Some 30 religious leaders from the Middle East and North Africa are developing a regional strategy to counter hate speech as part of an international effort co-sponsored by the United Nations to intervene when incitement is widespread and the risk of violence imminent.
Governments need to improve data collection as a mean to better assess the situation of vulnerable groups, a UN independent expert on racism said today, noting that “the right to be free from discrimination includes the right to access information that could serve as evidence to prove discrimination.”
Twelve UN agencies today called for an end to violence and discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) adults, adolescents and children, and set out specific steps to protect these individuals.
A group of independent United Nations human rights experts have voiced alarm after a female Sudanese student was sentenced to public flogging and a heavy fine for charges of “indecent dressing,” while another received a hefty fine for the same charges, and urged that the convictions be overturned immediately.
In the wake of the 'appalling' attack that left nine African Americans dead at church in South Carolina, a group of UN human rights experts today called for prompt action by authorities in the United States to investigate the hate crimes and urged measures to prevent gun violence affecting the security of African-Americans, their communities and wider society as well.
Noting that economic, political and social marginalization of Roma communities remains a major issue, a United Nations human rights expert urged thinking outside the “poverty paradigm” and adopting an integrated approach to address their plight.
