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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
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. 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
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
- Paragraph text
- 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. 38
- Paragraph text
- 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
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. 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. 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. 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
- Paragraph text
- 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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
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. 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. 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. 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. 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