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Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status

Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Legal status
Non-negotiated soft law
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Year
2016
Document code
A/HRC/31/56
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Document

Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media

Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Legal status
Non-negotiated soft law
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Year
2015
Document code
A/HRC/28/64
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Document

The role of minority rights protection in promoting stability and conflict prevention

Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Legal status
Non-negotiated soft law
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Year
2011
Document code
A/HRC/16/45
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Document

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism

Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Legal status
Non-negotiated soft law
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Year
2015
Document code
A/HRC/29/24
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Document

Minorities in the criminal justice system

Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Legal status
Non-negotiated soft law
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Year
2015
Document code
A/70/212
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Document

Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises

Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Legal status
Non-negotiated soft law
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Year
2016
Document code
A/71/254
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Document

Preventing and addressing violence and atrocities against minorities

Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Legal status
Non-negotiated soft law
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Year
2014
Document code
A/69/266
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Document

Protection of minority rights in conflict prevention

Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Legal status
Non-negotiated soft law
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Year
2010
Document code
A/65/287
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Document

Reflections on the six-year tenure of the Special Rapporteur

Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Legal status
Non-negotiated soft law
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Year
2017
Document code
A/HRC/34/53
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Document

Ensuring the inclusion of minority issues in post- 2015 development agendas

Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Legal status
Non-negotiated soft law
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Year
2014
Document code
A/HRC/25/56
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Document

Minority rights-based approaches to the protection and promotion of the rights of religious minorities

Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Legal status
Non-negotiated soft law
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Year
2013
Document code
A/68/268
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Document

Priorities for the work of the Independent Expert and the twentieth anniversary of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities

Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Legal status
Non-negotiated soft law
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Year
2012
Document code
A/HRC/19/56
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Document

The role and activities of national institutional mechanisms in promoting and protecting minority rights

Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Legal status
Non-negotiated soft law
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Year
2012
Document code
A/67/293
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Document

Minorities and effective political participation: a survey of law and national practices

Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Legal status
Non-negotiated soft law
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Year
2010
Document code
A/HRC/13/23
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Document

Rights of linguistic minorities

Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Legal status
Non-negotiated soft law
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Year
2013
Document code
A/HRC/22/49
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Document

Reflections on the six-year tenure of the Special Rapporteur 2017, para. 92

Paragraph text
The Special Rapporteur calls upon States to review their respective domestic legislation to ensure that it is fully in line with the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities. She recalls the four pillars of minority rights protection that should be reflected in those laws: (a) the protection of a minority's survival by combating violence against its members and preventing genocide; (b) the protection and promotion of the cultural identity of minority groups, and their right to enjoy their collective identity and to reject forced assimilation; (c) the guarantee of the rights to non-discrimination and equality, including ending structural or systemic discrimination and the promotion of affirmative action, when required; (d) the right to effective participation of minorities in public life and in decisions that affect them. The Special Rapporteur wishes to stress that merely having non-discrimination clauses, according to which all members of the society are to be treated equally, without the aforementioned additional guarantees have often proven insufficient for effective protection of disadvantaged minorities.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2017
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Preventing and addressing violence and atrocities against minorities 2014, para. 79

Paragraph text
The Secretary-General has laid out a three-pillar strategy for the implementation of the responsibility to protect (see A/63/677), drawn from paragraphs 138 and 139 of the 2005 World Summit Outcome. The first pillar emphasizes the primary responsibility of States to protect their populations by preventing genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity (atrocity crimes). The second highlights the commitment of the international community to assist States to meet their obligations and to provide necessary support and capacity-building measures when a State is unable to meet its obligation to protect populations. Under the third pillar, the international community must use appropriate diplomatic, humanitarian and other means to protect populations from these crimes but must be prepared to take additional collective action to protect populations, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations. The three pillars are not sequential and each pillar is of equal importance. They are also mutually reinforcing: while appointing a special envoy to a country to monitor a deteriorating situation is a response on its own, it is also a preventative tool as it might help to stop the violence from escalating.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Humanitarian
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2014
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 63

Paragraph text
Minority victims of crimes are entitled to equal access to justice and reparation; indeed, the special needs of minorities should be taken into account in the provision of victim services and assistance. In practice however, these rights are often not respected or fulfilled.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Reflections on the six-year tenure of the Special Rapporteur 2017, para. 90

Paragraph text
Next year will mark the tenth anniversary of the creation of the Forum on Minority Issues, and the Special Rapporteur considers this to be an ideal opportunity to further reflect on the above-mentioned challenges and ways to better promote and achieve the goals of the Forum.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Year
2017
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Reflections on the six-year tenure of the Special Rapporteur 2017, para. 57

Paragraph text
In the following paragraphs, the Special Rapporteur highlights issues that have consistently emerged during the course of her work, including country visits, which she considers as requiring greater attention by Governments, the international community and minority groups.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2017
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Reflections on the six-year tenure of the Special Rapporteur 2017, para. 42

Paragraph text
The Special Rapporteur welcomed the work of her predecessor relating to the rights and status of members of minorities in all regions that find themselves denied or deprived of citizenship, and has continued to raise awareness on these specific communities.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2017
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 86

Paragraph text
In 2009, a survey by the Ministry of Health in Nepal found that the maternal mortality rates for Dalit women and women from the Therai and Madhesi castes were significantly higher than those for women from higher castes.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Gender
  • Health
Person(s) affected
  • Women
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 85

Paragraph text
Women in lower castes present the worst health outcomes. For instance, a study in India demonstrated stark disparities between Dalit and non-Dalit women in terms of life expectancy and access to prenatal and postnatal care.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Gender
  • Health
Person(s) affected
  • Women
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 44

Paragraph text
Caste-affected groups have also been identified in other countries, such as Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, the Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali and Sierra Leone.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Gender
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 76

Paragraph text
Owing to multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, specific challenges face minority women and girls affected by humanitarian crises. According to the General Recommendation on women in conflict prevention, conflict and post-conflict situations of the Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (see CEDAW/C/GC/30, para. 36), during and after conflict specific groups of women, including, inter alia, internally displaced and refugee women, women of diverse caste, ethnic, national or religious identities, or of other minorities, are at a particular risk of violence, especially sexual violence. These groups of women "are often attacked as symbolic representatives of their community". The Committee has further noted that stateless women and girls face heightened risk of abuse during conflict, owing to, among other factors, their minority status (ibid, para. 60). Minority women may be particularly at risk of sexual and gender-based violence and other forms of violence, including slavery and trafficking. The Special Rapporteur was deeply troubled and saddened when she listened to the testimonies of Yezidi women in Iraq of sexual and gender-based violence committed against them by Daesh, which acts must be fully investigated and their perpetrators prosecuted.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Humanitarian
  • Violence
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
  • Girls
  • Persons on the move
  • Women
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 76

Paragraph text
The Special Rapporteur observes that there are often underlying attitudes that contribute to the lack of focus on empowerment of Roma communities and organizations. They can be outright discriminatory attitudes, such as when decision-making authorities adopt the paternalistic attitude that they are better equipped to make decisions on behalf of Roma. However, there are also more subtle forms of bias, including the tendency to focus on Roma as passive victims of discrimination, which may have the effect of perpetuating erroneous assumptions about their inability to contribute to society. This in turn hampers the shift from a perception of Roma as primarily passive victims of discrimination to an acknowledgment of their role as active agents of transformation who can participate in policy decisions that affect them. The Special Rapporteur notes that effective, meaningful participation must be a transformative process that becomes an inclusive experience, facilitating Roma involvement, empowerment and active citizenship. Such a participatory approach must also guarantee that those whose voices are rarely heard are empowered, including Roma women and young people.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Women
  • Youth
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 22

Paragraph text
The Special Rapporteur also remains concerned by the failure of public authorities to protect Roma from violent attacks. That includes the lack of systematic intervention and condemnation by public figures when political and public discourse perpetuates racist and extreme views about Roma, and the failure of law enforcement authorities to protect Roma from the perpetrators of crimes against them. For example, a violent police crackdown on a Roma community in Slovakia in 2013 was condemned by a number of special procedures mandate holders, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the country's Ombudswoman. Nevertheless, the Minister of the Interior of Slovakia publically labelled the Roma victims of that intervention as criminals, and investigation into the police misconduct has been slow, with no charges brought against the police to date. Such failures by authorities to protect Roma adequately and to distance themselves from all manifestations of anti-Gypsyism not only promote a climate of distrust, dissuading Roma from reporting violent crimes against them to authorities, but also create an atmosphere of impunity and may encourage further acts of violence against Roma.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Violence
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 45

Paragraph text
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights prohibits "any propaganda for war" as well as "any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence" (art. 20).
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 110

Paragraph text
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights should consider producing guidelines on integration with diversity in policing, thereby resuming the process initiated under the former Working Group on Minorities.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 106

Paragraph text
States should ascertain whether minorities are subjected to harsher penalties in sentencing or execution of sentence, identify any role that direct or indirect discrimination plays in this regard, and take measures to eliminate it.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 98

Paragraph text
States should establish mechanisms, policies and practices for community-oriented policing which bring together police agencies and minorities to participate in the administration of justice, and to foster trust, dialogue and partnership.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 92

Paragraph text
Sources cited throughout this report provide States with many practical recommendations on how to improve the situation of minorities in the criminal justice system. Space considerations permit the Special Rapporteur to highlight only a few:
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 74

Paragraph text
Rules of general application concerning formalities, such as appropriate dress in the courtroom (removal of headwear for instance), may, if applied without exception, be perceived as means of excluding or denigrating minorities, negatively impacting on their participation, cooperation and attitude towards the court.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 51

Paragraph text
Independent professional bodies for judges, prosecutors and lawyers should ensure that codes of conduct prohibit discrimination against minorities, that complaints of discrimination are promptly and impartially investigated, and that disciplinary proceedings follow whenever complaints are well founded.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Priorities for the work of the Independent Expert and the twentieth anniversary of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities 2012, para. 82

Paragraph text
The independent expert looks forward to fulfilling the requirements of her Human Rights Council mandate and to constructive and fruitful cooperation with diverse stakeholders in all regions towards that end. She particularly notes her desire for a constructive engagement with United Nations Member States and encourages Member States to respond positively to her requests for information or for country visits, while emphasizing that her mandate remains available to provide assistance to States and respond to their requests, including in the area of technical cooperation, to the fullest extent possible. Equally, the independent expert reiterates the importance that she places on the role and views of non-governmental organizations and representatives of minority communities themselves, including in providing information to her and engaging and assisting her fully as she conducts her work on minority issues and with and on behalf of minority communities.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Priorities for the work of the Independent Expert and the twentieth anniversary of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities 2012, para. 70

Paragraph text
The issues and concerns of minority women frequently receive a lower priority than the efforts made to ensure minority rights for the group in general. Women belonging to minority groups often struggle within their communities to advocate for their rights, which can be set aside as a result of the prioritization of the general concerns of the group. Barriers to the empowerment of some minority women, including lack of social or economic contact, networks or minority women's support groups, and scarcity of female minority role models have an important impact on the enjoyment by minority women and girls of their human rights. Minority women may hesitate to voice their gender-specific grievances even within their groups, let alone outside them. Minority women's rights could also benefit from increased attention by the broader movement for women's rights. In turn, the women's rights movement would also benefit from the specific experiences of minority women in their overall struggle for equality.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Gender
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
  • Girls
  • Women
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Priorities for the work of the Independent Expert and the twentieth anniversary of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities 2012, para. 53

Paragraph text
During the course of 2012 the independent expert looks forward to participating in a variety of events to mark the 20th anniversary. Among these events will be a series of sub-regional conferences organized by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and hosted by some of its regional offices. These events will seek to bring together a variety of stakeholders from the regions in question including representatives of national Governments, civil society actors working in the field of minority rights, and regional staff from OHCHR and United Nations specialized agencies. The events will promote awareness of the Declaration and consider specific issues most relevant to minorities in the region in question. Regional events will also provide a valuable opportunity for the independent expert and OHCHR to deliver the recommendations of the Forum on Minority Issues and other relevant recommendations, guidelines and resources to decision makers and stakeholders in a sub-regional context.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Priorities for the work of the Independent Expert and the twentieth anniversary of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities 2012, para. 38

Paragraph text
The independent expert emphasizes that full implementation by all States of the Declaration on Minorities should be considered a key measure to promote equality and political and social stability and as an essential component of good governance in diverse societies. She will pay particular attention to early signs of potential conflicts among different communities, such as indicators of increasing alienation or hatred against certain groups. Examination of challenges and positive practices relating to hate speech and hate crime legislation will be an area of focus. She will seek consultations with diverse stakeholders including in countries where inter-ethnic or interreligious tensions or conflict have previously occurred in order to identify ongoing challenges as well as learn about positive practices, preventative strategies and peace-building initiatives. In particular she draws attention to the need for minorities to be appropriately represented and to participate effectively in public life.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The role of minority rights protection in promoting stability and conflict prevention 2011, para. 100

Paragraph text
Effective steps should be taken to ensure that the national staff composition of the United Nations country teams is inclusive of persons from minority communities.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2011
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Protection of minority rights in conflict prevention 2010, para. 37

Paragraph text
Equally, efforts must be made to give voice to the diversity of members within minority communities, including women, youth and the elderly, and to interest groups such as returning internally displaced persons. The participation of civil society in debates over models for inclusion is essential.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Movement
Person(s) affected
  • Persons on the move
  • Women
  • Youth
Year
2010
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Reflections on the six-year tenure of the Special Rapporteur 2017, para. 99

Paragraph text
The United Nations in general should advocate more strongly for minority rights protection at both national and regional levels, to seek to ensure that States strengthen their legal, policy and institutional frameworks and that regional anti-discrimination and minority rights standards and mechanisms are put in place for the protection and promotion of minority rights, respectively. Equally, the Organization should consider strengthening existing mechanisms and platforms for minorities within the United Nations system, including the Forum on Minority Issues. It would be important for the United Nations network on racial discrimination and the protection of minorities to regularly update the Human Rights Council about its work. Furthermore, the establishment of a committee to monitor the implementation of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide is long overdue and would assist Member States in complying with the Convention. It would also be crucial to appoint a high-level official on minority issues within the Secretariat as well to establish senior positions within United Nations departments and agencies to look into issues of minority rights protection, diversity management and safeguarding pluralistic societies. The designation of minority focal points in all United Nations field offices would be another great step forward.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2017
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Reflections on the six-year tenure of the Special Rapporteur 2017, para. 87

Paragraph text
During her tenure, the Special Rapporteur has promoted the work of and the recommendations emanating from the Forum on Minority Issues in other forums. As a regional follow-up activity to the Forum, she travelled to Banjul in April 2013 to attend the fifty-third ordinary session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights where, among other activities, she organized a public side event with the participation of Commissioner Soyata Maïga, who served as Chair of the fifth session of the Forum. That event provided an opportunity to brief the participants about the mandate and the Forum, and to share information related to minorities with different African human rights mechanisms. In November 2015, the Special Rapporteur organized a side event during the eighth session of the Forum to consider, inter alia, ways to improve the structure and working methods of the Forum, to share best practices on how to better mainstream its recommendations and to discuss how United Nations mechanisms, in particular the Forum, could remain relevant for and accessible to minorities on the ground. In October 2016, on the occasion of the presentation of her report to the General Assembly, she convened a consultative session in New York that served as an opportunity to discuss the draft recommendations of the Forum ahead of its ninth session as well as to raise awareness of the work of the Forum outside Geneva and engage relevant stakeholders in New York.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2017
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Reflections on the six-year tenure of the Special Rapporteur 2017, para. 86

Paragraph text
The mandate of the Special Rapporteur thus complements and enhances the work of the Forum, and the Special Rapporteur has fostered the complementary and mutual reinforcement of both mechanisms throughout her tenure. She has guided a total of six sessions of the Forum on the following themes: "Guaranteeing the rights of minority women" (2011), "Implementing the United Nations declaration on minority rights: identifying positive practices and opportunities" (2012), "Guaranteeing the rights of religious minorities" (2013), "Preventing and addressing violence and atrocity crimes targeted against minorities" (2014), "Minorities in the criminal justice system" (2015) and "Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises" (2016). Since 2013, the Special Rapporteur has devoted her annual thematic report to the General Assembly to the same topic as the Forum session, as a means to contribute to and inform the discussions within the Forum. The Special Rapporteur notes that the themes she selected for the annual sessions focused on areas that had emerged as particularly concerning or problematic for minorities and where they believed that minority rights should be better applied and mainstreamed. She believes that the Forum makes a vital contribution to deepening international understanding on these important and topical areas as well as to international standard and norm setting.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Humanitarian
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
  • Women
Year
2017
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Reflections on the six-year tenure of the Special Rapporteur 2017, para. 84

Paragraph text
The Special Rapporteur encourages United Nations offices and agencies, Member States and civil society and minority representatives to organize specific initiatives to mark this important anniversary to further promote awareness of the Declaration and consider specific issues most relevant to minorities.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2017
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Reflections on the six-year tenure of the Special Rapporteur 2017, para. 64

Paragraph text
In some instances, States are reluctant to recognize the existence of minority groups within their territories, and therefore reject the concept of "minority" and the recognition of minority status for those groups. In other cases, States legally recognize certain groups as minorities in their constitution, but apply restrictive definitions or discriminatory criteria, for example, when introducing citizenship as a distinguishing criterion for granting minority rights (ibid., para. 10).
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2017
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Reflections on the six-year tenure of the Special Rapporteur 2017, para. 62

Paragraph text
In certain regions, she has found that groups that fall or would fall under the legal category of "minorities" because of the distinct cultural, linguistic, religious or other identity of their members reject the use of the term, which they regard as "derogatory", "discriminatory", or establishing a "second-class" category of citizens. In these cases, groups tend to use alternative nomenclature to refer to themselves, such as "religious groups", "communities", "societal components" and others.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2017
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Reflections on the six-year tenure of the Special Rapporteur 2017, para. 60

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The Special Rapporteur is concerned that in some regions and in several countries, minority rights protection is not seen to be important, or even relevant, owing to deliberate denial or lack of understanding of its legitimacy. There is a need for stronger awareness-raising on what the entire minority rights protection regime entails, that it also includes wide-ranging issues around religious and linguistic identity, and that the effective promotion and protection of the rights of minorities contribute to the political and social stability of States and, therefore, are always timely and important. It is essential to understand that majority-minority relations should be assessed not only from a national perspective but also specifically in the context of smaller territorial and local levels, where the dynamics and dimensions of identity, ethnicity, religion, language and access to power and resources are frequently more important and play a greater role in the daily lives of individuals and communities. The notions of "majority" and "minority" may be interchangeable and depend on the particular context, as a group that constitutes a dominant majority nationally or regionally may be numerically inferior and non-dominant in another region. Therefore, minority rights standards must also be applied to those groups constituting de facto minorities in the localities where they live.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2017
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Reflections on the six-year tenure of the Special Rapporteur 2017, para. 50

Paragraph text
The Special Rapporteur sought further opportunities to build on the work of the previous mandate holder on the role of minority rights protection in conflict prevention presented to the General Assembly in 2010 and the Human Rights Council in 2011, and dedicated her report to the General Assembly in 2014 (A/69/266) as well as the seventh session of the Forum on Minority Issues to preventing and addressing violence and atrocities against minorities.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Humanitarian
  • Violence
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2017
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Reflections on the six-year tenure of the Special Rapporteur 2017, para. 46

Paragraph text
The Special Rapporteur dedicated the first Forum on Minority Issues under her leadership, the fourth session, to the topic "Guaranteeing the rights of minority women". The Forum participants recognized that it was particularly important that the voices and views of minority women be heard and that they be consulted and have the opportunity to participate fully in all aspects of life, both within their communities and in the wider society. Barriers to the empowerment of some minority women, including lack of social or economic contacts, networks or minority women's support groups, and scarcity of female minority role models had an important impact on the enjoyment by minority women and girls of their human rights. The Forum considered specific thematic areas in detail, for example, the access of minority women and girls to education; their ability to take part effectively in economic life and to have access to labour markets; and issues relating to their participation in social, cultural and political life. It recommended that Governments should seek and encourage opportunities for women's participation and work together with minority communities as well as minority and women's rights organizations to develop and implement programmes to sensitize minority women about their rights, and men about minority women's rights. All the relevant documents, including statements, the final recommendations and the summary report, are available on the Forum's website.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
  • Girls
  • Women
Year
2017
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Reflections on the six-year tenure of the Special Rapporteur 2017, para. 38

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In her report, the Special Rapporteur emphasized that for minorities, language was a central element and expression of their identity and of key importance in the preservation of group identity. Language was often particularly important to non-dominant communities seeking to maintain their distinct group and cultural identity, sometimes under conditions of marginalization, exclusion and discrimination. Minority language rights and language use were frequently a source of tensions, both between and within States. Proponents of linguistic rights had sometimes been associated with secessionist movements or had been seen as a threat to the integrity or unity of a State. The Special Rapporteur pointed out that it was often only when minorities asserted their rights to identity and language that discrimination or persecution started. Fulfilling the rights of minorities, including their language rights, was an essential means to prevent tensions from emerging and was a key element of good governance and conflict prevention. If not appropriately addressed at an early stage, such tensions had led to protracted conflicts and deepening of divisions between linguistic groups. Where conflicts had ceased or peacebuilding initiatives were under way, it was essential that all groups in society should play a full role in discussions, negotiations and decision-making processes.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2017
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Reflections on the six-year tenure of the Special Rapporteur 2017, para. 35

Paragraph text
The Forum on Minority Issues continued to serve as a unique platform for dialogue between minority representatives, civil society, academia, United Nations agencies and Member States on the challenges and progress made relevant to minority rights protection. In section E below the Special Rapporteur discusses the current state of the Forum and makes recommendations on how to improve it further.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2017
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Reflections on the six-year tenure of the Special Rapporteur 2017, para. 31

Paragraph text
As she approaches the end of her tenure as mandate holder, the Special Rapporteur has undertaken a review of the major developments relating to her work, particularly with respect to the thematic priorities she had decided to focus on at the beginning of her mandate (A/HRC/19/56), as well as the major challenges and emerging issues in the field of minority rights protection that she came across during her tenure.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2017
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 138

Paragraph text
The draft United Nations principles and guidelines for the effective elimination of discrimination based on work and descent should be promoted by States and endorsed by the Human Rights Council.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 137

Paragraph text
States should extend invitations to special procedure mandate holders to assess the situation of caste-affected communities in their respective countries and request their assistance for technical cooperation.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Movement
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 135

Paragraph text
Human rights education in schools should be a mandatory subject. Language in school textbooks should be revised to eliminate stereotypical and prejudicial portrayals of caste-affected communities and contest the social construction of caste and caste-like systems and related notions, including untouchability and segregation.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Education
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 131

Paragraph text
Special measures, including reservations, quota systems and/or schemes, should be put into place and enforced in specific areas, including employment, education, and public and political institutions, in order to guarantee the effective participation and representation of affected communities in public life.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Movement
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 128

Paragraph text
States should adopt specific legislation prohibiting discrimination on the grounds of caste and/or analogous systems. Existing legal frameworks to combat caste discrimination must be adequately and fully implemented and include appropriate penalties for acts of caste-based discrimination.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 127

Paragraph text
The Special Rapporteur believes that relevant elements and standards emanating from the minority rights framework, including equality, non discrimination, consultation, participation and special measures, can contribute to the protection of the rights of caste-affected communities and should be applied to combat discrimination based on caste and analogous systems.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 126

Paragraph text
Discrimination on the basis of caste and analogous systems is a major cause of poverty, inequality and social exclusion of affected communities. In the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, States should consider including caste-specific indicators to ensure that the Sustainable Development Goals and their targets address the situation of affected groups.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Poverty
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 122

Paragraph text
In Yemen, the All Youth Network for Community Development was set up by young people belonging to the Akhdam minority (Muhamasheen) to work at the local level to eliminate caste discrimination. Its programmes target education, political participation, human rights education and capacity-building.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Education
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
  • Youth
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 121

Paragraph text
In Mauritania, the Initiative pour la résurgence du mouvement abolitionniste Mauritanie was established in 2008 by a prominent Haratine leader to advocate for the eradication of slavery and slavery-like practices, as well as to take specific cases before judicial courts.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 119

Paragraph text
In 2004, India established the National Commission for Scheduled Castes as a separate body with a wide-range of functions, including monitoring implementation of legislation on scheduled castes, investigating complaints and reporting periodically on the status of implementation of legislation.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 118

Paragraph text
In 2002, Nepal established a National Dalit Commission tasked with a twofold objective: to increase the participation of Dalit communities "in the mainstream of national development" and to create a favourable environment for Dalit communities.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Gender
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 117

Paragraph text
In its general recommendation No. 29 (2002), the Committee requested States to "establish statutory mechanisms, through the strengthening of existing institutions or the creation of specialized institutions, to promote respect for the equal human rights of members of descent-based communities".
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 116

Paragraph text
In the United Kingdom, the passing of the 2010 Equality Act brought the caste discrimination issue into the public arena. Since its amendment in 2013, the Act now includes caste as an aspect of race, following advocacy from civil society organizations and the recommendation of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in its 2011 review of the State.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Gender
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 115

Paragraph text
In Japan, the Law on Special Measures for Dowa Projects, enacted in 1969 and in force until 2002, was aimed at improving the living conditions in identified Buraku districts (Dowa districts) by improving access to welfare, employment and education, and providing redress in cases of discrimination against Buraku people.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 113

Paragraph text
Specific legislation to combat caste-based discrimination in all its manifestations is instrumental to criminalize discriminatory practices, bring perpetrators to justice and provide redress to victims. Nevertheless, poor levels of both implementation of legislative measures and accountability, or a lack thereof, result in prevailing impunity and the perpetuation of caste based discrimination.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 110

Paragraph text
In South Asia, several constitutions explicitly refer to "caste" as one of the grounds for prohibited discrimination, including those of Bangladesh (art. 28), India (arts. 15 and 16), Nepal (art. 18), Pakistan (arts. 22, 26 and 27) and Sri Lanka (art. 12.2 and 12.3). Furthermore, the constitutions of India (art. 17) and Nepal (art. 24) explicitly outlaw "untouchability".
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 106

Paragraph text
In 2013, the guidance note of the Secretary-General on racial discrimination and protection of minorities explicitly recommended that United Nations action and policies "reflect the fact that persons targeted for discrimination based on descent, in particular caste-based discrimination and related practices, are in a number of contexts in a particularly marginalized position and in need of focused attention".
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 100

Paragraph text
Dalit women face obstacles in accessing formal justice systems. These include the refusal by police officers to register criminal complaints or delays in filing complaints, lack of proper investigation into complaints of violence and ill-treatment, and insensitivity by law enforcement officials.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Gender
  • Violence
Person(s) affected
  • Women
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 99

Paragraph text
Atrocities against women from marginalized castes are often committed when they try to assert their rights and challenge caste and gender norms. Perpetrators include dominant caste landlords, police officers, doctors and teachers, with the "punishment" both being expressive of caste outrage and intended to teach the woman and her community a lesson.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Gender
  • Social & Cultural Rights
  • Violence
Person(s) affected
  • Women
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 98

Paragraph text
Women from disadvantaged caste groups are also the main victims of trafficking, and are especially vulnerable to early and/or forced marriage, bonded labour and harmful cultural practices. Accusations of witchcraft are sometimes made to deprive Dalit women of their basic economic and social rights, including access to land and their assets.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Social & Cultural Rights
  • Violence
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
  • Women
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 97

Paragraph text
Available data indicate that caste-based violence against women and girls, in particular sexual violence, may be increasing. Violence and the threat of violence are frequently hidden and go unreported in villages and rural areas, forming a culture of invisibility, silence and impunity which, in many instances, places the burden of shame on victims instead of perpetrators.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Violence
Person(s) affected
  • Girls
  • Women
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 96

Paragraph text
They are often the victims of caste-based violence, particularly sexual violence. A study identified 12 major forms of violence against Dalit women: nine in the community (physical assault, verbal abuse, sexual harassment and assault, rape, sexual exploitation, forced prostitution, kidnapping or abduction, forced incarceration and medical negligence), and three within the family (female feticide and infanticide, child sexual abuse and domestic violence).
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Violence
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
  • Women
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 95

Paragraph text
Caste is one of the factors that result in multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination against certain groups of women. Women and girls from low castes are particularly vulnerable to violation and denial of their rights in both public and private life.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Girls
  • Women
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 90

Paragraph text
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.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Education
Person(s) affected
  • Children
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 89

Paragraph text
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.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Children
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 87

Paragraph text
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.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Food & Nutrition
  • Health
  • Violence
Person(s) affected
  • Children
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 84

Paragraph text
Caste-based discrimination has a direct impact on the health status of affected individuals. Statistics reveal significant disparities in health indicators, with individuals in lower castes presenting poorer health indicators than those in higher castes.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Health
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 83

Paragraph text
Studies in South Asia demonstrate patterns of discriminatory behaviour against individuals from lower castes, particularly in health care, including denial of or restrictions on services, lack of treatment and longer waiting periods. Health-care providers spend less time with them, and staff use derogatory or demeaning words and avoid physical contact when examining them.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Health
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 81

Paragraph text
In Yemen, the Muhamasheen mainly reside in underdeveloped neighbourhoods on the outskirts of the capital. More than half of their households rely on external water sources such as dams, streams or wells; only two out of five households have latrines.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Social & Cultural Rights
  • Water & Sanitation
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 80

Paragraph text
As highlighted by the Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation, stigma associated with caste manifests, inter alia, in lack of access to drinking water and sanitation facilities and in restricted access to shared or common water and sanitation facilities.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
  • Water & Sanitation
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 79

Paragraph text
Reports indicate that caste-affected communities face discrimination in accessing adequate housing and housing segregation. They may be forced to live on the outskirts of towns, or in segregated colonies or informal settlements, and may also be subject to forced evictions and displacement.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Movement
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 75

Paragraph text
Discrimination based on caste increases the vulnerability of affected groups to contemporary forms of slavery. Research indicates that forced and bonded labour is widespread within caste-affected communities, despite legal bans. In South Asia, Dalits comprise the majority of people subjected to domestic bonded labour, and a large number of victims of trafficking in persons, sexual slavery and other forms of labour exploitation are members of low castes.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Violence
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 72

Paragraph text
In India, manual scavenging constitutes a caste-designated occupation that is mainly imposed upon Dalits, particularly Dalit women, who represent 95 per cent of manual scavengers. Despite the passing of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act in 2013, the practice reportedly persists, institutionalized through State practice, with local governments and municipalities employing manual scavengers.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Gender
  • Violence
Person(s) affected
  • Women
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 71

Paragraph text
Caste-based discrimination confines Dalits in South Asia to certain occupations associated with their caste, which often involve the most menial tasks, such as sanitation jobs. In Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka, street cleaning and the handling of human waste and animal carcasses are almost exclusively performed by Dalits.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Gender
  • Water & Sanitation
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 69

Paragraph text
Minority women, many of them from low-caste backgrounds, may be subjected to kidnapping and forced religious conversion. According to the Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of religion or belief, "such incidents seem to occur in a climate of impunity". Civil society organizations have reported several cases of Dalit Hindu girls being kidnapped and forcibly converted to Islam following marriage in Pakistan.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Violence
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
  • Girls
  • Women
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 68

Paragraph text
Caste-based discrimination on the grounds of religion has a particular impact on women and girls. The existence of practices labelled as "religious dedication" of girls to temple deities, including the Devadasi system, constitutes a de facto form of forced prostitution and sexual slavery, mainly targeting Dalit girls.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Violence
Person(s) affected
  • Girls
  • Women
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 67

Paragraph text
Caste discrimination exerts a strong influence in the religious sphere. Individuals from the lowest castes may be barred from religious sites, relegated to separate religious buildings or separate spaces and buried in separate cemeteries.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 66

Paragraph text
Some caste-affected countries, including India and Nepal, have constitutional and legal requirements to reserve seats for disadvantaged caste groups in legislative bodies. In Pakistan, seats are reserved for non-Muslim minorities.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 65

Paragraph text
Caste-affected groups tend to be outvoted and unable to secure proportional representation. For instance, in Mauritania, where the Haratine comprise 40 to 60 per cent of the population, according to statistics collected by the Initiative pour la Résurgence du Mouvement Abolitionniste Mauritanie, only 11 of 147 members of Parliament are Haratine. In Yemen, the Muhamasheen have no political representation at the national level.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Gender
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 63

Paragraph text
Even if such crimes pass the first stage in the process, there are long pretrial periods and the acquittal rates for these crimes are extremely high. Lower castes are also disproportionately represented in pretrial detention, owing to indiscriminate arrests, slow investigations and prosecutions, weak legal aid systems and inadequate safeguards against lengthy detention periods.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 61

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Due to caste prejudice or deference shown to perpetrators from higher castes, law enforcement officers may refuse to register and/or investigate cases brought by individuals from lower castes. In some instances, these officers perceive caste-based discrimination as a social issue to be solved within the community rather than a crime. Refusal to register such cases as criminal offences is justified as preserving "social harmony".
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 60

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Entrenched caste discrimination within the criminal justice system translates into victims facing multiple obstacles at every stage of the legal process: from lodging a complaint to investigation, trial and judgement. Often, the fear of reprisal prevents victims from reporting attacks, resulting in underreporting and impunity. In South Asia, most violence against Dalits and Dalit communities is underreported and not addressed by Governments.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Violence
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 58

Paragraph text
Often, claiming human rights is considered as "forbidden", and deserving of punishment. Inter-caste and inter-group marriages; demands for land rights, increased wages and political participation; and refusal to perform traditional occupations, may trigger not only economic retaliation by those most threatened by changes in the status quo, but also unleash violence.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 57

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The use of violence against individuals and communities at the lower end of caste and caste-like systems to maintain the system and perpetuate oppression is common. Attempts to alter the social order by questioning and actively defying caste rules may result in harassment, threats, physical attacks and even murder.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 55

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The Special Rapporteur has identified a number of areas of particular concern in relation to caste and analogous systems. The areas described below are not exhaustive but rather provide a general overview of the most serious manifestations of caste-based discrimination.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 54

Paragraph text
Other relevant international standards are the International Labour Organization Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111), along with its accompanying Recommendation No. 111, and the Principles and Guidelines to Address Caste Discrimination in the Private Sector (Ambedkar Principles) of the International Dalit Solidarity Network.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 48

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Core international human rights treaties build upon the principle of the inherent dignity and equality of all persons, which is recalled in their respective preambles, and enshrine the rights to equality and non-discrimination of all persons, as well as the equal enjoyment of human rights for men and women.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Men
  • Women
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 47

Paragraph text
The Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities requires States to take measures to ensure "that persons belonging to minorities may exercise fully and effectively all their human rights and fundamental freedoms without any discrimination and in full equality before the law" (art. 4 (1)).
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 46

Paragraph text
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights establishes that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. The principle of inherent dignity of all persons permeates the entire Declaration; the preamble refers to this principle, together with the equality of human rights, as the "foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world".
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 45

Paragraph text
The caste system migrated with the South Asian diaspora to other regions, including Africa (Mauritius, South Africa), Europe (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland), the Americas (United States of America, Canada and Suriname), the Middle East (Bahrain, Kuwait and United Arab Emirates), Malaysia, Australia and the Pacific (Fiji).
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Movement
Person(s) affected
  • Persons on the move
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 42

Paragraph text
In Senegal, caste systems exist within several ethnic groups, particularly among the Wolof community, which is divided between the Geer and the Neeno. Some forms of untouchability are allegedly practised against some Neeno groups, including prohibition from residing or remaining in particular places and avoidance of physical contact.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 40

Paragraph text
In Madagascar, there are 18 main tribes, some of which have their own caste systems, such as the Merina and the Bara. Within the Merina hierarchy, there are four main castes: the Andriana, the Hova, the Mainty and the Andevo. The Andevo (descendants of slaves) face caste discrimination, especially in marriage, and are particularly vulnerable to exploitation, poverty and slavery-like practices.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 37

Paragraph text
In Yemen, the Muhamasheen ("marginalized ones"), also known as Al Akhdam, constitute a minority group subjected to descent-based discrimination. There are no official data, but unofficial sources estimate their number at between 500,000 and 3.5 million. Their occupational roles include garbage collection, street sweeping and cleaning toilets and drains. They suffer from social stigma and discrimination, which exacerbate their socioeconomic exclusion and poverty.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Poverty
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 33

Paragraph text
In India, according to official data, Dalits (referred to as "scheduled castes") constitute more than 201 million people. This figure does not include Dalits who have converted or are born and raised within non-Hindu religious communities, such as the Dalit Muslim and Christian communities; unofficial statistics estimate that the actual number of Dalits in India is much higher.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 30

Paragraph text
Stigmatization and dehumanization of affected communities is further reinforced by negative stereotypes in the media and, as the Special Rapporteur has noted previously, the repeated presentation of broad negative stereotypes of minority groups as, inter alia, "dirty", which nurtures inaccurate and false assumptions and opinions that may eventually develop into discriminatory attitudes and entrenched prejudices.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 28c

Paragraph text
[Caste and analogous systems present distinguishing characteristics:] (c) Untouchability practices: a set of collective behaviours and norms stemming from the belief that contact with individuals from lower castes is "polluting";
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 28b

Paragraph text
[Caste and analogous systems present distinguishing characteristics:] (b) Labour stratification and occupational segregation: caste status determines and is confined to certain occupations, which are compulsory and endogenous. Individuals from lower-caste strata are traditionally assigned to tasks deemed "polluting" or menial by higher caste groups, including sweeping, manual scavenging (cleaning of excreta from dry latrines) and disposal of dead animals;
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 27

Paragraph text
At present, the term "caste" has broadened in meaning, transcending religious affiliation. Caste and caste-like systems may be based on either a religious or a secular background and can be found within diverse religious and/or ethnic groups in all geographical regions, including within diaspora communities.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and discrimination based on caste and analogous systems of inherited status 2016, para. 20

Paragraph text
The Special Rapporteur is concerned by information she has received regarding incidents of discrimination in caste-based and analogous systems of inherited status, including atrocities committed against individuals ascribed to the lowest strata by virtue of their caste status. During the course of her work, she regularly addressed the continued plight of such people through press statements, consultations, side events and thematic reports to the Human Rights Council.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 102

Paragraph text
Humanitarian responders, whether national or international, should also receive training to better understand the minority rights framework in order to be able to better identify discrimination against minorities in situations of crisis, and to be better equipped to be able adequately to respond to their needs. Recruitment of minorities into humanitarian agencies should be encouraged.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Humanitarian
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 93

Paragraph text
Minorities may face particular challenges in the search for durable solutions, which can include returning to places of origin (for internally displaced persons) or voluntary repatriation (for refugees) once crises or disasters have subsided, or alternatively settlement elsewhere in the country (for internally displaced persons) and resettlement to a third State (for refugees) in host communities.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Humanitarian
  • Movement
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
  • Persons on the move
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 90

Paragraph text
Emergency response failures can have catastrophic consequences, including loss of the ability to work or live independently, permanent injury and even death. For minorities who are likely to suffer disproportionate harm in disaster, this can be compounded. Thus, the needs of minorities must be addressed during all three phases of emergency response operations - pre-event planning and preparation, the event and recovery.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Humanitarian
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 89

Paragraph text
Effective and adequate planning can be essential for communities living in regions that are prone to such events. However, minority and disempowered populations may be at a disadvantage in securing equitable policy decisions from elected and appointed official bodies through conventional processes because political power tends to be asymmetrical.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 85

Paragraph text
The Special Rapporteur does not suggest that an intention of direct discrimination by humanitarian relief providers is necessarily always the cause of differential treatment of minorities in the aftermath of disasters. Politically dominant areas may happen to be more accessible to points of entry for finance, materials and relief personnel, a situation often referred to as "tarmac bias".
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Humanitarian
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 83

Paragraph text
As noted in her report of 2016 to the Human Rights Council, the Special Rapporteur observed that an analysis of emergency responses to natural disasters in South Asia, including in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal, has demonstrated that Dalits, for example, have suffered from acute discrimination throughout all the phases of disaster response, from rescue to rehabilitation (see A/HRC/31/56, para 93).
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 82

Paragraph text
Unfortunately, minorities may not only be disproportionately impacted by disasters, but also may experience discrimination in terms of equal access to humanitarian aid in times of disasters, a discrepancy which often then extends to the rehabilitation phase, thereby keeping minorities socially and economically behind in their longer-term recovery from such events.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Humanitarian
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 79

Paragraph text
Evidence indicates that minority communities may be more vulnerable to disasters, both natural and human-made, insofar as they may be both inadequately prepared for such emergencies, and disproportionately affected by them. Furthermore, experience has demonstrated that minority communities are also less likely to be equal beneficiaries of adequate humanitarian aid and/or rehabilitation when or after disasters strike.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Humanitarian
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 72

Paragraph text
Minorities are often disproportionately affected by statelessness (see A/HRC/7/23, para. 20), as a result of discriminatory nationality and citizenship legislation which may deny or deprive the citizenship for some ethnic, linguistic, racial or religious groups, or because of discriminatory implementation of nationality laws on similar grounds. Minorities can also be at higher risk of statelessness as a result of lack of access to personal documentation.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 70

Paragraph text
Minorities may also be at particular risk of forced return, either in the context of an ongoing humanitarian crisis or once such a crisis is deemed to have ceased. Return always needs to be voluntary, and carried out in safety and dignity in participation and consultation with minorities. Regrettably, the Special Rapporteur has observed with concern examples of minorities forcefully deported back to situations of crises or persecution.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Humanitarian
  • Movement
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
  • Persons on the move
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 69

Paragraph text
According to the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Guidelines, traditional claims of ethnic minority groups to land title and ownership in the absence of land title documents should be respected, including through providing legal advice or legal aid to such communities and advocating for the amendment of laws and procedures, where necessary, for the safeguard of their land rights.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 66

Paragraph text
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.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Humanitarian
Person(s) affected
  • Children
  • Ethnic minorities
  • Persons on the move
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 64

Paragraph text
For example, the Muhamasheen minority in Yemen have been severely affected by the Yemeni conflict, and suffer from an almost absolute lack of protection in a protracted situation of conflict crises and limited humanitarian resources. Unlike others affected by the conflict, Muhamasheen have often been displaced into open spaces or the edges of towns, making their access to resources, such as shelter, water or medical emergency assistance, even more difficult.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Humanitarian
Person(s) affected
  • Persons on the move
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 63

Paragraph text
Given their extreme vulnerability, minorities face additional challenges in accessing basic economic, social and cultural rights either during crises or in their aftermath. Owing to discrimination and marginalization, minorities who are affected by crises and disasters often lack proper access to water and sanitation, adequate food, and other services including health care, and to education.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
  • Water & Sanitation
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 62

Paragraph text
Violence against minorities can also be more insidious, as has been evident with the recent migration crisis in Europe. Recent protracted conflicts in the Middle East, and in particular the Syrian Arab Republic, led to mass migration flows to Europe in 2015 and 2016. However, this has also been coupled by certain xenophobic reactions against particular flows of asylum seekers and refugees fleeing crisis, which may in turn lead to more violence and insecurity against them.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Movement
  • Violence
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
  • Persons on the move
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 56

Paragraph text
On the one hand, the disadvantage experienced by minorities in terms of accessing humanitarian relief in crisis is often explained by existing logistical limitations. In crisis and conflict situations, humanitarian assistance may be concentrated in capital cities and/or in a small number of very large, officially recognized refugee or internally displaced persons camps, with very little reaching the periphery where minority and vulnerable populations may reside.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Humanitarian
  • Movement
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
  • Persons on the move
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 54

Paragraph text
Furthermore, minorities may experience disproportionate effects of conflicts owing to aggravating factors: minorities who are marginalized or poor may live in the most remote or impoverished regions or neighbourhoods, including in urban slums where humanitarian protection or even police protection is limited, and thus they may experience a disproportionate impact of crises that break out, or owing to their vulnerability and marginalization, be less well equipped in the face of emerging conflicts.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Humanitarian
  • Poverty
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 53

Paragraph text
Minorities might be disproportionately affected by conflict over their lands or natural resources. For example, in Nigeria, the Special Rapporteur observed that competition for land between nomadic pastoralists and local farmers was a major conflict-generating issue in both Kaduna and Plateau States, which have often been portrayed as interreligious conflicts (see A/HRC/28/64/Add.2 para. 30).
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Environment
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 52

Paragraph text
Even outside fully fledged armed conflicts, discrimination against minority groups in societies may reach such levels that it results in hate-based crimes and leads to internal displacement. In Myanmar, violence and atrocities committed against the Rohingya, coupled with the Government's refusal to recognize their status as an ethnic minority, and denial of their citizenship, has been and is still pushing the Rohingya to flee to other parts of the country or abroad.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Humanitarian
  • Movement
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
  • Persons on the move
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 51

Paragraph text
Violence against minorities during conflict also can lead to long-term displacement of those minorities. For example, in 1990, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam expelled the entire Muslim population, estimated to be at least 70,000, from Northern Sri Lanka, many of whom to date have not been able to return to those lands.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Humanitarian
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
  • Persons on the move
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 50

Paragraph text
Indeed, displacement of minority communities continued unabated in 2014 and 2015. In Iraq, visited by the Special Rapporteur in February 2016, the Yezidi minority have been targeted on the basis of their identity by the Islamic State, and forced to flee their homes, in particular in Sinjar, Northern Iraq. Other Iraqi minority communities, including Christians, Turkmen, and certain Sunni Arab tribes, have also been particularly exposed to attacks by members of the Islamic State.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Movement
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
  • Persons on the move
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 48

Paragraph text
However, although there are case studies that document the direct link between minorities and humanitarian crises, research on this issue has been largely limited to ad hoc reports on specific situations or conflicts. Indeed, it is very difficult to find statistics or data on the disproportionate impact of conflict and crises of minorities.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Humanitarian
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 41

Paragraph text
Finally, UNHCR's Working with National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities and Indigenous Peoples in Forced Displacement (2011) is a very useful tool which acknowledges the potential vulnerabilities of minorities who are displaced, and recognizes that these obstacles may be multiplied during forced displacement and increase protection risks.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Movement
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
  • Persons on the move
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 38

Paragraph text
The Convention also stipulates in its article 3 that "Contracting States shall apply the provisions of this Convention to refugees without discrimination as to race, religion or country of origin". Therefore, refugees arriving in a country and becoming a minority in the host country should be protected against discrimination as to race, religion or country of origin.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Movement
Person(s) affected
  • Persons on the move
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 36

Paragraph text
The International Federation of the Red Cross has also developed a Strategic Framework on Gender and Diversity for 2013-2020 which includes some important points regarding the inclusion of minorities in humanitarian relief work. The Framework specifically notes the importance of diversity, and highlights that through embracing diversity, it is possible to reduce the impact of many other humanitarian problems, including violence, inequitable health care and the negative consequences of disasters.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Gender
  • Humanitarian
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 35

Paragraph text
The Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), the primary mechanism for inter-agency coordination of humanitarian assistance, has developed Operational Guidelines on protection of persons in situations of natural disaster. This document also contains important references to minorities and an annex on the protection of specific groups, cross-referencing the relevant guidelines.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Humanitarian
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 34

Paragraph text
Underlying International Humanitarian Law are the principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence, and the key norm of "Do no harm". In the context of minority rights, this is inherently interlinked with the principle of non discrimination, and therefore all humanitarian action should therefore strive to treat minorities equally, without adverse distinction.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Humanitarian
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 33

Paragraph text
Given that minorities are often at risk of statelessness, the 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness are also relevant. Article 9 of the 1961 Convention stipulates that "A Contracting State may not deprive any person or group of persons of their nationality on racial, ethnic, religious or political grounds".
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 25

Paragraph text
A humanitarian crisis can be defined as the experience of a country, region or society of a total or considerable breakdown of authority resulting from internal or external conflict and which requires an international response that goes beyond the mandate or capacity of any single agency and/or the ongoing United Nations country programme.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Humanitarian
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 21

Paragraph text
The Special Rapporteur hopes, through her analysis, to contribute to the better understanding of the forms of discrimination and violence that minorities face during crises and in their aftermath, and that her report can contribute to improving methods to ensure that in the context of humanitarian crises, minorities are treated in accordance with international human rights law.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Humanitarian
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 20

Paragraph text
While recognizing the great diversity in the experiences of minorities affected by humanitarian crises, the Special Rapporteur has adopted a global approach, focusing on common themes and patterns experienced by displaced minorities across regions. The Special Rapporteur also refers to particular examples to highlight specific challenges facing minorities. These cases are intended to be illustrative and are in no way exhaustive.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Humanitarian
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
  • Persons on the move
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 18

Paragraph text
[In this context the Special Rapporteur on minority issues has decided to dedicate her final report to the General Assembly to this important topic, considering two guiding questions:] In the context of humanitarian crises or disasters, what are the additional challenges that minorities face when seeking protection, even when the trigger of their displacement or changed situation is not directly linked to their affiliation as members of that minority group?
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Humanitarian
  • Movement
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
  • Persons on the move
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 18

Paragraph text
[In this context the Special Rapporteur on minority issues has decided to dedicate her final report to the General Assembly to this important topic, considering two guiding questions:] Are minorities more likely to be affected by humanitarian crises or by disasters, and therefore experience greater hardship, displacement, or increased need to seek refuge in another country?
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Humanitarian
  • Movement
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2016
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 109

Paragraph text
Data collection should be based on self-identification and take place in a sensitive manner, respecting privacy in accordance with international standards of data protection. Roma civil society, individuals and communities should be involved throughout the process, from designing data collection methods to collection and analysis of the data.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 108

Paragraph text
The participation of Roma media professionals should be encouraged and programmes to train, recruit and support Roma media workers should be implemented. The media must guarantee that they do not contribute to or allow hate speech and incitement to hatred or violence.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 107

Paragraph text
Traditional and new media have the potential to promote intercultural dialogue between Roma and non-Roma communities. The media should promote non-stereotypical portrayals of Roma, including through providing greater visibility to Roma self-representation, history and culture.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 106

Paragraph text
Successful Roma-controlled programmes that address issues of health, education and other areas of concern in ways that are culturally appropriate and adapted to local needs should be supported and replicated.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Education
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Health
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 105

Paragraph text
Roma and pro-Roma civil society organizations play a crucial role in breaking down the barriers preventing the effective participation of Roma in all spheres of life. Stakeholders are encouraged to collaborate and support those organizations, including through providing adequate financial support.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 104

Paragraph text
Governments, the United Nations and its specialized agencies, and other international and regional organizations should mainstream Roma rights into all aspects of their programming and make efforts to include Roma within their staff.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Gender
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 102

Paragraph text
Governments should ensure that Roma are represented at all levels of public institutions and bodies, including national parliaments, the civil service, the police and the judiciary. Where Roma leaders are visible, their work should be promoted and they should be supported to act as role models and raise awareness of Roma political participation.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 101

Paragraph text
Creating conditions for the effective participation of Roma in all aspects of the life of the State, including in decision-making bodies, should be considered by States as an integral aspect of good governance and a key priority in efforts to ensure equality and non-discrimination.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 100

Paragraph text
Governments must ensure that sufficient funding is dedicated to improving the situation of Roma communities. Funds allocated at regional and national level, as well as other financial instruments, should be expended efficiently and directed to the local level.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 97

Paragraph text
States must ensure that measures addressing the socioeconomic vulnerability of Roma are addressed not only through programmes addressing poverty and marginalization, but are part of a wider approach that tackles the widespread prejudice, discrimination and racist attitudes against Roma, including anti-Gypsyism.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Poverty
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Persons on the move
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 96

Paragraph text
In order to address the root causes of anti-Gypsyism, the Special Rapporteur recommends that the history, culture and traditions of Roma, in particular the Nazi genocide, be taught in schools. Awareness-raising measures to inform non-Roma populations about Roma history, identity and culture should be integrated into all education efforts.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Education
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Persons on the move
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 95

Paragraph text
The protection and promotion of the rights of Roma should be prioritized on the political agenda in order to demonstrate a serious political commitment to combating the causes and consequences of anti-Gypsyism and discrimination.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Persons on the move
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 94

Paragraph text
Political parties should prohibit inflammatory, racist, anti-Roma rhetoric and ensure that public discourse does not perpetrate stereotypical, racist, hateful or discriminatory views about Roma. They should take effective action against such discourse.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 90

Paragraph text
States should implement fully the Declaration and other relevant regional and international human rights standards, including comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation that prohibits all forms of discrimination, and identify State agencies tasked with monitoring and combating discrimination.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 89

Paragraph text
The Special Rapporteur welcomes the numerous recommendations of other human rights mechanisms targeting Roma, urges all States to take immediate steps towards implementing them, and adds the following recommendations.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Persons on the move
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 87

Paragraph text
The Special Rapporteur regrets that there is a lack of official information on funding dedicated to measures to improve the situation of Roma communities outside Europe, indicating that they are unlikely to exist. The Special Rapporteur therefore calls on all Governments to dedicate sufficient funding to improving the situation of Roma.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 85

Paragraph text
Secondly, within the European Union, no monitoring mechanisms are in place to evaluate how much money is invested in projects that directly or indirectly benefit Roma people. The Special Rapporteur warns that without such accountability, there is the risk of contributing to the perception that in the European Union, too many economic resources are invested in Roma with few results, which in turn contributes to negative stereotypes about Roma.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 83

Paragraph text
The lack of recognition of the fate of the Roma under the Nazi regime is often referred to as the "forgotten Holocaust" and has been identified as a major obstacle to restoring dignity and respect for the human rights of Roma worldwide. Although 2 August is officially Roma Holocaust Remembrance Day, there is a need to continue to bring heightened public attention to ensuring that the Roma Holocaust becomes part of public consciousness.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 81

Paragraph text
The dispossession of and discrimination against Roma over centuries has led to a situation of intergenerational disadvantage that has often engrained hopelessness in Roma individuals and communities. Across the regions, however, the Special Rapporteur observes that insufficient effort has been made to foster long-term durable intercultural dialogue or to develop initiatives that build trust and foster relationships of mutual respect.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 78

Paragraph text
In order to better address the discrimination Roma face, including anti-Gypsyism, there is a need for complaint mechanisms of which Roma are aware, to which they have access and in which they have confidence.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Persons on the move
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 75

Paragraph text
Another concern expressed is the insufficient engagement of Roma communities in the design, delivery and monitoring of programmes and policies affecting them. Even in Europe, where efforts have been made to include Roma better, a recent evaluation showed that Roma participation is often reduced to consultations, and meaningful and effective participation remains a "distant objective".
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 69

Paragraph text
Despite international standards prohibiting discrimination, stakeholders across the regions pointed to the absence of political will as a key factor explaining the insufficient implementation of those standards in the Roma context.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 65

Paragraph text
Worldwide, comprehensive data on the situation of Roma communities has never been collected. Even in Europe, where more robust efforts are made than elsewhere, research indicates that Roma populations remain undercounted. For example, discrepancies between official statistics and unofficial estimates of Roma populations across 12 countries in Europe range from 45 to 99 per cent.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 59

Paragraph text
Portugal has established the Project for Municipal Roma Mediators, providing intercultural training to 15 Roma mediators which led to their inclusion in 18 local municipalities. The objective was to provide Roma inclusion-related services, guaranteeing the establishment of close links between local services, organizations and local Roma communities.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 57

Paragraph text
In Colombia, Decree 2957 of 2010 was adopted to set up a legal framework for the protection of the rights of Roma in Colombia, recognizing collective rights for Roma people. The same year, the National Commission for Dialogue for Roma People (Comisión Nacional de Diálogo para el Pueblo Rom) was created to coordinate action between governments and local communities.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 55

Paragraph text
In order to address the underreporting by Roma of incidents of discrimination, the Portuguese equality body has developed an informal complaints procedure whereby complaints can be submitted on a website or sent by e-mail to any of the equality body council members or through Roma organizations. That method has proved an effective way of overcoming mistrust and has seen an increase in reports of discrimination filed by Roma.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 53

Paragraph text
In Spain, the ACCEDER programme has adopted a multidimensional approach to tackling discrimination against Roma by directly training Roma to increase their employability and by involving other actors essential to eliminating barriers for Roma to access the labour market, including the private sector, policymakers and society at large.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 51

Paragraph text
In Brazil, 24 May was declared National Roma Day by Presidential Decree in 2006 and has been acknowledged by Roma communities as an important public recognition of the existence of the Brazilian Roma community.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 50

Paragraph text
The University of Texas is home to the first university Romani Studies programme, and has become the leading institution in the United States of America for studies on Romani history, language and culture. The programme provides scholarships to Roma for educational qualifications at any level and houses the Romani Archives and Documentation Center, the largest collection of Romani materials in the world.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Education
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 49

Paragraph text
Since 1991, the Museum of Romani Culture in Brno, the Czech Republic, has been dedicated to the history and culture of Roma. The aim is to educate the younger generation, to promote better appreciation and understanding of the roots of Roma identity and to fight xenophobia and racism.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Youth
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 46

Paragraph text
In Hungary, the documentary film series "Mundi Romani - The World through Roma Eyes" is a co-production of the Romedia Foundation. Each episode presents a different aspect of Roma culture in locations in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas. The series provides insights into Roma culture and was nominated for and received a number of local and international prizes.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 44

Paragraph text
The European Commission programme, Strategies for Effective Police Stop and Search project was designed to improve police-minority relations through more accountable use of policing power. It has been implemented with police and Roma in Bulgaria, Hungary and Spain and has proven effective in improving police relations with Roma, producing more efficient policing activities and increased legitimacy and trust.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 43

Paragraph text
In 2014, ternYpe, the International Roma Youth Network, and its partners organized a conference and youth event gathering 1,000 people from 25 countries to raise awareness among young Europeans, civil society and decision makers about the Roma Holocaust, as well as about anti-Gypsyism in the context of racism, hate speech and extremism in Europe.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Violence
Person(s) affected
  • Youth
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 41

Paragraph text
The Special Rapporteur notes that, due to the scant or total lack of information received from countries outside Europe, it was difficult for her to provide a balanced assessment of initiatives regarding Roma programmes across the regions. Nevertheless, she attempts to highlight some key examples using the pillar framework.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Gender
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 39

Paragraph text
Roma may be intentionally or de facto restricted from participation. Barriers include the lack of political will to dismantle structural discrimination, including the persistence of negative stereotypes assuming that Roma have no interest and no skills for engaging in politics.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 30

Paragraph text
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.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Education
Person(s) affected
  • Children
  • Persons on the move
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 25

Paragraph text
In the context of her global study, she also wishes to draw attention to incidents of negative stereotyping of Roma outside Europe. For example, in Argentina, a now discontinued television series, Soy Gitano, focused on so-called "Gypsy crime". Although the Roma community in Argentina denounced the soap opera to the National Institute to Combat Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism, the complaint was dismissed on the grounds that the series was fictional. A similar complaint was filed before the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council following a show which contained strong discriminatory statements towards Roma refugees in Canada. As a result of the complaint, the network removed the video from their web page and issued an apology. The misrepresentation of Roma in the media in Turkey was exemplified by a popular television series, Cennet Mahallesi, which presented highly stereotypical depictions of Roma. In the United States of America, a reality television programme entitled My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding, a spin-off of a show of the same name in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, continues to be broadcast today. Both versions have been criticized for their stereotypical approach and for misrepresenting Roma culture.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Persons on the move
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 16

Paragraph text
Many Roma in North America also face stigma and prejudice that originated in and are perpetuated by limited knowledge of Romani culture or history, or of the persecution Roma faced during and after the Nazi regime.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 14

Paragraph text
The Dom of the Middle East are among the most marginalized people in the Arab world and suffer from widespread negative perceptions and stigma. The Dom are often labelled as nawar, an Arabic insult that evokes selfishness, stinginess, dirtiness and chaos.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 11

Paragraph text
The Dom is an ethnic minority in the Middle East that shares similarities with Roma; its presence in the region dates back to the eleventh century. There is scant official information on the number of Roma in that region. Unofficial estimates indicate there may be significant populations in Egypt, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the Syrian Arab Republic.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 10

Paragraph text
Roma groups are also present in Central Asian countries, where they are known collectively as Lyuli. While those groups are distinct from American and European Roma, they share the experience of exclusion and marginalization from local majority populations. Due to a lack of up-to-date data, there are no precise figures on the number of Roma in Central Asia.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 8

Paragraph text
Roma groups in Latin America have been arriving from Europe since the beginning of European colonization there, as well as during ongoing migration processes. Despite the lack of official census data, a 1991 study by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization estimated the Roma population in the region to be approximately 1,500,000. Recent government data indicates a population of over half a million Roma in Brazil.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Movement
Person(s) affected
  • Persons on the move
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 5

Paragraph text
The largest and most visible Roma minority is European Roma, whose presence in Europe dates back to the fourteenth century. Today, there are approximately 11 million European Roma, with 6 million estimated to be residing within the 27 European Union member States.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The human rights situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism 2015, para. 4

Paragraph text
Although theories as to why the ancestors of today's Roma emigrated from India a millennium ago are beyond the scope of the present report, it is important to note that Roma have dispersed worldwide. There are, however, no official or reliable statistics on the global Roma population.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Persons on the move
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 117

Paragraph text
The Special Rapporteur welcomes the commendable work of civil society in conducting public-awareness campaigns to combat hate speech, including on the Internet. She encourages States to work collaboratively with and support those organizations and projects, including providing financial support.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Violence
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 116

Paragraph text
Media literacy is essential to providing youth and adults with adequate tools and resources to develop critical thinking in order to question the accuracy, bias and impact of the information provided by the media. The Special Rapporteur recommends that States include key functions of media literacy in school curricula at all stages with special focus on the online environment.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Education
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Youth
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 115

Paragraph text
Education to promote intercultural understanding, mutual respect and tolerance among population groups is essential to eliminating stereotypes and prejudices against minority communities. Human rights education should be an important part of school curricula, which should also include the history, culture and traditions of minority groups as well as their important contribution to enriching our societies.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Education
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 113

Paragraph text
While recognizing the technical and operational difficulties in combating online hate speech, the Special Rapporteur encourages States to take specific measures, including specialized training of law enforcement bodies and prosecutors, to address hate crimes and incitement to hatred on the Internet, and to exchange information and best practices at the international level.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 112

Paragraph text
The Special Rapporteur encourages the establishment of national, independent regulatory bodies, including representatives of minorities, with powers to monitor hate speech in the media, receive reports from the public in relation to hate speech, receive and support complaints, and make recommendations.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 111

Paragraph text
Specific training in minority issues should be provided to media professionals by media outlets to help journalists improve coverage and produce accurate, in-depth and informed reporting on minority-related issues.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 109

Paragraph text
The establishment of institutions dedicated to minority issues, with mandates to train, monitor and act on issues relevant to intercommunal relations and harmony, objective portrayal of and peace between diverse population groups, especially regarding relevant threats, such as incitement to religious or racial hatred, is desirable.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 107

Paragraph text
The Special Rapporteur calls upon all States to adopt the Rabat Plan of Action on the prohibition of advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence when implementing or revising their domestic legal framework on hate speech.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 105

Paragraph text
The Special Rapporteur urges States to adopt domestic legislation, in conformity with article 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, prohibiting any "advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence".
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 104

Paragraph text
Several factors influence the extent and prevalence of hate speech in the media, including the absence of or unclear legislation on incitement to hatred, negative and stereotyped portrayal of minorities, limited access and representation of minorities in the media, structural inequalities, the changing media landscape and the emerging and more organized forms of extremist and populists movements.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 60

Paragraph text
The Special Rapporteur considers that, while much attention is rightly paid to legal responses to hate speech, equal attention and discussion should be dedicated to non-legal and social responses. She was impressed by community initiatives, in which hate groups have been confronted and halted by ordinary citizens, and alternative and creative ways that have been initiated to tackle hate speech.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 55

Paragraph text
The Council of Europe Committee of Ministers uses a broader approach: "the term "hate speech" shall be understood as covering all forms of expression which spread, incite, promote or justify racial hatred, xenophobia, anti?Semitism or other forms of hatred based on intolerance, including: intolerance expressed by aggressive nationalism and ethnocentrism, discrimination and hostility against minorities, migrants and people of immigrant origin."
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Persons on the move
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 51

Paragraph text
Hate speech has been described as "the special scourge of minorities and indigenous peoples". Unfortunately, hate speech and incitement to hatred are on the rise in many countries across all continents and these hateful messages are frequently transmitted through traditional media and the Internet. A number of factors are involved in making minority groups the targets of hate speech in the media.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 44

Paragraph text
The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide recognizes that genocide is an international crime, which entails the national and international responsibility of individual persons and States. According to article 3 of the Convention, the following acts shall be punishable: (a) genocide; (b) conspiracy to commit genocide; (c) direct and public incitement to commit genocide; (d) attempt to commit genocide; and (e) complicity in genocide.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 32

Paragraph text
Governments, civil society and the international community must be alert to the warning signs of hatred and violence much earlier: when the first words of hate speech are uttered; when media start to promote negative stereotypes; or once there is an atmosphere of discomfort and animosity when minorities exercise their right to freely and openly practise their religion, use their language, or assert their right to have a voice in political life and the decisions that affect them.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
  • Violence
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 29

Paragraph text
No country or society is free from hatred and it is most often those belonging to national, ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities who are the targets of hate. But what are the causes of such hatred and how does it evolve from a thought or a viewpoint to infect a whole society or result in acts of violence? This is an essential question that we must become better at answering if we are to effectively confront hatred in all its forms.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 26

Paragraph text
Although not all hateful messages result in actual hate crimes, hate crimes rarely occur without prior stigmatization and dehumanization of targeted groups and incitement to hate incidents fuelled by religious or racial bias. Few countries collect data on hate crimes, their causes and victims that would enable policy-makers to better protect population groups at risk.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 98

Paragraph text
Norikoe Net is a Japan-based group working to overcome hate speech and racism, often targeted against Koreans, in Japan. The group joined forces with others to collectively counter racism and hate speech by organizing anti-hate speech events and protests and pushing for the enactment of anti-discrimination legislation in Japan.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Activists
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 97

Paragraph text
The Panzagar Movement ("flower speech campaign") in Myanmar was initiated in April 2014 by a Burmese blogger and human rights activist concerned by hate speech against Muslim citizens in social media. The Movement was launched under the slogan "Let's moderate our speech to prevent hatred among human beings" and is actively engaged in social networks.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Activists
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 94

Paragraph text
Civil society organizations have developed innovative approaches and actions to combat hate in the media, including the Internet. Those actions include identifying hate trends, tracking and monitoring hate speech websites, notifying potentially affected or targeted communities about hate activities, working closely with Internet providers and governmental agencies to report hateful content and providing online educational materials and training programmes.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Violence
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 93

Paragraph text
Participation of minorities in the media landscape encompasses the possibility for minority professionals to work in media outlets. Some media outlets have developed specific programmes and internships to recruit and train minority media workers in order to promote ethnic diversity in the newsrooms and press offices.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 92

Paragraph text
Media self-regulatory bodies in the Americas include the Ethics Committee of the Journalism National Council in Panama. The Committee brings together journalists, media owners, civil society, academics and the Office of the Ombudsman and receives and responds to complaints about journalism practices.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 91

Paragraph text
Several self-regulatory media bodies have started to operate in Africa, some of them in countries with a history of hate speech and incitement to violence against minority groups. The Rwanda Media Commission was established in 2013 with the mandate to promote ethical journalism, defend media freedom and adjudicate complaints against the media; some commentators have alleged censorship and serious restrictions on media freedoms.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Violence
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 87

Paragraph text
Media outlets can actively engage in fighting incitement to hatred and violence in the media by adopting principles and guidelines of ethical and responsible journalism to improve the quality of information and reporting to avoid bias, prejudice and manipulation, as well as by promoting diversity among media workers and investing in adequate training for media professionals.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Violence
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 85

Paragraph text
Dedicated institutional attention to minority issues, including monitoring and responding to hatred targeted against minorities, is essential to prevent atrocities and reinforce unity and stability. This is even more important following violence or conflict, as part of transitional justice and reconciliation processes.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Humanitarian
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 82

Paragraph text
In 2012, the Council of Europe launched the "No hate speech movement", a campaign directed towards youth with the objective of combating online hate speech in all its forms. The campaign is part of the project "Young People Combating Hate Speech Online, 2012-2014", which aims to equip young people with competences to recognize and act against hate speech, racism and discrimination in their online expression.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Violence
Person(s) affected
  • Youth
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 80

Paragraph text
Despite the countless examples of hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media today, there are also many measures and initiatives involving and implemented by the media to contest hateful speech and incitement to hatred, and counter its pernicious effects.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 78

Paragraph text
Given that social media platforms are mostly self-regulating and therefore dependent on reporting by users of material perceived as hateful or harmful, their content can be accessible until it is ultimately flagged by community members as material contravening the site's guidelines. In addition to legislative and jurisdictional challenges, there are technical difficulties involved in removing hate-inciting material from the Internet.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 74

Paragraph text
Media, in all its diverse forms, is an essential component of today's societies, providing huge benefits and possibilities, including in the field of minority issues and inter-faith or intercommunity cohesion. Media offers immediacy in communication and exchange of information, often in different languages and representing different ethnic, religious and cultural viewpoints, which can reach all audiences.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 67

Paragraph text
Access by minority groups to the media in many countries is limited or completely restricted. Persons belonging to linguistic minorities are typically disadvantaged in the media marketplace, and the resulting lack of linguistic plurality within the media has been referred to as "soft assimilation", in that the only available media is in the language of the majority, which fails to reflect minority needs, preferences and issues.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 113

Paragraph text
National institutions responsible for oversight of police, as well as independent regulatory bodies for the judiciary, prosecutors and legal profession, should systematically assess and report on the situation of minorities within the criminal justice process, and take action when they observe discrimination.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 109

Paragraph text
States should ensure the recruitment, retention and promotion of members of underrepresented minorities in the police, the judiciary, prosecution services, the legal profession and prison staff, including through specially targeted measures developed in consultation with minority groups and existing minority staff.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 108

Paragraph text
Police forces should collaborate with minorities at the local level in establishing permanent liaison mechanisms that are controlled or jointly controlled by the minorities themselves, developing local strategies, keeping open the lines of communication and building mutual trust.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 107

Paragraph text
In collaboration with representatives of minorities, Governments should elaborate and adopt a national strategy designed to prevent discrimination against minorities within the criminal justice system and to increase the effective participation of minorities within the system.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 104

Paragraph text
Independent professional associations for judges, prosecutors and lawyers should provide guidance and training, including with respect to implicit bias and indirect discrimination; and there should be disciplinary consequences and remedial measures when discrimination against minorities is practised.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 103

Paragraph text
States should ensure free professional translation for minority accused who are not fluent in the language used in court, and should allow those persons to use the minority language. States should further consider recognizing the right of members of minorities with significant population or historical ties, whether nationally or locally, to have the proceedings conducted in their own language.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Movement
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 97

Paragraph text
States should ensure that rules for use of force by police respect the principles of necessity and proportionality, and that intentional use of lethal force is restricted to situations where it is strictly unavoidable in order to save life. Discriminatory patterns of use of excessive or otherwise unlawful force should be independently and impartially investigated and the results should be publicized.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 95

Paragraph text
Police, prosecutors and judicial authorities must ensure that criminal complaints from members of minorities are pursued with the same diligence that is applied to those of other complainants. Where necessary, special measures and accommodations in investigation and trial procedures should be adopted, in consultation with minority communities. All police should have protocols and training in respect of recording and investigating hate crimes.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 94

Paragraph text
States should ensure that members of minorities are proactively informed, in a language and through a means appropriate to their situation, of their rights as victims of crime, and on how to access support, including legal assistance and interpretation services. To this end, States should consider establishing liaison officers from, or with connections in, the relevant minority communities.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 91

Paragraph text
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) recommendations on policing in multi-ethnic societies, which provide detailed guidance on making police services more representative and enhancing communication between police and minority communities, should be regarded by all States as a useful framework, relevant as well for national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 89

Paragraph text
Globally, minorities face discrimination and lack of representation within the administration of criminal justice. Measures to eliminate discrimination and ensure equality before the law are more likely to be effective if undertaken with a minority rights-based approach, which includes ensuring effective participation of minorities in all aspects of the criminal justice process and administration of justice.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 88

Paragraph text
Guidance and training concerning the risks of misperception and prejudice when dealing with defendants and witnesses from minorities should be made available to judges and magistrates. The National Center for State Courts of the United States of America, for instance, has prepared training materials for judges on self-identifying and avoiding implicit bias.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 86

Paragraph text
Appropriate educational programmes for law enforcement, justice system and prison staff should include material on respect for human rights, tolerance and friendship among racial, ethnic or religious groups, as well as sensitization to intercultural relations and the elimination of discriminatory behaviour (including informal profiling).
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Education
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 83

Paragraph text
Participation of minorities in designing laws and policies and advising on procedures is important to ensure that these laws, policies and procedures are vetted for any disproportionate impact on minorities. This implies better representation of minorities within all branches of government and a greater degree of consultation with the relevant communities.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 80

Paragraph text
In this context, the general prohibition on discrimination in respect of entry into these professions is not sufficient. Actual measurable increase in the recruitment, retention and progression of minorities, including at the most senior levels, is essential. Investment may be required well in advance of formal recruitment processes, for instance, through encouraging and enabling members of minorities to study in order to acquire the necessary academic or professional qualifications.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 79

Paragraph text
Minorities are largely underrepresented in law enforcement agencies, judiciaries, prosecution services and legal professions around the world. Diversity not only reinforces the legitimacy of the criminal justice process, but also ensures that it can draw on the range of experiences of the society as a whole, and contributes to ensuring effective minority participation.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 78

Paragraph text
Concerns expressed by minorities - who may fear that the data could be used for the purpose of arguing that they commit offences at a higher rate, or that police may prejudicially retain their personal details even when no offence is detected - should be addressed, for instance, through anonymization and time limits for retention of personal data.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 76

Paragraph text
In the United Kingdom and parts of Canada and Spain, police are required to record and issue a receipt to anyone they stop, question or search, indicating the person's ethnic origin (where possible, self-identified), the name of the police officer, and the date, location and reason for the action. Such practices should, in principle, be implemented by all law enforcement agencies.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 71

Paragraph text
Courts must not assign lesser credibility to the testimony of minority witnesses on the basis of prejudices about the minority; owing to differences in appearance, dress, body language or demeanour; or owing to a different use of language which, for example, may be culturally acceptable within the minority culture but may seem unusual or even rude to others.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 68

Paragraph text
Minorities may be at higher risk generally of being victims of ordinary crime, or may need access to justice and reparation particularly in relation to hate crimes motivated by their minority status. Yet, many jurisdictions lack definitions and working protocols for the recording, investigation and prosecution of hate crimes. This leads to the rapid erosion of minorities' trust in justice. Responding effectively to hate crimes can assist in rebuilding trust.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 66

Paragraph text
Members of a minority may also view the justice system as a whole as "alien" and to be avoided, particularly if the State has failed to make efforts to guarantee effective participation of the minority by ensuring: that minorities are represented in the police, judiciary, prosecution and legal profession; that law enforcement agencies have an accessible and welcoming physical presence in the community; and that practices and symbols of the justice system are inclusive of the minority.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 64

Paragraph text
Police may not investigate crimes committed against minorities with the diligence accorded crimes against other victims, whether owing to deliberate discrimination or because more subtle prejudices negatively impact their assessment of the complainants' credibility. This problem can be exacerbated when police officers are accused.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 62

Paragraph text
While all former prisoners face stigma and challenges to successful reintegration within society, minorities may have particular difficulty in this regard. States should have specially adapted reintegration plans for vulnerable groups and ensure that laws that permanently deprive convicted persons of the right to vote do not have a disproportionate impact on minority groups.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Movement
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 57

Paragraph text
Failure to accommodate a convicted minority prisoner's particular needs may cause so much additional suffering, compared with that of non-minority prisoners in an equivalent position, as to render the punishment discriminatory and a violation of equality before the law. Such punishment could constitute cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment or even torture.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 56

Paragraph text
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.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Children
  • Ethnic minorities
  • Women
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 54

Paragraph text
Minorities face discrimination in pretrial detention and in post-conviction imprisonment, whether because their treatment or conditions are poorer than those for other groups, or because authorities fail generally to respect standards that are especially important to the minority relating to: religious and cultural practices, customs as regards food, relations with families, and assistance of an interpreter, for example.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
  • Families
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 48

Paragraph text
States parties should strive firmly to ensure the absence of discriminatory prejudice against minorities on the part of judges, jury members and other judicial personnel. States should also prevent all direct influence by pressure groups, ideologies or religions on the functioning of the system of justice and on the decision of judges, which may have a discriminatory effect on certain groups.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 46

Paragraph text
The requirement of "impartial tribunal" as an aspect of the right to fair trial signifies that judges not only must be free from any actual prejudice but also must "appear to a reasonable observer to be impartial". In assessing whether conduct by a judge vis-à-vis a minority individual violates this standard, one should consider specifically how members of the minority would perceive that conduct.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 45

Paragraph text
Numerous States go beyond these minimum provisions and provide for the right of certain linguistic minorities to have the proceedings themselves conducted in their own language. This may apply to the territory of the State as a whole or to a particular region. Wherever possible, such an approach is to be encouraged, as it contributes to the fairness of the proceeding, equality, promotion of identity and effective participation.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 39

Paragraph text
Access to legal assistance often determines whether a person can participate in court proceedings in a meaningful way. The right to a fair trial under international and regional standards includes the right to a lawyer, free of charge if necessary, wherever the interests of justice so requires, at all stages of the process, including in police custody and pretrial detention.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 33

Paragraph text
A person's minority status can never be a sufficient reason for pretrial detention. The social, economic and cultural circumstances of minorities (e.g., with respect to bail, fixed address, employment and family ties) must be taken into account when setting financial or other conditions for release so as to prevent indirect discrimination.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 32

Paragraph text
Particularly in legal systems where police and prosecutors have greater discretion over pretrial detention, such detention may be deployed against minorities as a form of duress in order to punish, obtain confessions or make it easier to fabricate evidence. Indeed, in some countries, the criminal justice system may at times contribute to the oppression of certain minorities.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 31

Paragraph text
Linguistic minorities may be unable to read and understand legal documents, such as an appearance notice, and therefore become subject to an order for arrest and pretrial detention; they may not understand their right to counsel or appreciate that one is required; and they may have difficulty finding a legal representative who can speak their mother tongue.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 30

Paragraph text
Minorities may face more frequent or longer periods of pretrial detention owing to: lack of access to a lawyer; lesser quality of the lawyers assigned to them; discriminatory attitudes shown by police and prosecutors, judges or even the lawyers assigned to defend them; ill preparedness with respect to responding to criminal procedures owing to poverty, stigmatization or lack of knowledge; or socioeconomics-related inability to post bail or otherwise meet conditions for release.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 28

Paragraph text
The Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture requires, inter alia, the establishment of independent national preventive mechanisms empowered to carry out visits to all places of detention; the Protocol specifies that the mechanisms should include "adequate representation of ethnic and minority groups in the country".
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
  • Persons on the move
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 26

Paragraph text
States must ensure full compliance with the requirements of proportionality and strict necessity in any use of force against persons belonging to ethnic, national and other minorities, with intentional use of lethal force being restricted to situations where it is strictly unavoidable to save life. Victims, families and others who allege unlawful use of force must have access to impartial, independent and effective complaints mechanisms, and police officers involved must be held accountable, including criminally.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Humanitarian
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
  • Families
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 22

Paragraph text
The exercise of police powers on the basis of such racial or ethnic profiling has been held to violate international human rights law. Increased general surveillance of members of a particular religious faith, solely on the basis that some believers have engaged in terrorist or other crimes, would raise similar concerns.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 21

Paragraph text
Although most countries affirm their opposition to racial profiling, there are ongoing reports of disproportionate targeting by police of individuals for identity checks, stop and search, or other forms of coercive or privacy-invasive police powers, which are related purely to identity-based minority group characteristics rather than to any credible suspicion that the individual in question has been involved in illegal activity.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 20

Paragraph text
Furthermore, police practices that impact a certain minority excessively tend to reinforce the sentiment among the members of the group that they are not an integral part of society. This can ultimately undermine the efforts to protect and promote their identity, as they may seek to hide their status in order to avoid unwarranted attention. Such practices can also contribute to the creation of a vicious circle of tension between the police and minority communities.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 19

Paragraph text
Police often have wide-ranging discretionary powers. Some discretion may be necessary owing to the nature of their work. However, the broader the discretion, the greater the risk of its arbitrary or discriminatory exercise, particularly in the absence of effective independent oversight mechanisms. Indeed, globally, and specifically in such areas as counter-terrorism legislation where police powers continue to expand beyond the reach of effective oversight mechanisms, minorities are increasingly at risk.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 18

Paragraph text
Should a disproportionate number of individuals from a minority group find themselves in contact with the police as a result of discrimination, then even if, formally, every other step of the process functions impartially, minorities will, similarly, be disproportionately represented throughout that process. This underscores the importance of strict non-discrimination at the policing stage. The risk of discrimination further increases when police forces do not reflect the diversity within the population.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 17

Paragraph text
General Recommendation XXXI of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on the prevention of racial discrimination in the administration and functioning of the criminal justice system describes measures for gauging and preventing discrimination at each stage of the criminal justice system. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination recommendations can and should be extended and adapted to cover discrimination against all national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 11

Paragraph text
The overarching principle of non-discrimination including, specifically, equality before the law and before the courts, is enshrined in, for example, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities (hereinafter referred to as the Minorities Declaration), the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. These are reinforced by regional instruments such as the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights (hereinafter referred to as the African Charter) (articles 2 and 3), the Arab Charter on Human Rights (hereinafter referred to as the Arab Charter) (articles 3 and 11), the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (Council of Europe) (article 4)) and the American Convention on Human Rights (hereinafter referred to as the American Convention) (articles 1 and 24), as well as by the Inter-American Convention against All Forms of Discrimination and Intolerance (not yet in force) jurisprudence and international humanitarian law. The concept of effective participation is recognized in the Minorities Declaration (article 2), under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and in regional standards.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities in the criminal justice system 2015, para. 9

Paragraph text
This report highlights some examples of good practices. However, too often a lack of data collection precludes Governments from accurately assessing the existence and scale of violations, or designing effective countermeasures. It should be noted, however, that the report is not exhaustive, and does not address violations by law enforcement officials outside of the formal criminal justice process, or violations arising from substantive criminal law, which impact minorities and merit further research.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2015
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Ensuring the inclusion of minority issues in post- 2015 development agendas 2014, para. 91

Paragraph text
The Independent Expert urges States to establish independent monitoring bodies with civil society and public participation, including of minorities, to ensure that the next round of commitments made at the global level are fulfilled for minorities.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2014
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Ensuring the inclusion of minority issues in post- 2015 development agendas 2014, para. 88

Paragraph text
Within the framework of a strong equality-focused goal or goals, it will be crucial to establish specific targets for States on the inclusion of minorities and specific indicators upon which to measure progress. The participation of minorities needs to be ensured and increased in all phases.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2014
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Ensuring the inclusion of minority issues in post- 2015 development agendas 2014, para. 68

Paragraph text
Globally, minorities often suffer disproportionately from the impact of conflict. Many examples demonstrate clearly the impact of conflict upon minorities and their development and rights, which in some cases has been devastating and has set progress towards development goals back by years for certain groups.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Humanitarian
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2014
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Ensuring the inclusion of minority issues in post- 2015 development agendas 2014, para. 51

Paragraph text
Minority groups have experienced increased levels of racism and xenophobia since the financial crisis began. The 2012 Annual Report of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance noted that: "The ongoing economic crisis has created a vicious cycle in which many of the groups of concern to ECRI (vulnerable groups) are trapped. Diminished economic opportunities and welfare cuts puts them into poverty, which breeds negative feelings on both sides of the social divide".
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Poverty
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2014
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Ensuring the inclusion of minority issues in post- 2015 development agendas 2014, para. 45

Paragraph text
The United Nations Development Group organized a set of eleven thematic consultations, on the themes of: conflict and fragility; education; environmental sustainability; governance; growth and employment; health; hunger, food and nutrition; inequalities; population dynamics; energy; and water. A report and preliminary findings were launched in March 2013. The following sections provide a brief discussion of minority issues in the context of each of these thematic areas.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Environment
  • Food & Nutrition
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2014
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Ensuring the inclusion of minority issues in post- 2015 development agendas 2014, para. 30

Paragraph text
The following thematic discussion forms part of an ongoing programme of work by the Independent Expert to ensure that minority issues are given appropriate attention in the context of the post-2015 development agenda. She will continue to consult widely on this issue with all relevant stakeholders at the global and national level to achieve this objective.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Year
2014
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Preventing and addressing violence and atrocities against minorities 2014, para. 97

Paragraph text
Establishing institutions for the protection of minority rights and ensuring attention to minority rights within existing national and human rights institutions are essential violence prevention measures. Such institutional attention facilitates early warning and early response and the establishment of the appropriate policy frameworks and violence prevention strategies that are essential to the prevention of violence.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Violence
Year
2014
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Preventing and addressing violence and atrocities against minorities 2014, para. 96

Paragraph text
Mechanisms to ensure dialogue, consultation and participation, the fundamental principles of minority rights, should be established to assist States in understanding the situations of minorities, their issues and concerns. Where violence has previously taken place, such mechanisms are particularly essential, including in post-conflict and post-violence reconciliation and peacebuilding processes.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Humanitarian
  • Violence
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2014
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Preventing and addressing violence and atrocities against minorities 2014, para. 92

Paragraph text
Violence has far-reaching impacts on individuals, communities and societies. The immediate impact may be death, injury, destruction of property, displacement and sexual violence against minorities. The longer-term impact on minorities, their enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms and their relations with other groups in society may last for generations after incidents of violence.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Social & Cultural Rights
  • Violence
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2014
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Preventing and addressing violence and atrocities against minorities 2014, para. 91

Paragraph text
Protection of disadvantaged and vulnerable minority groups facing violence is required as much as ever. Continuing violent incidents suggest that only limited advances have been made in employing indicators, protection strategies and methodologies at the national, regional and international levels and that much remains to be done to protect vulnerable minority groups.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Violence
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2014
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Rights of linguistic minorities 2013, para. 69

Paragraph text
As an example of positive practice, the United States Department of Health and Human Services established an Office of Minority Health in 1986 dedicated to improving the health of racial and ethnic minorities through targeted health programmes. Among its activities is the publication of key health information in numerous minority languages.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Health
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Rights of linguistic minorities 2013, para. 52

Paragraph text
In Viet Nam, visited by the previous mandate holder in July 2010 (see A/HRC/16/45/Add.2), UNICEF has been supporting the Ministry of Education and Training to address disparities in education outcomes between the majority and ethnic minorities. The mother tongue–based bilingual education programme has been implemented since 2008 in three provinces with three different ethnic minorities—Mong, Jrai and Khmer—and shows very positive results.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Education
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Rights of linguistic minorities 2013, para. 38

Paragraph text
In the following sections, the Independent Expert considers specific concerns relating to linguistic minorities and minority languages. They are not exhaustive and not all issues are present in all regions. They provide an overview of some of the many issues that the Independent Expert intends to consult further on in order to develop her understanding of global concerns and regional trends.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Movement
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Rights of linguistic minorities 2013, para. 31

Paragraph text
The 1992 Declaration on Minorities further elaborates the rights of minorities, including in relation to language. Importantly it imposes positive obligations on States and the requirement for positive measures that go beyond standard non-discrimination provisions contained in other international standards. Article 1, paragraph 1, requires States to protect the existence and the national or ethnic, cultural, religious and linguistic identity of minorities within their respective territories and encourage conditions for the promotion of that identity. Article 1, paragraph 2, requires the adoption of appropriate legislative and other measures to achieve those ends. Article 2, paragraph 1, states that persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities have the right to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practise their own religion, and to use their own language, in private and in public, freely and without interference or any form of discrimination. Article 4, paragraph 2, requires States to take measures to create favourable conditions to enable persons belonging to minorities to express their characteristics and to develop their culture, language, religion, traditions and customs. Article 4, paragraph 3, requires States to take appropriate measures so that, wherever possible, persons belonging to minorities may have adequate opportunities to learn their mother tongue or to have instruction in their mother tongue.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Rights of linguistic minorities 2013, para. 17

Paragraph text
The following discussion provides an overview of linguistic minority issues globally and the challenges that confront both linguistic minorities and States seeking to manage linguistically diverse societies. The report is based on information provided to the Independent Expert by minorities, Governments, NGOs, academic bodies, United Nations specialized agencies and other stakeholders; information provided in the course of country visits; and statements made to the Forum on Minority Issues.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Movement
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minority rights-based approaches to the protection and promotion of the rights of religious minorities 2013, para. 72

Paragraph text
In this context, the Rabat Plan of Action notes that States have the responsibility to ensure space for minorities to enjoy their fundamental rights and freedoms, for instance by facilitating registration and functioning of minority media organizations. States should strengthen the capacities of communities to access and express a range of views and information and embrace the healthy dialogue and debate that they can encompass.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minority rights-based approaches to the protection and promotion of the rights of religious minorities 2013, para. 66

Paragraph text
The State also has due diligence obligations with regard to the enjoyment of human rights. Those obligations relate to preventing violations and protecting persons from them. When violations have occurred, the State has the obligation to appropriately investigate, to compensate victims and to exert serious efforts to prevent repetition. The prevention of violations relates to those carried out by non State actors and even in the private sphere.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minority rights-based approaches to the protection and promotion of the rights of religious minorities 2013, para. 28

Paragraph text
While clearly falling within the scope of the 1992 Declaration on Minorities, which explicitly provides for four categories of minority groups (national, ethnic, religious and linguistic), attention to religious minorities has frequently historically fallen under international standards relevant to freedom of religion and belief.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2013
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Priorities for the work of the Independent Expert and the twentieth anniversary of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities 2012, para. 43

Paragraph text
In the course of her work the independent expert will seek to engage systematically and substantively with grass-roots minority rights organizations in every region in order to learn from and support their vital work. Grass-roots organizations frequently engage in creative and innovative activities with minority communities and also with majority communities to ensure enjoyment of rights, establish dialogue, build understanding and trust between people, and confront discrimination and exclusion. Pursuing efforts to identify positive practices as required by her mandate, the independent expert will seek to learn about and catalogue the programmes, practices and initiatives of grass-roots NGOs that have had a positive impact on the rights of persons belonging to minorities and in breaking down barriers between communities. Such practices will be made available on the website of the independent expert and may serve to inspire others working in the field of minority issues. The independent expert will create a page on her website in order to showcase the positive work and impact of grass-roots organizations.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Priorities for the work of the Independent Expert and the twentieth anniversary of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities 2012, para. 36

Paragraph text
The preamble to the Declaration on Minorities emphasizes that "the promotion and protection of the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities contribute to the political and social stability of States in which they live".
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Priorities for the work of the Independent Expert and the twentieth anniversary of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities 2012, para. 29

Paragraph text
The independent expert will seek to expand the understanding relating to the recognition of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, and those groups frequently described as "new minorities".
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The role and activities of national institutional mechanisms in promoting and protecting minority rights 2012, para. 100

Paragraph text
International bodies with a national presence, including United Nations bodies and specialized agencies, should consider institutional strengthening so as to ensure required expertise and attention to minority issues and should employ staff from minorities, where appropriate.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The role and activities of national institutional mechanisms in promoting and protecting minority rights 2012, para. 99

Paragraph text
Recent examples of interreligious tensions and violence demonstrate the need for dedicated institutional attention to religious minorities and interfaith dialogue. Efforts to improve understanding and build positive relationships between faith groups should engage religious leaders, institutions and communities from all faith groups.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The role and activities of national institutional mechanisms in promoting and protecting minority rights 2012, para. 98

Paragraph text
Regional or local sub-offices of human rights institutions and other relevant bodies should be considered, including in areas with concentrated minority communities and in localities where communities may face particular challenges, including violence, conflict or displacement.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Humanitarian
  • Movement
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The role and activities of national institutional mechanisms in promoting and protecting minority rights 2012, para. 97

Paragraph text
Institutions or departments working on women's issues should establish specialist units or focal points for minority women and girls so as to ensure adequate attention to their issues and should recruit minority women.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Gender
Person(s) affected
  • Girls
  • Women
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The role and activities of national institutional mechanisms in promoting and protecting minority rights 2012, para. 96

Paragraph text
Governmental and independent national human rights institutions should lead by example and ensure that their governing bodies and staff, including at senior levels, reflect the diversity within society, and ensure as well the representation of minority women. Diversity in public and private sectors should be promoted and monitored.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
  • Women
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The role and activities of national institutional mechanisms in promoting and protecting minority rights 2012, para. 95

Paragraph text
Awareness-raising activities should promote knowledge of specialized minority rights and equality bodies or departments or relevant agencies, and of their services. Outreach should be targeted towards minority communities, including through minority media, and in minority localities. Information and services should be provided in minority languages.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The role and activities of national institutional mechanisms in promoting and protecting minority rights 2012, para. 94

Paragraph text
Institutional practices and methodologies should be adopted and promoted to ensure the full and effective representation of minorities in institutions and the participation of and consultation with minorities in all aspects of institutional work.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The role and activities of national institutional mechanisms in promoting and protecting minority rights 2012, para. 93

Paragraph text
Institutions working on minority issues must be transparent and accountable to minorities, including with regard to processes for electing or appointing senior representatives and staff and their methods of work and activities.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The role and activities of national institutional mechanisms in promoting and protecting minority rights 2012, para. 92

Paragraph text
Institutions mandated to address minority issues should be adequately funded, resourced and staffed to enable them to fulfil their mandates effectively and to respond appropriately to the challenges, requests and needs of minorities.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Humanitarian
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The role and activities of national institutional mechanisms in promoting and protecting minority rights 2012, para. 91

Paragraph text
National statistical agencies and other relevant government bodies and departments should be mandated to engage in the collection of disaggregated data, as a good practice in the field of minority issues, and develop internal expertise on minority issues, and on data collection and analysis methodologies relevant to ethnicity, religion and language.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The role and activities of national institutional mechanisms in promoting and protecting minority rights 2012, para. 89

Paragraph text
States should consider specialist national institutions mandated to address minority issues, including dedicated departments, sections or focal points within national institutional frameworks and national human rights institutions. Permanent and ad hoc consultative and advisory bodies addressing minority issues should be considered.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The role and activities of national institutional mechanisms in promoting and protecting minority rights 2012, para. 88

Paragraph text
The Declaration and other relevant international and regional minority rights standards should be incorporated into domestic law, thereby providing a strong legal basis for institution-building and strengthening in the area of minority rights.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2012
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The role of minority rights protection in promoting stability and conflict prevention 2011, para. 101

Paragraph text
The United Nations should continue to make efforts to share the experiences of a variety of agencies with early warning methodologies, including those systems which combine quantitative and qualitative indicators, and should incorporate minority rights indicators so that all agencies, departments and country offices can draw on the best available practice.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Humanitarian
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2011
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The role of minority rights protection in promoting stability and conflict prevention 2011, para. 98

Paragraph text
The United Nations should develop an inter-agency guidance note on addressing minority issues to include, inter alia: how to consult with minority communities in order to capture the diversity of positions; how to involve civil society organizations working with minority communities in United Nations conflict prevention work; and how to develop context-specific early warning indicators.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Humanitarian
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2011
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The role of minority rights protection in promoting stability and conflict prevention 2011, para. 97

Paragraph text
Consideration should be given to adding an expert on minority rights to the standby team of mediation experts in the Department of Political Affairs. Additional consideration could be given to involving the team in country situations at an earlier point on the conflict continuum that runs between the expression of grievances to the outbreak of violence.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Humanitarian
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2011
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The role of minority rights protection in promoting stability and conflict prevention 2011, para. 96

Paragraph text
United Nations staff working on conflict prevention and peace-building, particularly those working on policy, analysis and early warning and in country teams, should receive comprehensive minority rights training.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Humanitarian
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2011
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The role of minority rights protection in promoting stability and conflict prevention 2011, para. 95

Paragraph text
Minority rights expertise should be strengthened and integrated comprehensively across the United Nations system. Given the prevalence of conflicts involving identity issues, permanent in-house expertise on minority issues within the principal agencies and departments working on conflict prevention would be highly beneficial.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Humanitarian
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2011
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The role of minority rights protection in promoting stability and conflict prevention 2011, para. 94

Paragraph text
National human rights institutions should have mandates that explicitly include the protection and promotion of minority rights and expertise in the field of minority rights. Consideration should be given to establishing dedicated consultative and advisory bodies to help ensure that minority issues are adequately addressed at the national and local levels.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2011
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The role of minority rights protection in promoting stability and conflict prevention 2011, para. 91

Paragraph text
Public proclamations regarding national identity, for example in the constitution, and key national symbols should be fully inclusive, and should not exclude segments of a country's population nor deny, explicitly or implicitly, the full diversity of the population.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2011
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The role of minority rights protection in promoting stability and conflict prevention 2011, para. 89

Paragraph text
Where there are historical patterns of exclusion of members of minorities from employment, business and education opportunities, States should implement capacity-building programmes and other affirmative action measures to enable members of minorities, including minority women, to compete on an equal footing.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
  • Women
Year
2011
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The role of minority rights protection in promoting stability and conflict prevention 2011, para. 88

Paragraph text
States should monitor economic development projects to assess their impact on minorities, to ensure that they benefit equally with others, and that there is no detrimental effect on their rights.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Economic Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2011
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The role of minority rights protection in promoting stability and conflict prevention 2011, para. 87

Paragraph text
States should monitor the participation of minorities in all areas of economic life, including allocation of jobs within public services, to ensure that members of all communities have equal access without discrimination. Requirements, including language qualifications for public service jobs, should not result in the effective exclusion of minorities.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2011
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The role of minority rights protection in promoting stability and conflict prevention 2011, para. 86

Paragraph text
States should implement comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation, including measures to prohibit discrimination by both State and private actors. Legislation must provide for effective, transparent enforcement mechanisms which can be accessed easily by all.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2011
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The role of minority rights protection in promoting stability and conflict prevention 2011, para. 85

Paragraph text
To fulfil their human rights obligations and also as a measure to increase stability and improve inclusive governance, States should implement fully the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, through a process of consultation and cooperation with minority groups.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2011
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The role of minority rights protection in promoting stability and conflict prevention 2011, para. 83

Paragraph text
One of the possible benefits of placing more emphasis on minority rights as a tool for conflict prevention may be that it not only facilitates earlier warnings of troubled societies, but also that the corresponding corrective measures are relatively less costly politically. That would increase the likelihood of action being taken earlier.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Humanitarian
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2011
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The role of minority rights protection in promoting stability and conflict prevention 2011, para. 81

Paragraph text
Additionally, while there has been added emphasis placed on the prevention of certain specific crimes, including genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity, violent conflicts that do not fit those definitions may also warrant additional attention.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Violence
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2011
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The role of minority rights protection in promoting stability and conflict prevention 2011, para. 76

Paragraph text
Historically, channels of communication between the human rights institutions in Geneva and the peace and security bodies in New York have not been optimal. A number of significant improvements have taken place, notably the enhancement of the status of a New York presence of OHCHR, now headed by an Assistant Secretary-General, and regular briefings to the Security Council by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2011
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The role of minority rights protection in promoting stability and conflict prevention 2011, para. 72

Paragraph text
The Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery, a conflict prevention bureau within UNDP, currently has no focal point on minorities either; however, UNDP has recently enhanced its understanding of minority issues in development processes through a series of workshops resulting in a resource guide and toolkit for UNDP field staff, which includes guidance on addressing conflict situations (see paras. 15 and 16 above).
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Humanitarian
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2011
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The role of minority rights protection in promoting stability and conflict prevention 2011, para. 47

Paragraph text
National human rights institutions that comply with the principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights ("the Paris Principles") can also play a constructive role in promoting the positive valuing of diversity and addressing issues that could cause conflict. Such institutions may include designated commissioners for minority issues, or separate, dedicated institutions may be established.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2011
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The role of minority rights protection in promoting stability and conflict prevention 2011, para. 43

Paragraph text
It has been argued that early warning systems need to combine the collection of disaggregated quantitative data with more in-depth qualitative analysis. Such a course of action would enable the identification of complex interactions between political, social and economic factors that help determine whether violent conflict will break out, and if so, when.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Humanitarian
Person(s) affected
  • All
  • N.A.
Year
2011
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The role of minority rights protection in promoting stability and conflict prevention 2011, para. 41

Paragraph text
Some analysts worry about the risk of raising false alarms by flagging concerns at too early a stage. But if the response to an early warning of patterns of discrimination is to work with the Government to set up programmes that correct those patterns, then that has its own value, regardless of the impact on conflict prevention.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2011
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The role of minority rights protection in promoting stability and conflict prevention 2011, para. 35

Paragraph text
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.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Children
  • Ethnic minorities
  • Women
Year
2011
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The role of minority rights protection in promoting stability and conflict prevention 2011, para. 32

Paragraph text
Since the adoption of the 1992 Declaration on Minorities, the basic assumption contained in its preamble - that the implementation of minority rights contributes to the stability of States - has been taken up and developed further in successive resolutions of the General Assembly, the Commission on Human Rights, its successor the Human Rights Council, reports of the Secretary-General and outcome documents of a number of conferences and policy processes.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2011
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The role of minority rights protection in promoting stability and conflict prevention 2011, para. 31

Paragraph text
The protection of minority rights and the prevention of violent conflicts are legitimate goals of independent value to be pursued by the international community. Both goals lie at the heart of the mandate of the United Nations, and States should pursue each one as a valid objective in its own right. However, the fact that these two concerns are so often linked to one another makes it appropriate to consider them together.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2011
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The role of minority rights protection in promoting stability and conflict prevention 2011, para. 29

Paragraph text
Additionally, women and men members of minorities may be targeted by armed actors in different ways, increasing the forms of violence in the society in general. For example, women are targeted by sexual violence, while men are forcibly recruited into militias. The rape of women, for example, may be intended to humiliate men and demonstrate their inability to protect "their" women.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Humanitarian
  • Violence
Person(s) affected
  • Men
  • Women
Year
2011
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

The role of minority rights protection in promoting stability and conflict prevention 2011, para. 27

Paragraph text
Equally, in those States that implement protection for minority rights, minorities are more likely to be recognized as equal rights-holders and afforded the full protection of the State from aggression and violence directed against them.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2011
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and effective political participation: a survey of law and national practices 2010, para. 55

Paragraph text
It is therefore paramount that the participation mechanisms be continuously re-examined and evaluated to ensure that they allow for effective participation. As circumstances and realities change over time, the participation mechanisms should be reviewed and, if necessary, adjusted. This, however, should not result in the curtailing of the acquired rights.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • N.A.
Year
2010
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and effective political participation: a survey of law and national practices 2010, para. 49

Paragraph text
In a number of cases, the European Court assessed situations in which States prevented persons belonging to minorities from establishing associations aimed at furthering the cultural and political interests of the groups. The Court found that such interference constituted a violation of article 11 of the European Convention, which safeguards the freedom of assembly and association.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2010
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and effective political participation: a survey of law and national practices 2010, para. 41

Paragraph text
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities requires that States ensure that "persons with disabilities can effectively and fully participate in political and public life on an equal basis with others, directly or through freely chosen representatives, including the right and opportunity for persons with disabilities to vote and be elected" (art. 29).
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Persons with disabilities
Year
2010
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and effective political participation: a survey of law and national practices 2010, para. 37

Paragraph text
The right of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities to participate effectively in cultural, religious, social, economic and public life is further affirmed in the 1992 Declaration on Minorities ("the Declaration").
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2010
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and effective political participation: a survey of law and national practices 2010, para. 34

Paragraph text
The human rights principle of non-discrimination is crucial. The exclusion of minorities from fully participating in political processes is primarily grounded in discrimination. Affirmative measures, time-bound and specifically designed to address systematic, historic and institutionalized discrimination, must be employed to enable minorities to participate effectively, especially if this would otherwise remain out of their reach.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2010
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and effective political participation: a survey of law and national practices 2010, para. 32

Paragraph text
Public participation is a broad concept. It comprises the right to take part in the conduct of public affairs, the right to vote and to be elected, and to have access to public services. Moreover, it entails participation in governmental bodies, the judiciary and other agencies of the criminal justice system, decentralized and local forms of government, consultation mechanisms, as well as through cultural or territorial autonomy arrangements.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • All
Year
2010
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and effective political participation: a survey of law and national practices 2010, para. 31

Paragraph text
The right to effective participation of persons belonging to minorities is far-reaching and encompasses many aspects of what constitutes a just society. The right to effective participation includes participation in political decision-making at both the local and national levels. In addition, persons belonging to minorities should be given the means to participate effectively in the cultural, religious, social and economic spheres of their societies.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Civil & Political Rights
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2010
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and effective political participation: a survey of law and national practices 2010, para. 29

Paragraph text
Effective participation should give minorities a stake in society. Measures taken towards ensuring the effective participation of minorities contribute to the alleviation of tensions, and thus serve the purpose of conflict prevention. Therefore, in addition to being a legal obligation, creating the conditions for the effective participation of minorities should be considered by States to be an integral aspect of good governance.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Social & Cultural Rights
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2010
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and effective political participation: a survey of law and national practices 2010, para. 27

Paragraph text
The following sections of this report summarize the relevant basic international legal principles, the preconditions for ensuring effective political participation by minorities, and some of the models and conceptual tools that States are using in order to meet their international obligations in this domain.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2010
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph

Minorities and effective political participation: a survey of law and national practices 2010, para. 26

Paragraph text
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.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Poverty
Person(s) affected
  • Children
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2010
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
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Minorities and effective political participation: a survey of law and national practices 2010, para. 24

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The second session of the Forum on Minority Issues was held in Geneva on 12 and 13 November 2009 on the thematic subject of "Minorities and Effective Political Participation." The Forum's recommendations will be presented to the Human Rights Council at its current session (A/HRC/13/25). The Forum was honoured to have as Chairperson United States Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Chairperson of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Body
Special Rapporteur on minority issues
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Topic(s)
  • Equality & Inclusion
  • Governance & Rule of Law
Person(s) affected
  • Ethnic minorities
Year
2010
Date added
Aug 19, 2019
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