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UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL SESSION 22 UPDATE

 

Action on Draft Resolution on the Protection of the Family

Draft Resolution (A/HRC/22/L.25) regarding protection of the family, was deferred to a future date. 

 

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----- Original Message -----

From: WUNRN ListServe

To: WUNRN ListServe

Sent: Monday, March 18, 2013 8:31 PM

Subject: Important Alert - Proposed UN Resolution on "Protection of the Family"

 

WUNRN

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Via Women Living Under Muslim Laws - WLUML

 

IMPORTANT ALERT - PROPOSED UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL RESOLUTION ON "PROTECTION OF THE FAMILY"

 

 

Ø  On Friday March 15th, at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, a cross-regional group of nine Member States (Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritania, Morocco, Qatar, Russian Federation, Tunisia, Uganda and Zimbabwe) tabled a Draft Resolution (A/HRC/22/L.25) entitled “Protection of the Family”.

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Ø  This Resolution tries, from our view, to cement the traditional family as a subject of human rights protection in and of itself.  From this initiative may stem further efforts to oppose the protection and promotion of sexual and reproductive rights, and in particular issues of sexual orientation and gender identity, abortion, adolescents’ access to sexual and reproductive health services and comprehensive sexuality education.  All of these issues have been highly contested issues in the context of recent and prior negotiations at the Human Rights Council.

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Ø  This is the first resolution of its kind at the UN Human Rights Council and as such could be the start of what will likely be a long-term incremental agenda at the Council. 

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Ø  It is unlikely that many delegations will vote against this resolution, given that most delegations do not want to be depicted as anti-family.  So, the realistic hope that we have is for concerns with the text to be fixed in whatever version is adopted by the Council.

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Ø  In the single negotiation session that has taken place so far, a number of key delegations have spoken to address the problematic aspects of this resolution, including Uruguay, Mexico, the Netherlands (on behalf of the EU), and the United States.  However, it is critical that further delegations voice their concerns with this text.

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Ø  Particularly important Governments to voice these concerns with are Members of the Human Rights Council (see list below) as well as a few key Observer States, including: South Africa and such EU members, such as Malta and Hungary.

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What makes the draft resolution problematic?

 

 

The focus on “protection of the family” in the Resolution is not consistent with the Council’s mandate which is to promote and protect human rights.  International human rights law is primarily about the entitlements and freedoms of individuals; the family in and of itself is not a subject of human rights protection.  Within the Resolution, there is no recognition of the need to protect and promote the human rights of individuals within family contexts.  It is the individuals who have human rights entitlements, which can be violated within the family context.  For example, it is well known that families are often a site of violence, especially towards women, children, and the elderly.  According to the Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, domestic violence is the most pervasive form of violence against women. Hence, the focus of this resolution must be the protection of the human rights of members of families.

 

 

 

Ø  There is no recognition in the Resolution of the fact that various forms of the family exist in all contexts.  This includes single-parent households, same-sex-parented households,  joint families, extended families, families without children, families of divorced individuals, intergenerational families, etc.

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What can you do?

 

 

Ø  Contact your country’s Foreign Ministry indicating your concerns with this Resolution and your expectation that they oppose the Resolution in its current form.  As action on this Resolution is expected to take place this coming Friday March 22nd, it is important for you to contact your government as soon as possible.  Contact details for the Foreign Ministry of each country can be found at:

http://www.ediplomat.com/dc/foreign_ministries.htm

 

 

 

Ø  You can also contact your permanent missions in Geneva directly by phone, fax or e-mail voicing the same concerns.  A list of Geneva missions is available at:

http://tinyurl.com/t2cwt

 

 

 

Ø  Please forward this action alert to other supportive NGOs.

 

There is a group of NGOs working together in Geneva to address this, including the International Commission of Jurists, the Sexual Rights Initiative, ARC-International, Baha’i International Community, COC – Netherlands, International Service for Human Rights, Human Rights Watch and others. 

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Human Rights Council Members (2013)

 

African States

 

Angola
Benin
Botswana
Burkina Faso
Congo
Côte d’Ivoire
Ethiopia
Gabon
Kenya
Libya
Mauritania
Sierra Leone
Uganda

 

Asian States

 

India
Indonesia
Japan
Kazakhstan
Kuwait
Malaysia
Maldives
Pakistan
Philippines
Qatar
Republic of Korea
Thailand
United Arab Emirates

 Eastern European States

 

Czech Republic
Estonia
Montenegro
Poland

Republic of Moldova

Romania

Western Europe and Other States

 

Austria
Germany
Ireland
Italy
Spain
Switzerland
United States of America

 

Latin American & Caribbean States

 

Argentina
Brazil
Chile
Costa Rica
Ecuador
Guatemala
Peru
Venezuela

 

 

 

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