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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
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
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. 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. 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. 60
- Paragraph text
- 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 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
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. 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
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
Reflections on the six-year tenure of the Special Rapporteur 2017, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- Information received by the previous mandate holder and the work of the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, as well as other holders of thematic mandates, have revealed disturbing patterns of attacks and violence against members of religious minorities and their places of worship. In this context, the Special Rapporteur presented a thematic report to the General Assembly in 2013 (A/68/268) on minority rights-based approaches to the protection and promotion of the rights of religious minorities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Preventing and addressing violence and atrocities against minorities 2014, para. 70
- Paragraph text
- In some situations, members of minority communities have testified that law enforcement bodies were present or informed at the time violence that took place but had failed to arrive or intervene. In the worst cases, victims reported that law enforcement officers actively participated in violent attacks or colluded with the attackers. In other cases, law enforcement personnel might be poorly equipped or motivated, lack appropriate training or the appropriate command structure to respond to violence.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Preventing and addressing violence and atrocities against minorities 2014, para. 38
- Paragraph text
- In conflicts in Afghanistan, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guatemala, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Somalia, Sri Lanka and the Sudan, minority women have suffered systematic sexual and other violence. Violence against minority women does not always take place in the context of conflict. Women affected by caste-based discrimination in several countries experience high levels of violence owing to their low caste status and gender, and face killing, rape, gang rape and custodial torture.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Women
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Protection of minority rights in conflict prevention 2010, para. 91
- Paragraph text
- An early focus on the protection of minority rights at the national and international levels prior to the point when grievances harden into violence would make a substantial contribution towards their protection. In that regard, it may be instructive to evaluate and learn from the relatively successful experience of mainstreaming awareness of the issues of indigenous peoples across the funds, programmes and specialized agencies of the United Nations.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Preventing and addressing violence and atrocities against minorities 2014, para. 60
- Paragraph text
- A key element in preventing hate-motivated violent crime is to know about existing tensions and better understand what lies behind them. Understanding what inspires hatred, hate speech and its evolution into hate crime is a major challenge but is essential to effectively reducing the threat of violence from society. This requires constant engagement with minority and majority communities, leaders and associations to identify concerns and respond rapidly to situations of emerging tension. In some cases, tensions may be at such a level that relatively small incidents can spark wider violence.
- 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
Preventing and addressing violence and atrocities against minorities 2014, para. 45
- Paragraph text
- It should also be recalled that non-State actors can have a positive role to play in preventing violence and can use their often significant influence to promote human rights in the environments in which they operate. Business enterprises, working in compliance with the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and ensuring consultation with minorities can, for example, pursue their activities in a manner that minimizes negative impacts on minorities and their environments and can reduce the threat of violence.
- 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
Preventing and addressing violence and atrocities against minorities 2014, para. 9
- Paragraph text
- Sectarian killings of religious minorities reportedly rose by more than one fifth in Pakistan in 2013. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan stated that 687 people had been killed in over 200 sectarian attacks, 22 per cent more than in 2012, while 1,319 people had been injured, a 46 per cent rise. In Bangladesh, numerous violent attacks have been targeted at members of the Hindu minority on the basis of their religion, as raised in a press release by several mandate holders in March 2013, and attacks continue to date.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Minority rights-based approaches to the protection and promotion of the rights of religious minorities 2013, para. 12
- Paragraph text
- The communications reports also reveal acts of harassment, intimidation, violence and sexual abuse, including: threats against activists and lawyers who represent religious minorities; attempts at forcible conversion or recantation under threat of death; threats, interrogation, abduction and kidnapping; deportation, expulsion, disappearances and death threats; forced labour and torture in order to obtain false confessions; searches and raids of homes, and confiscation of property; hate-motivated attacks on property; and mob violence, suicide bombings and execution.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Preventing and addressing violence and atrocities against minorities 2014, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- Where a minority has historically been dominant and has exercised political and socioeconomic or military power over a more numerous majority and is then usurped, there may be a risk of retaliatory violence against that minority following regime change.
- 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. 16
- Paragraph text
- While each situation is unique, there are many factors that can potentially lead to or heighten the vulnerability of minorities to violence. While space precludes a detailed analysis, highlighted below are some of the most frequent and important factors.
- 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
Reflections on the six-year tenure of the Special Rapporteur 2017, para. 52
- Paragraph text
- She recalled that a primary objective of the United Nations and of most States in the area of peace and stability was to prevent violence before it broke out. The tragic experiences of past violence and atrocities had helped to better understand the causes of violence and the fact that minorities were frequently targets, and to produce indicators to predict violent incidents and provide early warning. However, States too often failed to translate clear early warnings into adequate, appropriate and timely measures to prevent or stop violence. In order to save lives and ensure peaceful societies, a high priority of stakeholders at all levels must be to improve prevention mechanisms and turn early warning into early action. At the national level, good and inclusive governance that included minorities and measures to ensure equality was a key prevention prerequisite. The international community must also improve its ability to engage and assist States in efforts to prevent and resolve violence and to intervene effectively where States failed in their responsibility to protect minorities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- 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. 51
- Paragraph text
- In her report to the General Assembly, the Special Rapporteur shared her observation that persons belonging to minorities were frequently the victims of violence and atrocities. Violence could take the form of attacks on individuals, their homes, shops or places of worship, or wider acts of aggression against communities with different national, ethnic or religious identities. In the worst cases, violence constituted mass atrocities, crimes against humanity, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and even genocide, often perpetrated with impunity. Sometimes violence was committed by non-State actors, including those belonging to the majority, or by larger, more powerful groups, extremist groups, or even business actors. Sometimes it was perpetrated by State actors.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- 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. 41
- Paragraph text
- In her report, the Special Rapporteur indicated that she had become increasingly alarmed by the situation of millions of persons belonging to religious minorities globally who frequently faced discrimination, social exclusion, marginalization and, in many instances, harassment, persecution and violence. It was the primary duty of States to protect the security of religious minorities. Beyond reacting to incidents of violence, this duty required positive and preventive actions through active engagement with religious minorities. The Special Rapporteur advocated a minority rights-based approach to the protection of religious minorities that not only included guarantees for freedom of religion or belief, but also required States to take positive legislative and policy measures and concrete steps to create substantive equality for religious minorities in all areas of cultural, economic, political, public, religious and social life. Protection of minority rights, together with initiatives by States to foster dialogue between faith groups, helped to build a culture of understanding, acceptance and trust across faiths and helped to prevent tensions from emerging and deteriorating into violence and conflict.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- 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. 77
- Paragraph text
- In Pakistan, Dalits, who are mainly minority Hindus, are disproportionately affected by forced and bonded labour, particularly in the Sindh and Balochistan provinces.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- 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. 59
- Paragraph text
- In South Asia, violence against Dalits is reported to be widespread and driven by the effects of the caste system and the lack of justice for victims. Although official data are scarce, information from some States indicates that the number of reported crimes against Dalits is rising. For instance, data from the National Crime Records Bureau in India reveal that reported crimes against individuals from scheduled castes increased 19 per cent in 2014 from the previous year. In Nepal, Amnesty International reported that in 2014 victims of discrimination on the grounds of caste were subject to torture and other ill treatment, including sexual violence.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Minorities in situations of humanitarian crises 2016, para. 94
- Paragraph text
- In terms of return or repatriation, minorities may face particular obstacles, if they fled owing to violence perpetrated against them because of their minority status and the root conditions of that violence have not been resolved. Minorities may also be reluctant or unable to return home where, upon returning to their place of origin or habitual residence they have become even more marginalized because the conflict or disaster has for instance changed the demographics of an area. Furthermore, return or repatriation is often more difficult for those who have no land to return to, which may often be the case for marginalized minorities who may not have security of tenure over their lands.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Movement
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media 2015, para. 63
- Paragraph text
- There is a broad spectrum of either deliberate or unintentional negative stereotyping of minority groups in the media, ranging from emphasis on the ethnic or religious background of a person responsible for an offence or repeated association of derogatory and dangerous characteristics with specific groups, to the most virulent attacks against minority members, which commonly highlight alleged differences between "us" versus "them". In some cases, there is direct incitement to violence. Such negative portrayals may reinforce entrenched views of ethnic or religious minorities as "others" and perpetuate ideas of structural disadvantage and inequality, as they fail to present a broader and more accurate representation of the situation and challenges faced by minority groups.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- 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. 40
- Paragraph text
- On 2 July 2014, the Special Rapporteur called on Sri Lanka to stop racial and faith-based hatred and violence directed at Muslim and Christian communities by Buddhist groups with extremist views, and to bring perpetrators to justice. Various statements have promoted extremist views, proclaiming the racial superiority of Sinhala Buddhists and alleging that statues of Buddha are being bulldozed by religious minorities or that evangelical Christians are forcibly converting vulnerable people. Those statements reportedly contributed to over 350 violent attacks against Muslims and over 150 attacks against Christians in the past two years.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on minority issues
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph