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Title | Date added | Template | Original document | Paragraph text | Body | Document type | Thematics | Topic(s) | Person(s) affected | Year |
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Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 90 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Caste-based discrimination in education results in higher rates of illiteracy, a larger number of dropouts from school, and a higher risk of children from lower castes being recruited as child labourers, soldiers or sex workers and subjected corporal punishment and torture. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2016 | ||
Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 89 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | The types of structural discrimination and abuse faced by Dalit children in schools are particularly disturbing, as they are carried out by teachers and replicated by fellow students. They include segregation in classrooms, the use of derogatory terms for their caste, forcing them to perform manual work such as cleaning toilets and picking up garbage, and corporal punishment. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2016 | ||
Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 87 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Manual scavenging, the digging of graves, the cleaning of human excretions and forced prostitution also expose individuals in lower castes to a range of health hazards. Research further indicates that children in lower castes are at greater risk of infections and nutritional deficiencies. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2016 | ||
Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 66 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Minority groups fleeing crises can face disproportionate obstacles in terms of accessing labour markets, when they are in camps and once they are in host communities. Discrimination and fear is often at the origin of this challenge. The right to education can also be particularly impeded, especially for children who flee a crisis and enter a country where they do not know the language. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2016 | ||
The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 30 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Access to education continues to be a major obstacle for all Roma. The Government of Argentina has recognized the high levels of illiteracy and school dropout of Roma children. In Brazil, official data on literacy and/or school attendance of Roma children are lacking, but civil society organizations reported that very few Roma children living in camps have ever been to school, and estimate that 90 per cent of the Roma living in camps in Curitiba city are illiterate. Prejudice has also been identified as an obstacle for accessing public schools in Brazil, where Roma children are reportedly not given the chance to enrol on the pretext of a lack of space. A representative of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has emphasized that teachers' biased attitudes towards Lyuli children in Central Asia may result in violence at school. The illiteracy rate among Iraqi Roma is very high and many Roma children there are forced to take on irregular jobs or resort to begging. In Lebanon, 68 per cent of school-aged children reportedly do not attend school because of significant obstacles such as discrimination, legal and economic barriers, leading to street labour becoming a significant trend among Dom children. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2015 | ||
Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 56 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | International standards recognize that proactive measures designed to protect and promote the rights of prisoners with special needs are required. As recognized by the Luanda Guidelines on the Conditions of Arrest, Police Custody and Pretrial Detention in Africa, this requirement should be understood to include vulnerable minorities. Such measures, including special programmes for minority women and children in custody, should be developed in consultation with the affected prisoners and minority communities. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2015 | ||
The role of minority rights protection in promoting stability and conflict prevention 2011, para. 35 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | The Secretary-General has stated that respecting the rights of children, of women, and of all minorities is at the core of the Charter of the United Nations; it is both a moral obligation and an economic imperative. Discrimination and injustice threaten the goals for peace, security and sustainable development. Preserving minority languages and nurturing ethnic cultures and traditions lays the foundations for lasting stability. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2011 | ||
Minorities and effective political participation: a survey of law and national practices 2010, para. 26 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Human Rights Council resolution 6/15 invites the independent expert to include in her annual report recommendations for thematic subjects to be examined at future sessions of the Forum on Minority Issues. To date, the independent expert has received the following suggestions: minorities and poverty; access to justice; minorities and the media; and the situation of minority children. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2010 | ||
Ensuring the inclusion of minority issues in post- 2015 development agendas 2014, para. 84 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Despite the valuable new attention to inequalities, even within the numerous consultation reports emerging from the process, there is a tendency to place minorities at the end of a long list of disadvantaged groups or ignore them completely. The message that emerges from these high-level documents is that they are a relatively low priority in comparison to other inequality issues including gender equality, disability, children and age. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2014 | ||
Reflections on the six-year tenure of the Special Rapporteur 2017, para. 67 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | The Special Rapporteur has observed that certain groups within minority communities, such as minority women, children, older persons, persons with disabilities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons, experience unique challenges and multiple and intersectional forms of discrimination emanating from their status as members of minorities and their specific condition or situation. The Special Rapporteur encourages further research to fully understand their situation and calls for targeted actions to address their particular challenges. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2017 | ||
The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 28 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | The substandard living conditions of Roma in Europe are well-documented. Between 70 and 90 per cent of Roma report living in conditions of severe material deprivation. Exclusion from formal schooling remains widespread throughout Europe. Even in those countries where a majority of Roma children complete primary school, most do not obtain either a vocational certificate or a secondary qualification. In South-Eastern Europe, the participation of Roma in education beyond primary school is dramatically lower than that of the majority population, with only 18 per cent of Roma attending secondary school compared to 75 per cent of the majority community, and less than 1 per cent of Roma enrolled in university. Regarding health, European Roma are disproportionately unvaccinated, have poorer than average nutrition and experience higher rates of infant mortality and tuberculosis. Life expectancy among European Roma communities is reportedly significantly lower than among non-Roma communities. Similar marginalization exists with regard to employment. In 12 surveyed European Union countries, fewer than one out of three Roma were reported to be in paid employment. The Special Rapporteur welcomes the commitment of the European Commission to start infringement proceedings in cases in which European Union member States are not meeting their commitments under the Racial Equality Directive, and emphasizes that the Commission should more actively pursue that in order to secure better outcomes for European Union Roma. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2015 | ||
Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 81 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Human rights education as well as education for respect of diversity is of paramount importance to fostering a tolerant society, but is not sufficient: it must be complemented by education on the responsible use of the Internet and social media by citizens, particularly children and young people, so as to counter hate speech exposure and minimize other risks, such as cyberbullying. Several relevant initiatives to promote media literacy are led by States, international organizations and civil society, such as those presented below. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2015 | ||
Rights of linguistic minorities 2013, para. 81 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Minority communities are not homogenous and it is important to understand the challenges facing those, including women, children and the elderly, whose needs, perceptions and expectations may vary. Older people, who may be first-generation immigrants, may have stronger linguistic and cultural ties than young people who have been brought up and educated in their country of residence. They may face greater challenges in learning and adapting to the national language and require culturally sensitive, affordable and accessible assistance. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2013 | ||
Minority rights-based approaches to the protection and promotion of the rights of religious minorities 2013, para. 88 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | The creation of a culture of human rights and of respect and equal enjoyment of rights by all is key. This requires ongoing and concerted efforts as the religion-belief landscape in all societies is continuously in flux. Continued efforts are required that are focused especially, but not exclusively, on children and young adults who will shape the future of interfaith understanding and acceptance. Educational, political, policy and legal actors need to be engaged and responsive to those trends and respond to them in a concerted and active manner. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2013 | ||
Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 91 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | In Japan, the dropout rate for Buraku high school students is reported to be two to three times the national average. In addition, despite modest increases in college enrolment, the percentage of Buraku university students is still well below the national average. In Yemen, 80 per cent of the Muhamasheen are reported to be illiterate and suffer extreme poverty. In Mauritania, over 80 per cent of the Haratine do not complete primary school; they constitute only 5 per cent of students pursuing higher education. In Madagascar, most of the Andevo are reportedly illiterate. In Senegal, civil society reports state that children from lower castes were prevented from sitting with classmates from higher castes. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2016 | ||
Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 39 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | UNHCR has also developed policies and materials that provide further guidance regarding refugees on how to ensure that refugee protection responses are participatory, non-discriminatory, and sensitive to the specific needs of all persons of concern, including the specific needs of members of minority groups. Its Executive Committee (ExCom), comprising over 90 States, adopted in 2005 a General Conclusion on International Protection No. 102 which "acknowledges the important contribution of the age and gender and diversity mainstreaming strategy in identifying, through a participatory approach, the protection risks faced by the different members of the refugee community; and encourages UNHCR and its NGO partners to continue to roll out and implement on the ground this important strategy, as a means to promote the rights and well-being of all refugees, in particular the non-discriminatory treatment and protection of refugee women and refugee children and minority groups of refugees". | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2016 | ||
The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 40 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Exclusion from public and political life must therefore be seen as both a cause and a consequence of the lack of enjoyment of economic and social rights, including lack of education opportunities, poverty, substandard living conditions and language barriers. The Special Rapporteur also underlines how the widespread fragility of Roma individuals' legal status impedes political participation. For example, in the Middle East, some Dom individuals are reportedly unable to pay hospital fees when their children are born, so no birth certificate is issued and the possibility of securing citizenship is denied. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2015 | ||
The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 36 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Statelessness also disproportionately affects Roma, who despite being born in or having long-standing ties to a country, speaking the local language and having no other country of citizenship, often have no access to nationality. Lack of documentation also hampers not only Roma political participation, but also access to services, thereby reinforcing the vicious circle of poverty and marginalization. An NGO report to the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on Ukraine indicated that up to 40 per cent of Roma in the Odessa region lack at least one of the documents necessary to access a range of services. In the Russian Federation, lack of personal documentation prevents Roma from accessing employment, social allowances and health care, and from voting or accessing education in some schools due to discriminatory practices of school authorities. In 2004, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination expressed concern about allegations concerning discrimination faced by Roma with regard to birth registration and access to schools for their children in Brazil. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2015 | ||
The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 32 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | The Special Rapporteur regrets the lack of comprehensive health indicators and the scarce evidence, including information on reproductive, maternal and child health, for assessing the health situation of Roma outside Europe. Poverty, lack of identification documents and lack of transportation from remote areas to health-care facilities all impact on Roma health, which can be compounded by poor living conditions, such as living in proximity to garbage dumps or polluted rivers. Factors precluding Roma access to health care across the regions include Roma patients being refused medical treatment, having no access to emergency services, being subject to verbal abuse, or being segregated in hospital facilities. Furthermore, lack of access to health care may result from indirect discriminatory practices when Roma have to provide identity or residency documents in order to register and qualify for health-care benefits. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2015 | ||
Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 67 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Multiple forms of discrimination which may further curtail access to justice can also arise from within the minority community. Minority women may face multiple stigmas in relation to their ethnic or religious background, their sex, and the nature of the crime of which they were the victim. In India, for instance, Dalit women subjected to violence reportedly face unnecessary delays and pressure to drop charges, which are linked to a combination of their gender and minority status. In some countries of Eastern and Central Europe and Central Asia, parental attitudes can limit minority children's access to justice: girls in particular are expected to remain silent about problematic family situations. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2015 | ||
Ensuring the inclusion of minority issues in post- 2015 development agendas 2014, para. 67 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Directly linked to health concerns, minorities are frequently in a vulnerable situation in regard to hunger, food security and nutrition. High levels of poverty and extreme poverty, lack of access to employment or secure forms of income, land or land tenure all impact on their food security. In India, for example, child malnutrition is some 14-20 per cent higher for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and has been declining at a slower rate than for the rest of the populations over the period of the MDGs. In country visits by the mandate holders to Rwanda (2011) and Cameroon (2013), food security and nutrition was a major concern of Batwa and Pygmy communities, many of whom are displaced from traditional forest habitats and can no longer maintain their hunter/gather lifestyles and access forest-based food sources. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2014 | ||
Ensuring the inclusion of minority issues in post- 2015 development agendas 2014, para. 60 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | In 2009, of the world's 101 million children out of school, an estimated 50-70 per cent were from minorities or indigenous peoples. In Central Africa, the great majority of Batwa and Baka have not had access even to primary education. Only 13 per cent of children in sub-Saharan Africa have access to primary education in their mother tongue. In South Asia, Dalit girls are prevented from pursuing their education not only because of poverty, but through discrimination and sexual violence. Literacy levels are commonly much lower among Dalit girls. For example, in the Mushahar Dalit community in India, barely 9 per cent of women are literate. In Latin America, millions of indigenous and African descendant children work in fields, plantations or mines instead of being in school. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2014 | ||
Ensuring the inclusion of minority issues in post- 2015 development agendas 2014, para. 59 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Education is a basic human right for all children, and yet in all regions there are minority children who do not enjoy that right or enjoy it to a much lesser extent than others. Often countries face serious problems in providing basic education for many children owing to factors including scarcity of resources, poverty and conflict. However the challenges and barriers to minority children are frequently based on and perpetuated by discrimination and social exclusion. Lack of access to education perpetuates a cycle of poverty that is often experienced most acutely by minority communities. Yet conversely, education provides a gateway to development and the full enjoyment of a wide array of human rights for minorities. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2014 | ||
Preventing and addressing violence and atrocities against minorities 2014, para. 49 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | [Violence against minorities may be difficult to predict and rapidly develop based on a particular event or trigger. However, in some cases warning signs are evident long before violence breaks out and opportunities exist to prevent it at an important early stage. What is essential is that early warning indicators lead to early action to avert violence. The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has elaborated indicators relating to the threat of genocide. These and similar indicators can and should be used to identify lower-level risk of violence against minorities. Fifteen indicators were elaborated to assess the existence of factors known to lead to conflict and genocide (see A/60/18, chap. II), and can be summarized as follows:] Forced removal of children | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2014 | ||
Preventing and addressing violence and atrocities against minorities 2014, para. 18 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Academic studies point to linkages among a low growth rate, inequality and the higher chance of conflict in developing countries. The likelihood of unrest and violent conflict is higher where there are significant horizontal inequalities in political or economic status between different ethnic or culturally defined groups. Indicators demonstrate how higher rates of educational attainment can lower the risk of internal conflict. In 2009, of the world's 101 million children out of school, an estimated 50 to 70 per cent were members of minorities or indigenous peoples. It is essential that minorities be integrated and able to benefit from development policies. The Special Rapporteur dedicated her annual report to the Human Rights Council in 2014 (A/HRC/25/56) to the importance of including minorities in the planning, implementation and evaluation of new development goals in the post-2015 development agenda, as a means to reduce inequalities. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2014 | ||
Preventing and addressing violence and atrocities against minorities 2014, para. 14 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | In the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (General Assembly resolution 260 A (III), annex), genocide is recognized as an international crime which entails the national and international responsibility of individual persons and States. According to article II of the Convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group: (a) killing members of the group; (b) causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; (c) deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; (d) imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; and (e) forcibly transferring children of the group to another group. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2014 | ||
Rights of linguistic minorities 2013, para. 61 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Minorities have the right to name their children in minority languages, and no undue restriction should be placed upon that right or the official recognition of minority names in birth registration or other official documents. Restrictions on the use of certain names or scripts have been reported and constitute a breach of the rights of minority groups to enjoy their language, culture and identity. Where historical restrictions have been imposed and subsequently repealed, legal and administrative measures may be required to ensure that those affected may legally register and use their preferred spoken and written names. Birth registration and other relevant forms should, wherever possible, be available in the languages spoken by large minority populations. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2013 | ||
Rights of linguistic minorities 2013, para. 51 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | UNICEF highlights evidence that bilingual education from the earliest years of schooling ensures that minority children become proficient in their mother tongue and the dominant language from an early age. Teaching children for a recommended six to eight years in their mother tongue and gradually introducing national languages has advantages, including the following: children learn better, are more confident and are well equipped to transfer their literacy and numeracy skills to additional languages; children experience less frustration and failure and fewer drop out of school; and by including families and drawing on local cultural heritage, mother tongue–based education contributes to communities’ social and cultural well-being and fosters inclusiveness within wider society. However, many countries have not adopted bilingual learning approaches. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2013 | ||
Rights of linguistic minorities 2013, para. 49 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Many minorities have poor access to education, and frequently education is not in their mother tongue. Literacy levels for some minorities are often low compared to the average. The parents of minority children may be unable to assist their children or engage fully with the education process if they are not proficient in the official language. Where mother-tongue languages are orally transmitted or taught informally in the home, children may not obtain adequate language education allowing them to be fully literate in either their mother tongue or the national language, with consequences for cultural and language transmission and reproduction. Some minorities have reported that entrance examinations for higher education are only in the national language, which places them at a disadvantage and results in fewer minorities progressing to higher education. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2013 | ||
Rights of linguistic minorities 2013, para. 48 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Restrictions on minority languages in the field of education are particularly sensitive and can be the cause of grievances. The 1992 Declaration on Minorities states that wherever possible minorities have the right to learn or to have instruction in their mother tongue (art. 4, para. 3). Indeed, the commentary to the Declaration states that “denying minorities the possibility of learning their own language and of receiving instruction in their own language, or excluding from their education the transmission of knowledge about their own culture, history, tradition and language, would be a violation of the obligation to protect their identity” (E/CN.4/Sub.2/AC.5/2005/2, para. 28). Where official State languages are the only languages used in schools, minority children whose first language is their minority language are placed at a disadvantage from the earliest years of school, since they are often less proficient in the State language and are likely to fall behind. | Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2013 |