017, para. 35
- Paragraph text
- How aware is the general population of the issue of sexual orientation and gender identity and the interface with violence and discrimination? The reality is often embedded in lack of awareness, misunderstanding, misconceptions and/or ambivalence. Violence and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity often starts being experienced in childhood, at home and in school, for example through bullying. The lack of awareness/knowledge might be compounded by stereotyping, homophobia and transphobia, virulent from the bottom to the top of the social, cultural and political ladder, tailed by the immediacy of social networks. Even among those who are educated, there is at times a cloistered mindset that wrongly looks upon lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people as being deviants and being mentally ill. Hate crimes, such as killings, rapes, incitement to violence, and cruel treatment on account of one’s sexual orientation or gender identity, might be paralleled by prejudice, intolerance and bigotry from the personal level to the systemic level.
- Body
- Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Diversity in humanity, humanity in diversity 2017, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- What are some of the root causes? While more empirical research is needed on the issue, behind the violence and discrimination there is an environment of negative elements: multiple factors, with longitudinal and intergenerational implications. From the health angle, the message from the following citation rings true: Violence against people from key populations has been shown to be a risk factor for HIV acquisition. Such violence is common. It can take various forms — physical, sexual or psychological. Violence is fuelled by the imbalance in the power dynamics of gender and by prejudice and discrimination against persons perceived to depart from conventional gender and sexuality norms and identities. Also, multiple structural factors influence vulnerability to violence, including discriminatory or harsh laws and policing practices and cultural and social norms that legitimate stigma and discrimination. Homophobic violence, too, is increasing in some countries, as more policies and laws have banned same-sex activity and made it a criminal offence. This is likely to increase HIV risk.
- Body
- Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Diversity in humanity, humanity in diversity 2017, para. 34
- Paragraph text
- The cross-cutting scenario of violence and discrimination is described by the World Health Organization (WHO) as follows: Many people in the world are stigmatized and discriminated against because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. Among other disparities, lesbian, gay and transgender people are significantly more likely than the general population to be targeted for violence and harassment, to contract HIV, and to be at risk for mental health concerns such as depression and suicide. In settings where same-sex consensual sexual behaviour is against the law, people may be deterred from seeking health services out of fear of being arrested and prosecuted.
- Body
- Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Embrace diversity and energize humanity 2017, para. 22
- Paragraph text
- The Independent Expert has also received submissions from various sources concerning the plight of children and youth in relation to violence and discrimination, such as bullying at home and at school. A variety of issues deserving more attention, ranging from discriminatory sexual consent laws to access to information, conversion therapy, rights of transgender children, rights of intersex children, children of same-sex couples and access to justice have also been raised.
- Body
- Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- LGBTQI+
- Youth
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 35
- Paragraph text
- 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
Preventing and addressing violence and atrocities against minorities 2014, para. 4
- Paragraph text
- The Holocaust was one of the clearest examples of large-scale, mass atrocities committed against minority groups. Jewish communities, Roma and Sinti, Jehovah's Witnesses, homosexuals and others fell victim to Nazi propaganda and systematic genocide. The Rwandan genocide is also a clear example of mass atrocities perpetrated against a minority and one where, despite warnings, the international community failed to act. Around 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed. The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda determined that the killings constituted genocide. In 1995, the worst massacre of civilians in Europe since the Second World War took place in Srebrenica, where some 8,000 Muslim men and boys were killed by Bosnian Serb forces. The Secretary-General acknowledged the failure of the international community to prevent what was recognized as genocide (see A/54/549).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Common violations of the human rights to water and sanitation 2014, para. 64
- Paragraph text
- Women and girls are frequently subjected to unacceptable risks of violence, including sexual violence, in accessing water and sanitation facilities. Their right to personal security may be violated by failures to provide adequate protection from violence, including through appropriate design and placement of facilities with the participation of women. Many other groups and individuals such as Dalits and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex individuals also face violence in accessing water and sanitation, often linked to deeply entrenched stigmatization.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Violence
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- LGBTQI+
- Women
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Stigma and the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation 2012, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- A report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on discriminatory laws and practices and acts of violence against individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity has highlighted that homophobic and transphobic violence may be physical or psychological, and that those attacks "constitute a form of gender-based violence, driven by a desire to punish those seen as defying gender norms" (A/HRC/19/41, para. 20). While the human rights concerns are much broader, in relation to water and sanitation specifically, the use of public bathrooms, which are often sex-segregated, has been associated with exclusion, denial of access, verbal harassment, physical abuse and sometimes even the arrest of transgender and intersex individuals. More broadly, they are at risk of exposure, violence and harassment in seeking access to services such as water and sanitation when those are in common areas, or where privacy is unavailable or compromised.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Violence
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Contemporary challenges to freedom of expression 2016, para. 47
- Paragraph text
- In recent years, a number of Governments have adopted laws that explicitly attack expression on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. For instance, the Government of Kyrgyzstan adopted a law that criminalizes the dissemination of information relating to "non-traditional" sexual relationships. Uganda has criminalized the "promotion" of homosexuality, while the Russian Federation has banned the "propaganda of homosexuality" at the federal level across the country. In Zambia, a human rights advocate not only faced undue delays when trying to register an NGO for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons and sex workers, but also was charged with "soliciting for immoral purposes" when he urged greater access to health care for sex workers and sexual minorities. In some cases, individuals and organizations involved in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender-related activism or expression even face significant threats of physical violence. In Honduras, for example, there has been a systematic lack of accountability for advocates of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights who have been murdered, kidnapped or assaulted. In an important step, the Human Rights Council, reflecting on the increasing pressure on and violence and discrimination against individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation, established a mandate for an independent expert to combat such discrimination and violence (see Council resolution 32/2).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Report of the SR on the right to health and Agenda 2030 2016, para. 94
- Paragraph text
- To date, the approach to violence reduction has been fragmented, compartmentalizing different forms of violence. Importantly, many forms of violence continue to be tolerated within societies and even supported by States. For example, violence against women and children remains accepted in many societies as a cultural norm. The institutional care of young children, a clear act of violence against children, remains widespread in many countries. Around the world, many groups in vulnerable situations, including women, persons with disabilities, migrants and refugees, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons, experience numerous forms of violence. Each example is also a violation of various human rights protected under international law, including the right to health.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- LGBTQI+
- Persons on the move
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Right to health of adolescents 2016, para. 39
- Paragraph text
- Adolescent girls, adolescents with disabilities, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex adolescents, adolescents living in institutions and adolescents from communities with a proliferation of unregulated weapons or experiencing armed conflict are among those particularly vulnerable to violence. The risks for girls include, for example, exposure to sexual violence and exploitation, forced and early marriage, honour killings and abusive practices often carried out in health-care settings, such as forced sterilization and forced abortion for girls with disabilities, and forced virginity testing.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Girls
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Right to health and criminalization of same-sex conduct and sexual orientation, sex-work and HIV transmission 2010, para. 29
- Paragraph text
- Historically, sex work has been criminalized in two major ways. First, through the criminalization of the selling of sexual services, with the imposition of penalties upon sex workers themselves. Second, through the criminalization of various practices around sex work: these include, but are not limited to, keeping a brothel; recruiting for or arranging the prostitution of others; living off the proceeds of sex work; solicitation; and facilitating sex work through the provision of information or assistance. Although the former is not directly criminalized in many States worldwide, sex workers are nonetheless treated as criminals where activities around sex work are criminalized, or through the use of other pre-existing laws (not specific to sex work) to harass, intimidate or justify the use of force against sex workers. Examples include the use of vagrancy or public nuisance laws to detain or arrest street sex workers, or the use of laws prohibiting homosexual acts in relation to male and transgender sex workers.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Right to health of adolescents 2016, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- Lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth are at risk of "punitive" rape on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Adolescents suffer disproportionately from the effects of gun violence and significant numbers of adolescents face serious harm or death as a consequence of armed conflict.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- LGBTQI+
- Youth
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Right to health and criminalization of same-sex conduct and sexual orientation, sex-work and HIV transmission 2010, para. 21
- Paragraph text
- Many reports indicate instances of violence directed at individuals based on same-sex conduct and gender identity. Violence can inhibit individuals from seeking access to health services out of fear of reprisals and secondary victimization resulting from identification as a victim of such an attack.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- LGBTQI+
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Comprehensive, rights-based and child-centred care, recovery and reintegration programmes 2015, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- Research shows that girls account for the majority of documented victims of sexual exploitation. However, the fact that boys are also victims cannot be disregarded. Similarly, children who identify as transgender are extremely vulnerable to sexual exploitation. In the United States of America, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex youth are disproportionately represented in runaway and homeless youth programmes and child welfare systems and 42 per cent of them have been sexually exploited. A 2006 study in Cambodia found that 80 per cent of interviewed victims of street-based sexual exploitation were male. In Taiwan Province of China, the number of boys being prostituted discovered through social networking sites peaked in 2008. In Ethiopia, a study revealed that male children are specifically targeted for prostitution on the basis of the belief that anal intercourse is less likely to transmit HIV/AIDS. A recent study in the United Kingdom found that one third of children accessing specialist sexual exploitation services were male.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, including child prostitution, child pornography and other child sexual abuse material
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- LGBTQI+
- Youth
- Year
- 2015
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