United Nations
UN votes to protect against killings based on sexual orientation
General Assembly Adopts 52 Resolutions, 6 Decisions Recommended by Third Committee on Broad Range of Human Rights, Social, Cultural Issues
Expert workshop on the elimination of violence against women
On 24 and 25 November 2010 the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) organised an 'Expert workshop on the elimination of all forms of violence against women – challenges, good
Video: Concluding remarks - Independent Expert on Cultural rights' first report to the UN Human Rights Council
A Catalogue of International Human Rights Instruments for campaigners
In addition to the Bill of Rights, there are nine core international human rights treaties. Each of these treaties has established a committee of experts to monitor implementation of the treaty provisions by its States parties. Some of the treaties are supplemented by optional protocols dealing with specific concerns.
Through ratification of , Governments undertake to put into place domestic measures and legislation compatible with their treaty obligations and duties. Where domestic legal proceedings fail to address human rights abuses, mechanisms and procedures for individual complaints or communications are available at the regional and international levels to help ensure that international human rights standards are indeed respected, implemented, and enforced at the local level.
Afghanistan: Concluding Observations by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (3-21 May 2010)
Highlights from the Report
16. The Committee notes with concern that the traditional dispute resolution mechanisms which absorbs more cases of dispute that the formal judicial system, is not compatible with the human rights standards, including the Covenant rights. The Committee regrets the fact that the rights of women and children, as well as those of nomadic tribes and the poorest sectors of society, are particularly affected by the lack of access to formal justice mechanisms.
Algeria: Concluding Observations of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (3-21 May 2010)
Highlights from the Report
8. The Committee notes with concern that, despite the amendments to the Constitution through article 31(bis) of Act No.08-19 of 15 November 2008, the Family Code and the Nationality Code, de iure and de facto inequalities continue to exist between men and women, in particular the persistence of stereotypes, attitudes and patriarchal traditions on family and societal roles of men and women. It is also concerned about discrimination against women, in particular regarding inheritance rights, a lower representation of women in decision-making and public positions, and wages that are nearly a third of those for men. (article 3)
Reparations for Women Subjected to Violence: First thematic report submitted to the HRC by Rashida Manjoo, Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, 19 April 2010
This is the first thematic report submitted to the Human Rights Council by Rashida Manjoo, Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, since her appointment in June 2009. In addition to providing an overview of the main activities carried out by the Special Rapporteur, the report focuses on the topic of reparations to women who have been subjected to violence in contexts of both peace and post-conflict. Most human rights and humanitarian law treaties provide for a right to a remedy. In the context of gross and systematic violations of human rights, the Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Right to Remedy and Reparation for Victims of Gross Violations of International Human Rights Law and serious violations of International Humanitarian Law, adopted by the General Assembly in 2005, start with the premise that “the State is responsible for ensuring that victims of human rights violations enjoy an individual right to reparation”.
First Annual Report of the Independent Expert in the field of Cultural Rights
In this first report to the Human Rights Council, the independent expert in the field of cultural rights develops preliminary views on the conceptual and legal framework of her mandate. Focusing on the challenges regarding the scope and content of cultural rights, she reviews the relevant existing provisions in United Nations human rights instruments, and develops her initial thoughts on the interaction among the principle of universality of human rights, the recognition and implementation of cultural rights and the need to respect cultural diversity (chap. II). Aware that many other United Nations mechanisms have received mandates which relate to cultural rights, the independent expert has committed to coordinating with other mechanisms (chap. III). The independent expert has also selected a list of priority issues she proposes to address. These issues relate to two main topics: (a) cultural rights, globalization of exchanges and of information, and development processes; and (b) participation, access and contribution to cultural life, without any discrimination (chap. IV).
Report on the CSW forum on the Women Reclaiming and Re-defining Cultures (WRRC) program and SKSW documentary film screenings
On March 10, the Global Campaign To Stop Killing and Stoning Women (SKSW Campaign) hosted a forum to introduce the Women Re-claiming and Redefining Cultures (WRRC) programme and a screening of two video documentaries on violence against women and girls justified in the name of ‘culture'.
Study on the Freedom of Religion or Belief and the Status of Women From the Viewpoint of Religion and Traditions
1. In many countries forms of discrimination against women are based on or attributed to
religion and culture and may be tolerated or even legalized.
2. International human rights instruments almost all assume gender equality and proscribe
discrimination. However, women’s rights to some individual freedoms such as freedom of
religion or belief may not have received sufficient attention when set against the collective
manifestations of such individual freedoms as those of religion or belief.
3. A basic and sensitive problem arises where the fundamental, universal rights of women are
claimed by religious communities to be in conflict with what are seen as their religious
obligations, which in turn are difficult to differentiate from the cultural or ethnic dimension.
4. The right to difference and cultural specificity implied by freedom of religion or belief is to
some degree incompatible with universal rights, especially those of women, who are often the
victims of a certain view of religious freedom, particularly in situations of conflict and
identity crisis.
5. This study addresses these apparent contradictions by seeking to define religion, to see the
relationship of religion to culture, and of universality to cultural specificities.