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Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 61
- Paragraph text
- A broader mechanism for achieving access to water and sanitation services for people living in poverty is to put in place "social protection floors". These are nationally defined basic social security guarantees that ensure access to essential services, including water and sanitation, as well as providing basic income security to those in need. Human Rights Council resolution 28/12 of 9 April 2015 acknowledged "that social protection floors may facilitate the enjoyment of human rights… safe drinking water and sanitation, in accordance with the human rights obligations of States" and encouraged "States to put in place social protection floors as part of comprehensive social protection systems" (A/HRC/RES/28/12, paras. 6 and 8). Social protection floors can be particularly relevant for achieving gender equality and protecting marginalized or disadvantaged individuals and groups. At the national level, for instance, Cambodia has made support for sanitation and water in times of emergency and crisis a key intervention under the National Social Protection Strategy for the Poor and Vulnerable. In Mexico, the federal budget for social spending, which contributes to building a social protection floor, includes water supply and sewerage.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Agenda setting of the work of the Special Rapporteur 2015, para. 8
- Paragraph text
- In the age of globalization, trafficking in persons cannot be examined in isolation from the broader socioeconomic realities that drive it, nor should it be tackled only from a criminal perspective. Factors such as poverty and inequality, lack of educational opportunity and access to health care, gender discrimination, including gender-based violence, racial inequality and migration are some of the underlying factors that cause/contribute to trafficking in persons.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially in women and children
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Gender
- Health
- Movement
- Poverty
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Best practices that promote and protect the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association 2012, para. 76
- Paragraph text
- According to ILO jurisprudence, decisions to dissolve labour organizations "should only occur in extremely serious cases; such dissolutions should only happen following a judicial decision so that the rights of defence are fully guaranteed". The Special Rapporteur values as best practice legislation that stipulates that such drastic measures be taken by independent and impartial courts. In the United Republic of Tanzania, the case of an association working on gender equality that had been deregistered by the authorities was successfully overturned by the Constitutional Court.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2012
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. 17
- Paragraph text
- The Human Rights Committee understands "discrimination" to imply "any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference which is based on any ground such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status, and which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by all persons, on an equal footing, of all rights and freedoms". The Committee has established that sexual orientation and gender identity also constitute prohibited grounds for discrimination under article 2 of the Covenant. Discrimination results from legislation and practices that explicitly exclude or target groups or individuals in those groups.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
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. 28
- Paragraph text
- Such provisions are in clear violation of international human rights law. In that regard, the Human Rights Committee stated that "the reference to 'sex' in articles 2, paragraph 1, and 26 [of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights] is to be taken as including sexual orientation". Since then, in numerous concluding observations, the Committee has urged State parties to guarantee equal rights to all individuals, as established in the Covenant, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Combatting racist hate speech 2013, para. 15
- Paragraph text
- [While article 4 requires that certain forms of conduct be declared offences punishable by law, it does not supply detailed guidance for the qualification of forms of conduct as criminal offences. On the qualification of dissemination and incitement as offences punishable by law, the Committee considers that the following contextual factors should be taken into account:] The objectives of the speech: speech protecting or defending the human rights of individuals and groups should not be subject to criminal or other sanctions.
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Combatting racist hate speech 2013, para. 15
- Paragraph text
- [While article 4 requires that certain forms of conduct be declared offences punishable by law, it does not supply detailed guidance for the qualification of forms of conduct as criminal offences. On the qualification of dissemination and incitement as offences punishable by law, the Committee considers that the following contextual factors should be taken into account:] The content and form of speech: whether the speech is provocative and direct, in what form it is constructed and disseminated, and the style in which it is delivered.
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Combatting racist hate speech 2013, para. 15
- Paragraph text
- [While article 4 requires that certain forms of conduct be declared offences punishable by law, it does not supply detailed guidance for the qualification of forms of conduct as criminal offences. On the qualification of dissemination and incitement as offences punishable by law, the Committee considers that the following contextual factors should be taken into account:] The position or status of the speaker in society and the audience to which the speech is directed. The Committee consistently draws attention to the role of politicians and other public opinion-formers in contributing to the creation of a negative climate towards groups protected by the Convention, and has encouraged such persons and bodies to adopt positive approaches directed to the promotion of intercultural understanding and harmony. The Committee is aware of the special importance of freedom of speech in political matters and also that its exercise carries with it special duties and responsibilities.
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Combatting racist hate speech 2013, para. 15
- Paragraph text
- [While article 4 requires that certain forms of conduct be declared offences punishable by law, it does not supply detailed guidance for the qualification of forms of conduct as criminal offences. On the qualification of dissemination and incitement as offences punishable by law, the Committee considers that the following contextual factors should be taken into account:] The reach of the speech, including the nature of the audience and the means of transmission: whether the speech was disseminated through mainstream media or the Internet, and the frequency and extent of the communication, in particular when repetition suggests the existence of a deliberate strategy to engender hostility towards ethnic and racial groups.
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Combatting racist hate speech 2013, para. 16
- Paragraph text
- Incitement characteristically seeks to influence others to engage in certain forms of conduct, including the commission of crime, through advocacy or threats. Incitement may be express or implied, through actions such as displays of racist symbols or distribution of materials as well as words. The notion of incitement as an inchoate crime does not require that the incitement has been acted upon, but in regulating the forms of incitement referred to in article 4, States parties should take into account, as important elements in the incitement offences, in addition to the considerations outlined in paragraph 14 above, the intention of the speaker, and the imminent risk or likelihood that the conduct desired or intended by the speaker will result from the speech in question, considerations which also apply to the other offences listed in paragraph 13.
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Combatting racist hate speech 2013, para. 19
- Paragraph text
- Article 4 requires that measures to eliminate incitement and discrimination must be made with due regard to the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the rights expressly set forth in article 5 of the Convention. The phrase due regard implies that, in the creation and application of offences, as well as fulfilling the other requirements of article 4, the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the rights in article 5 must be given appropriate weight in decision-making processes. The due regard clause has been interpreted by the Committee to apply to human rights and freedoms as a whole, and not simply to freedom of opinion and expression, which should however be borne in mind as the most pertinent reference principle when calibrating the legitimacy of speech restrictions.
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Combatting racist hate speech 2013, para. 39
- Paragraph text
- Informed, ethical and objective media, including social media and the Internet, have an essential role in promoting responsibility in the dissemination of ideas and opinions. In addition to putting in place appropriate legislation for the media in line with international standards, States parties should encourage the public and private media to adopt codes of professional ethics and press codes that incorporate respect for the principles of the Convention and other fundamental human rights standards.
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Combatting racist hate speech 2013, para. 42
- Paragraph text
- The Committee encourages self-regulation and compliance with codes of ethics by Internet service providers, as underlined in the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action.
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Combatting racist hate speech 2013, para. 43
- Paragraph text
- The Committee encourages States parties to work with sports associations to eradicate racism in all sporting disciplines.
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Combatting racist hate speech 2013, para. 44
- Paragraph text
- With particular reference to the Convention, States parties should disseminate knowledge of its standards and procedures, and provide associated training, particularly for those concerned with its implementation, including civil servants, the judiciary and law enforcement officials. The concluding observations of the Committee should be made widely available in the official and other commonly used languages at the conclusion of the examination of the report of the State party; opinions of the Committee under the article 14 communications procedure should similarly be made available.
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Common violations of the human rights to water and sanitation 2014, para. 63
- Paragraph text
- Sanitation workers frequently face serious health risks, stigmatization, violence and exploitation. In India, the Parliament adopted an act requiring that sanitation systems be overhauled so as to eliminate the need for manual scavengers and seeking to eradicate stigma, inter alia by arranging for alternative jobs. The Supreme Court of India observed that "manual scavengers are considered as untouchables by other mainstream castes and are thrown into a vortex of severe social and economic exploitation". It held that the continuation of manual scavenging violated human rights and ordered the State to fully implement the new act and take appropriate action in response to any violations.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Compendium of good practices in the elimination of discrimination against women 2017, para. 83
- Paragraph text
- Robust and detailed constitutional gender equality protections based on international human rights standards are essential for a strong and enforceable domestic legal framework, and the active intervention of human rights organizations at the request of civil society can contribute to achieving the gender equality goal.
- Body
- Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and practice
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Continuum of violence against women from the home to the transnational sphere: the challenges of effective redress 2011, para. 69
- Paragraph text
- At the international level, the International Criminal Court has established mechanisms to ensure that gender-based crimes committed during armed conflict are dealt with appropriately. The Court's Victims and Witnesses Unit provides protection, support and other appropriate assistance to ensure the personal safety, physical and psychological well-being, dignity and privacy of those testifying. The services of the Victims and Witnesses Unit can be requested and provided at all stages of proceedings, from pre-trial/investigation to post-trial. Furthermore, the Court's Trust Fund for Victims is mandated to assist victims and administer court-ordered reparations. At a national level, the Victims and Witnesses Unit of the Special Court for Sierra Leone has developed a comprehensive package of protection and support and, according to follow-up research, witnesses who had been briefed and supported had a largely positive experience of the Court.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Criminalisation of sexual and reproductive health 2011, para. 58
- Paragraph text
- The International Guidelines on Sexuality Education of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) describe optimal sexual education as "an age-appropriate, culturally sensitive and comprehensive approach … that include programmes providing scientifically accurate, realistic, non-judgmental information". Moreover, comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education and information should provide "opportunities to explore one's own values and attitudes and to build decision-making, communication, and risk reduction skills about all aspects of sexuality". The Special Rapporteur on the right to education has further emphasized that a comprehensive curriculum requires sensitivity to sexual diversity and a gendered perspective (see A/65/162, para. 23).
- 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)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Diversity in humanity, humanity in diversity 2017, para. 20
- Paragraph text
- An array of international human rights instruments help to entrench calls for non-violence and the principle of non-discrimination in international law, with due respect for sexual orientation and gender identity. The genesis of human rights protection after the Second World War was the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, of 1948. There are now nine core international human rights treaties, complemented by various protocols. All of them interrelate with the issue of sexual orientation and gender identity, to a lesser or greater extent. For instance, the right to be free from discrimination is propounded in article 2 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in all human rights treaties. Article 2 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights stipulates: Each State Party to the present Covenant undertakes to respect and to ensure to all individuals within its territory and subject to its jurisdiction the rights recognized in the present Covenant, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.
- 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
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Diversity in humanity, humanity in diversity 2017, para. 23
- Paragraph text
- All countries have engaged with the Human Rights Council’s universal periodic review and most have engaged with one or more of the special procedures. There has been much coverage of the issue of sexual orientation and gender identity under these mechanisms, particularly from the angle of anti-violence and anti-discrimination, such as in the work of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.
- 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
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Diversity in humanity, humanity in diversity 2017, para. 25
- Paragraph text
- Action against violence and discrimination has been espoused more recently in the 17 globally agreed Sustainable Development Goals, to which all countries are committed, with a framework of 2015-2030 for operationalization. Goal 16, which covers inclusive societies and access to justice, aims to bring about substantial reductions of violence and to promote anti-discrimination measures, on the basis of leaving no one behind. An all-inclusive approach invites effective coverage of all persons whatever their sexual orientation or gender identity.
- 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
- All
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Diversity in humanity, humanity in diversity 2017, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- Complementing the measures outlined above, resolution 275 of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, on protection against violence and other human rights violations against persons on the basis of their real or imputed sexual orientation or gender identity, of 2014, resonates with the following message for the African region and beyond: Strongly urges States to end all acts of violence and abuse, whether committed by State or non-State actors, including by enacting and effectively applying appropriate laws prohibiting and punishing all forms of violence including those targeting persons on the basis of their imputed or real sexual orientation or gender identities, ensuring proper investigation and diligent prosecution of perpetrators, and establishing judicial procedures responsive to the needs of victims.
- 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
- All
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Diversity in humanity, humanity in diversity 2017, para. 50
- Paragraph text
- Parallel to this, the role of community leaders, including in the political, cultural and religious fields, needs to be tapped more strongly. Also, the business sector has the potential to integrate sexual orientation and gender identity into the workplace and in the commercial/financial/investment/developmental field. These are also avenues for promoting the generation of more disaggregated data, linked with various indicators, to provide incentives for exemplary performance, consonant with human rights. On a related front, the Sustainable Development Goals framework provides more opportunities for various kinds of cooperation and support — particularly under Goal 17, which opens up space for more multilateral, regional and bilateral cooperation. There is the welcome vista of more South-South cooperation, as well as triangular cooperation — such as activities between States, civil society and the business sector; neither should the power of various forms of media and their reach be forgotten.
- 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
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Diversity in humanity, humanity in diversity 2017, para. 54
- Paragraph text
- There is thus a need to move towards decriminalization in respect of these laws, which regrettably help to fuel the violence and discrimination.
- 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
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Embrace diversity and energize humanity 2017, para. 2
- Paragraph text
- It should be recalled that everyone has some form of sexual orientation and gender identity. Sexual orientation denotes a person’s physical, romantic and/or emotional attraction towards others, while gender identity concerns a person’s self-perceived identity, which may be different from the sex assigned at birth, as well as the expression of gender identity. The two notions should not be conflated. However, it is unconscionable that persons with an actual or perceived sexual orientation and/or gender identity different from a particular social norm are targeted for violence and discrimination in many parts of the world. Killings, rape, mutilation, torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment as well as arbitrary detention, abduction, harassment, physical and mental assaults such as lashings and forced surgical interventions, bullying from a young age, pressures leading to suicide, and discriminatory action, aggravated by incitement to hatred, in relation to sexual orientation and gender identity are pervasive in numerous settings.
- 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
- All
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Embrace diversity and energize humanity 2017, para. 3
- Paragraph text
- The establishment of the mandate to promote action against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity is anchored in international human rights law, and it is a momentous commitment to multilateralism. It is an invitation to be forward looking and an incentive to move forward together. The present report is thus a clarion call to embrace diversity, complemented by the belief that respect for human rights energizes human society, yielding a positive dividend in terms of peace, sustainable development and societal inclusiveness. It also contributes to economic benefits, while reinforcing a sense of common humanity transcending borders and cultures.
- 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
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Embrace diversity and energize humanity 2017, para. 49
- Paragraph text
- Even though human rights are inherent to everyone and involve protection for all persons without exception, persons with an actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity diverging from a particular societal concept of sexual orientation and gender identity are at times targeted for violence and discrimination, and violations are pervasive in numerous settings.
- 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
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Embrace diversity and energize humanity 2017, para. 50
- Paragraph text
- Full enjoyment of human rights by such persons is a longitudinal challenge, starting in the home and extending to the educational system, the work place and life beyond. Discrimination is also intersectional. Many countries are, however, still hampered by the lack of or insufficiency of anti-discrimination measures, which is linked with the environment leading to violence and discrimination. There is thus a need for effective anti-discrimination measures covering both the public and private spheres, and of a comprehensive kind: not only formal but substantive, not only de jure but also de facto, in addition to the building of a community open to understanding and respecting sexual and gender diversity.
- 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
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Embrace diversity and energize humanity 2017, para. 53r
- Paragraph text
- The submission from the human rights Ombudsman of Guatemala called for more explicit integration of sexual orientation and gender identity into the legal framework as well as measures to counter the violence in the country. The extensive violence is much highlighted by non-governmental organization sources. Lack of knowledge of the law and difficult access to justice may also hamper implementation of a State’s anti-discrimination law.
- 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
- All
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph