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Discrimination against Roma 2000, para. 26
- Paragraph text
- [Recommends that the States parties to the Convention, taking into account their specific situations, adopt for the benefit of members of the Roma communities, inter alia, all or part of the following measures, as appropriate.] To include in textbooks, at all appropriate levels, chapters about the history and culture of Roma, and encourage and support the publication and distribution of books and other print materials as well as the broadcasting of television and radio programmes, as appropriate, about their history and culture, including in languages spoken by them.
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2000
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The meaning and scope of special measures in the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms Racial Discrimination 2009, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- Article 2, paragraph 2, of the Convention stipulates that "States parties shall, when the circumstances so warrant, take, in the social, economic, cultural and other fields, special and concrete measures to ensure the adequate development and protection of certain racial groups or individuals belonging to them, for the purpose of guaranteeing them the full and equal enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms. These measures shall in no case entail as a consequence the maintenance of unequal or separate rights for different racial groups after the objectives for which they were taken have been achieved".
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2009
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Article 19: Freedoms of opinion and expression 2011, para. 33
- Paragraph text
- Restrictions must be "necessary" for a legitimate purpose. Thus, for instance, a prohibition on commercial advertising in one language, with a view to protecting the language of a particular community, violates the test of necessity if the protection could be achieved in other ways that do not restrict freedom of expression. On the other hand, the Committee has considered that a State party complied with the test of necessity when it transferred a teacher who had published materials that expressed hostility toward a religious community to a non-teaching position in order to protect the right and freedom of children of that faith in a school district.
- Body
- Human Rights Committee
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Female circumcision 1990, para. 6
- Paragraph text
- Noting with grave concern that there are continuing cultural, traditional and economic pressures which help to perpetuate harmful practices, such as female circumcision,
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 1990
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Article 3 of the Convention 1995, para. 3
- Paragraph text
- The Committee observes that while conditions of complete or partial racial segregation may in some countries have been created by governmental policies, a condition of partial segregation may also arise as an unintended by-product of the actions of private persons. In many cities residential patterns are influenced by group differences in income, which are sometimes combined with differences of race, colour, descent and national or ethnic origin, so that inhabitants can be stigmatized and individuals suffer a form of discrimination in which racial grounds are mixed with other grounds.
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 1995
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Racial discrimination against people of African descent 2011, para. 4a
- Paragraph text
- [Formulates the following recommendations addressed to States parties:] [People of African descent live in many countries of the world, either dispersed among the local population or in communities, where they are entitled to exercise, without discrimination, individually or in community with other members of their group, as appropriate, the following specific rights:] The right to property and to the use, conservation and protection of lands traditionally occupied by them and to natural resources in cases where their ways of life and culture are linked to their utilization of lands and resources;
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Racial discrimination against people of African descent 2011, para. 66
- Paragraph text
- [Formulates the following recommendations addressed to States parties:] Include in textbooks, at all appropriate levels, chapters about the history and cultures of peoples of African descent and preserve this knowledge in museums and other forums for future generations, encourage and support the publication and distribution of books and other print materials, as well as the broadcasting of television and radio programmes about their history and cultures.
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Combatting racist hate speech 2013, para. 35
- Paragraph text
- In order to promote inter-ethnic understanding, balanced and objective representations of history are essential, and, where atrocities have been committed against groups of the population, days of remembrance and other public events should be held, where appropriate in context, to recall such human tragedies, as well as celebrations of successful resolution of conflicts. Truth and reconciliation commissions can also play a vital role in countering the persistence of racial hatred and facilitating the development of a climate of inter-ethnic tolerance.
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Forced evictions 1997, para. 6
- Paragraph text
- Many instances of forced eviction are associated with violence, such as evictions resulting from international armed conflicts, internal strife and communal or ethnic violence.
- Body
- Committee on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Year
- 1997
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Forced evictions 1997, para. 14
- Paragraph text
- In cases where eviction is considered to be justified, it should be carried out in strict compliance with the relevant provisions of international human rights law and in accordance with general principles of reasonableness and proportionality. In this regard it is especially pertinent to recall general comment No. 16 of the Human Rights Committee, relating to article 17 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which states that interference with a person's home can only take place "in cases envisaged by the law". The Committee observed that the law "should be in accordance with the provisions, aims and objectives of the Covenant and should be, in any event, reasonable in the particular circumstances". The Committee also indicated that "relevant legislation must specify in detail the precise circumstances in which such interferences may be permitted".
- Body
- Committee on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 1997
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Forced evictions 1997, para. 19
- Paragraph text
- In accordance with the guidelines for reporting adopted by the Committee, State parties are requested to provide various types of information pertaining directly to the practice of forced evictions. This includes information relating to (a) the "number of persons evicted within the last five years and the number of persons currently lacking legal protection against arbitrary eviction or any other kind of eviction", (b) "legislation concerning the rights of tenants to security of tenure, to protection from eviction" and (c) "legislation prohibiting any form of eviction".
- Body
- Committee on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 1997
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Discussion on "Recognition through Education, Cultural Rights and Data Collection" 2013, para. 50
- Paragraph text
- Recognition of people of African descent is related to the recognition of their existence, recognition of their contribution in the world development and recognition of their specific culture, history and heritage. It entails recognizing that people of African Descent are particularly vulnerable to racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance across the world, while also recognizing the specific, common history, culture and heritage of people of African descent globally.
- Body
- Working Group of experts on people of African descent
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Discussion on "Recognition through Education, Cultural Rights and Data Collection" 2013, para. 74
- Paragraph text
- The historical acknowledgement of people of African descent in global development has been characterized by the iconic status of some of the heroes and heroines and the development of tangible sites of memory to represent the other side of the intangible heritage of people of African descent. However, there are varying views and a gap in terms of the identification of many such heroes and, more importantly, heroines that have also contributed to the recognition of people of African descent.
- Body
- Working Group of experts on people of African descent
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Discussion on "Recognition through Education, Cultural Rights and Data Collection" 2013, para. 75g
- Paragraph text
- [In recognition of the contribution of the continent of Africa and people of African descent to the development, diversity and richness of world civilizations and cultures which constitute the common heritage of humankind, States should, in collaboration with relevant United Nations bodies and agencies, particularly the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and international donors:] Put in place measures and procedures to prevent the media from perpetuating negative stereotypes;
- Body
- Working Group of experts on people of African descent
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Activities of the Working Group 2014, para. 84g
- Paragraph text
- [In recognition of the contribution of the continent of Africa and people of African descent to the development, diversity and richness of world civilizations and cultures that constitute the common heritage of humankind, States should, in collaboration with relevant United Nations bodies and agencies, particularly the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and international donors:] Put in place measures and procedures to prevent the media from perpetuating negative stereotypes.
- Body
- Working Group of experts on people of African descent
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Activities of the Working Group 2016, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- The Working Group country visits and allegations received under the communication procedure show how structures based on racial bias or discrimination, including, racial phenotypes, still have a lasting and detrimental effect on Africans and people of African descent in the diaspora. This legacy must be addressed in an open dialogue in order to understand and address the roots of racial tensions and discrimination in society. In certain societies, the invisibility of people of African descent on account of policy assimilation prevents different forms of intolerance from being addressed appropriately. The collection of disaggregated data along ethnic lines based on voluntary self-identification is an important starting point in the conversation of identifying the disparities between, and addressing the human rights of, people of African descent.
- Body
- Working Group of experts on people of African descent
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Activities of the Working Group 2016, para. 45
- Paragraph text
- The Working Group recognizes that without the essential contribution of civil society, non-governmental organizations and academics, the fight against racism, racial discrimination, Afrophobia, xenophobia, Islamophobia and related intolerance will remain invisible. The link between their work, States and various United Nations mechanisms must be strengthened and made visible by joint equitable partnerships. There must be increased support for civil society engagement with States and the United Nations.
- Body
- Working Group of experts on people of African descent
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Preliminary survey on the root causes of attacks and discrimination against persons with albinism 2016, para. 18
- Paragraph text
- Beliefs that attribute supernatural qualities to persons with albinism serve only to dehumanize them. Such beliefs deify or demonize persons with albinism, and present as natural the exclusion, stigma and discrimination they face. This is the case, for example, in the widespread myth that persons with albinism do not die, but simply disappear. This myth is particularly disturbing because it justifies any sudden and inexplicable disappearance of a person with albinism from his or her community. This belief poses a strong risk to persons with albinism by proactively providing an acceptable explanation to the community for the disappearance of a person with albinism after an attack. Further, the existence of such a myth supports the hypothesis that violations of the life and security of persons with albinism predate the contemporary attention given to the issue.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Harmful Practices
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Preliminary survey on the root causes of attacks and discrimination against persons with albinism 2016, para. 21
- Paragraph text
- There are rare cases where persons with albinism are deified or viewed as having godlike qualities. For example, the Guna people in Latin America give a special place to persons with albinism as protectors. Tales of persons with albinism being considered as water deities or as natural chiefs have also been reported. While deification and positive supernaturalization of persons with albinism may appear to be desirable, this is not an ideal state because the person with albinism is still the subject of myths unfounded on fact or science. Consequently, their dignity remains grounded in subjective narratives and not in their objective status as human beings.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Witchcraft and the human rights of persons with albinism 2017, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- Similarly, the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief stated in the report of his mission to Sierra Leone (A/HRC/25/58/Add.1) that freedom of religion or belief, while allowing for legally defined limitations to protect the rights and freedoms of others, must be broadly understood. Witchcraft-related beliefs, whether in their ancient or modern form, are protected under the freedom of belief, as are actions related to such beliefs, as long as they do not violate the rights of others. However, he also stressed that "the serious harm inflicted on persons accused of witchcraft can never be justified", and that "if someone were to invoke the right to freedom of religion or belief in order to support harmful practices, such as the persecution and punishment of alleged witches, this would be a clear case for limiting the application of freedom of religion or belief". The same reasoning applies to other harmful practices, including attacks against persons with albinism: harmful practices can never be justified.
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The right of persons with disabilities to social protection 2015, para. 85
- Paragraph text
- The obligation of progressive realization prohibits deliberate retrogressive measures in the exercise of the right to social protection. According to the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, States can only justify a retrogressive measure if it is introduced after the most careful consideration of all other alternatives, and if duly justified by reference to the totality of the rights enshrined in the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. States must also demonstrate that the affected groups participated in the assessment of the proposed measures and alternatives; that the measures are not directly or indirectly discriminatory; and that they will not have a sustained impact on the realization of the right to social protection.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Privatization and the right to education 2014, para. 65
- Paragraph text
- The provision of basic education free of cost is not only a core obligation of States, but also a moral imperative. Social protests against exorbitant fee increases in education, especially in privatized higher education, are well known. In 2011, Chile became a glaring example of sacrificing social interest in education in favour of privatization; protests against privatization demanding an end to for-profit educational institutions that involved high costs for students were violently suppressed by police forces, resulting in the killing of a student.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Access to land and the right to food 2010, para. 25
- Paragraph text
- The protection of land-users' rights should not be limited to improving farmers' security of tenure. Fisherfolk need access to fishing grounds and may be severely affected by the fencing-off of land that provides access to the sea or to rivers. Pastoralists need grazing grounds for the animals that they raise. For these groups, as well as those practicing itinerant forms of agriculture, the formalization of property rights and the establishment of land registries may be the problem, not the solution: it may cause them to be fenced off from the resources on which they depend, making them victims of the vast enclosure movement that may result from titling. In Kenya, pastoralists whose rights were ignored in the formalization process have reportedly been the victims of violent land-grabbing by ranchers and others seeking scarce resources. Since they have no legal claim to the land, they cannot seek redress. In the United Republic of Tanzania, five years after a major titling effort had begun, pastoralists reported their eviction from multiple common grazing areas and were under threat of losing other grazing lands because those lands had been classified as "unused".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Access to land and the right to food 2010, para. 40b
- Paragraph text
- [In order to respect the right to food, States should:] Refrain from criminalizing legitimate social protest. Where insufficient progress has been made on the implementation of the commitments set out in the Final Declaration of the International Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development, and where deep land inequalities remain, the non-violent occupation of land by landless movements should not be criminalized. Human rights defenders who protest evictions and defend or promote land rights should be protected;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Food & Nutrition
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Access to land and the right to food 2010, para. 41b
- Paragraph text
- [In order to protect the right to food, States should:] Adopt tenancy laws, and effectively implement existing laws against the pressure to free land for private investors. The adoption of tenancy laws can protect tenants from eviction and from excessive levels of rent. Such laws can also allow a tenant's heirs to occupy the land if the tenant dies, and provide the tenant with the right to pre-emption if the landowner wishes to sell (ideally, at a below-market price); they can provide for the joint titling of husband and wife as tenants, in order to protect widows from the risk of eviction; and they can ensure that the tenant will be allowed to remain on the land if the property changes hands;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The implementation of the right to social protection through the adoption of social protection floors 2014, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- Just as human rights require recognition by law, so too has the Social Protection Floor Initiative emphasized the importance of entrenching the social protection right in national laws and regulations. That dimension has been well captured by the United Nations Development Group: Obligations and entitlements to social protection benefits should be specified in a precise manner, so as to clearly delineate the rights and duties of residents and contributors. To ensure the predictability and sustainability of social protection provisions, laws and regulations should be designed and enforced to support all social protection schemes and services.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Protection of journalists and press freedom 2010, para. 23
- Paragraph text
- In addition, the Special Rapporteur emphasizes the importance for journalists to be alert to the danger of discrimination being furthered by the media, and to do the utmost to avoid facilitating such discrimination based on, inter alia, race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. In this regard, the Special Rapporteur notes that, in accordance with international human rights law, any expression of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence should be prohibited, as should the dissemination of ideas based on racial superiority or hatred. Moreover, the Special Rapporteur encourages journalists to promote, through their work, a deeper understanding of racial, cultural and religious diversity, and to contribute to developing better intercultural relationships.
- 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
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Hate speech and incitement to hatred 2012, para. 78
- Paragraph text
- Given that blasphemy laws do not comply with the above-mentioned criteria, the Special Rapporteur urges States to repeal them and to replace them with laws protecting individuals' right to freedom of religion or belief in accordance with international human rights standards. In addition, any law that provides for disproportionate sanctions for the expression of opinions, such as the death penalty, should be repealed immediately. Similarly, the Special Rapporteur calls upon States to repeal laws that prohibit discussion of historic events. Just as religion, history should always be open to discussion and debate.
- 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
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Hate speech and incitement to hatred 2012, para. 55
- Paragraph text
- With regard to discussion of history, the Special Rapporteur is of the view that historical events should be open to discussion and, as stated by the Human Rights Committee, laws that penalize the expression of opinions about historical facts are incompatible with the obligations that the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights imposes on States parties in relation to the respect for freedom of opinion and expression (CCPR/C/GC/34, para. 49). By demanding that writers, journalists and citizens give only a version of events that is approved by the Government, States are enabled to subjugate freedom of expression to official versions of events.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in the context of elections 2013, para. 42
- Paragraph text
- Civil society organizations have also an important role to play in the context of elections. The role of civil society in contributing to and sustaining a robust democracy cannot be underestimated. In different capacities, organizations undertake various activities to advocate for the concerns and interests of their beneficiaries, to contribute to ensuring the integrity of the electoral process, to further contribute to the achievement, protection and strengthening of democratic goals and standards, and to keeping authorities accountable to the electorate. Among other things, civil society organizations promote political participation, undertake voter education, campaign for good governance reforms, provide vehicles for the expression of different interests, but also act as platforms that cut across tribal, ethnic, linguistic and other barriers, and catalyse public debate on issues that affect them.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph