Putting Human Rights at the Heart of the Resp...onse
Topic in Focus: COVID-19 and Women’s Human Rights
15 April 2020
Stay-at-home restrictions and other measures restricting the movement of people contribute to an increase in genderbased violence, a finding confirmed by media reports, official statements and information received from OHCHR field presences and human rights defenders in many countries.
Women and girls already in abusive situations are more exposed to increased control and restrictions by their abusers, with little or no recourse to seek support. Hotlines receive reports of women being threatened with being thrown out of their homes, exposed to the infection, or having financial resources and medical aid withheld.
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While the ratification of the Convention and its Optional Protocol has proceeded rapidly, knowledge on how to implement and monitor them has not ke...pt pace. Conscious of this challenge, my Office has developed this Training Guide on the Convention and its Optional Protocol. It is complemented by eight training modules, designed to inform and empower those who are involved in ratifying, implementing and monitoring the two instruments. While the Training Guide is mainly targeted at facilitators of training courses on the Convention and its Optional Protocol, it acknowledges that each and every one of us has a role to play. I recommend wide dissemination of the training package, and its use by all those who want to embark upon the essential journey towards greater awareness and effective implementation of the rights of persons with disabilities and, ultimately, the building of an inclusive society for all.
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In its resolution 34/16, the Human Rights Council decided to focus its next full-day meeting on “Protecting ...edbox">the rights of the child in humanitarian situations” and invited the Office of the High Commissioner to prepare a report on that issue, in close collaboration with relevant stakeholders. The report is to be presented to the Human Rights Council at its thirty-seventh session to inform the annual day of discussion on children’s rights.
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This report is jointly released by the Human Rights Division (HRD)
of ...o-highlight medbox">the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and focuses on the right to freedom of opinion and expression in South Sudan.
It covers the period from July 2016 to December 2017 and presents
information gathered by HRD on progress and challenges faced by
individuals to freely form, hold and express their opinions and
views on a wide range of issues, including the political and security situation, peace negotiations, and other developments affecting the country.
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In the present study, the Office of the ... class="attribute-to-highlight medbox">United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights sets forth the standards on equality and non discrimination of persons with disabilities under article 5 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It aims at providing guidance for implementation of article 5 of the Convention, identifying good practices and making recommendations.
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Report of the Office of the ...ibute-to-highlight medbox">United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights | The present study focuses on inclusive education as a means to realize the universal right to education, including for persons with disabilities. It analyses the relevant provisions of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, highlights good practices and discusses challenges and strategies for the establishment of inclusive education systems.
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Manual on the Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
(Advance unedited version)
The Government of Myanmar has taken initial steps to implement some of the
recommendations, par...ticularly those made by the Advisory Commission. The overarching
objectives of the recommendations, however, remain largely unaddressed, with no
significant progress observed on human rights concerns raised in previous reports
submitted to the Human Rights Council. The High Commissioner recommends that the
Government of Myanmar take action to ensure compliance with its international human
rights obligations.
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As the Burundi refugee crisis enters its fourth year, some 430,000 Burundian refugees are being hosted across the region by the governments and peo...ple of Tanzania, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Uganda. Although the spectre of mass violence in Burundi has receded, with the political situation still unresolved and the persistence of significant human rights concerns, refugee arrivals are expected to continue in 2018, albeit at lower levels than in previous years.
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States have committed and assumed obligations to address multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination against refugees, internally displaced persons, asylum seekers, returnees and stateless persons. T...he Global Compact on Refugees places ending discrimination of any kind based on the grounds of race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth, disability, age, or other status at the centre of action to prevent displacement and to ensure peaceful coexistence between refugee and host communities. Narratives about cultural diversity and inclusion are important, but there is also a pressing need in many societies for conversations and action to address racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.
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Training for Health Care Providers
Facilitators’ Manual
This training guide is designed to enable participants to understand the human rights perspective on migration, and how ...ighlight medbox">human rights laws and standards can be operationalized to make migration safer and an empowering experience for all. It provides an introduction to related principles and issues and is designed for persons with limited knowledge of human rights or migration.
The training guide contains session plans for the trainer and is supported by sample slide presentations and associated materials, including activities and handouts for participants, which are available electronically as individual components.
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WHO-OHCHR launch new guidance to improve laws addressing human rights abuses in mental health care
Ahead of World Mental Health Day, ...="attribute-to-highlight medbox">the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR) are jointly launching a new guidance, entitled "Mental health, human rights and legislation: guidance and practice", to support countries to reform legislation in order to end human rights abuses and increase access to quality mental health care.
Human rights abuses and coercive practices in mental health care, supported by existing legislation and policies, are still far too common. Involuntary hospitalization and treatment, unsanitary living conditions and physical, psychological, and emotional abuse characterize many mental health services across the world.
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Assessment of the quality of institutional care for adults with psychosocial and intellectual disabilities in ...edbox">the WHO European Region.
The specific objectives of the project were to address gaps in knowledge about the number and characteristics of such long-term institutions and to identify deficiencies in current care standards through the lens of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This publication examines and rates the quality of care and protection of human rights in selected institutions in over 20 countries in the Region using the WHO QualityRights toolkit. It identifies steps to take to continue progress toward deinstitutionalization and to ensure respect for the rights of people with psychosocial and intellectual disabilities.
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Claims for refugee status related to situations of armed conflict and violence under Article 1A(2) of the 1951 Convention and/or 1967 Protocol rela...ting to the Status of Refugees and the regional refugee definitions
UNHCR issues these Guidelines on International Protection pursuant to its mandate, as contained in, inter alia, the Statute of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, namely paragraph 8(a), in conjunction with Article 35 of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, Article II of its 1967 Protocol, Article VIII(1) of the 1969 OAU Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa, and Commitment II(e) of the 1984 Cartagena Declaration on Refugees.
These Guidelines clarify paragraph 164 of the UNHCR Handbook on Procedures and Criteria for Determining Refugee Status under the 1951 Convention and otherwise complement the Handbook. They are to be read in conjunction with UNHCR’s other Guidelines on International Protection.
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A non-exhaustive reference list of organizations working with and for persons with disabilities world-wide.