WUNRN
REPORT OF THE UN SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR
ON FREEDOM OF RELIGION OR BELIEF TO THE UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL 2013 - GENDER
NEED TO RESPECT & PROTECT
FREEDOM OF RELIGION OR BELIEF OF PERSONS BELONGING TO RELIGIOUS MINORITIES
Direct Link to Full 22-Page Report:
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Examples of References to Women:
3. Equality &
Discrimination
30....It
may happen that measures undertaken to combat religious or belief-
related discrimination implicitly follow a male understanding of the
needs and requirements of the respective communities, while
programmes aimed at eliminating gender-related discrimination may
be largely shaped by the experiences of women of the mainstream
population. As a result, even in States that pursue proactive policies
of non-discrimination, there may be a serious risk that women
belonging
to certain religious minorities largely fail to benefit from
such anti-discriminatory measures. When designing programmes to
overcome
such blind spots, States should also be guided by the
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against
Women.
41....Many
members of religious minorities experience multiple,
intersectional and otherwise aggravated forms of discrimination, for
instance a discriminatory link between scheduled caste status and
affiliation to specific religions, or a combination of religion and
ethnicity-based violence. Women or girls often have to cope with
gender-based and religious discrimination, for example dress code
regulations that discriminate against persons belonging to religious
minorities, in particular women.
Conclusions & Recommendations
A. Conclusions
58....One
should take into account the situation of internal minorities, i.e.
minority groups within minorities. Special attention should be given
to women from religious or belief minorities, many of whom may
suffer from multiple or intersectionsl forms of
discrimination.
