Women's Human Rights Resources Database

This database lists hundreds of resources -- articles, documents and links -- related to international women's rights law and Canadian women's rights law. Annotations describe the content of each resource. Users can search by keyword and author as well as browse by women's rights topic. Full-text documents or links to full-text documents are provided where available.
Search Results for content type Document categorized with Key Treaties and Texts
Breaking the Silence on Violence against Indigenous Girls, Adolescents and Young Women , United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women
This study examines the violence experienced by Indigenous girls, adolescents, and young women in Africa, Asia Pacific, and Latin America. It considers the structural and underlying causes and risk factors for such violence and provides an overview of the current initiatives taking place at a national level. The study focuses on the pervasiveness of violence against women and girls and how it relates to recognized human rights, such as the right to education and health. It also highlights the correlation between the high risk of violence to Indigenous women and the ongoing marginalization of Indigenous peoples. The study concludes that protection of Indigenous women's right to be free from violence is essential to a fulsome implementation of CEDAW, CRC, and UNDRIP.
http://www.unwomen.org/~/media/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/Library/Publica…

 
United Nations Extra-Conventional Mechanisms
Extra-conventional mechanisms include both country-specific (e.g. Haiti, Iraq, etc.) and thematic mechanisms (e.g. arbitrary detention, violence against women, etc.). These special rapporteurs, working groups, representative, and experts undertake various activities such as investigations and composing reports. Extra-conventional mechanisms have no formal complaints procedures; their activities "are based on communications received from various sources (the victims or their relatives, local or international NGO's, etc.) containing allegations of human rights violations. Such communications may be submitted in various forms (e.g. letters, faxes, cables) and may concern individual cases as well as details of situations of alleged violations of human rights." This section of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights web site includes links to a variety of documents, including various country and thematic mechanisms, model questionnaires, and the "urgent action" procedure.
http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu2/8/ex_conv.htm

 
Guidance Note of the Secretary General: Reparations for Conflict-Related Sexual Violence , United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
This note aims to provide policy and operational guidance for United Nations engagement in the area of reparations for victims of conflict-related sexual violence. Reparations are reflective of victims’ internationally-enshrined right to an effective remedy. This includes activities to advocate for, and/or support the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of, reparation programmes and initiatives directed at victims of conflict-related sexual violence. The note sets out eight guiding principles to encourage operational engagement. These include the principles that judicial and/or administrative reparations should be available to victims of conflict-related sexual violence, and that these victims should be meaningfully consulted in the creation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of reparations. The note recognizes the need for reparations that are specifically tailored to the consequences, sensitivity and stigmas attached to the harms of sexual violence, as well as the needs of its survivors.

 
Women’s Rights are Human Rights , United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
This report argues that, until recently, women’s experiences were not adequately addressed by the human rights framework. This report aims to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the ways in which women experience discrimination globally in order to aid the United Nations in developing strategies to eliminate such discrimination. The report recognizes the need to take intersecting forces of discrimination that certain women face based on age, ethnicity, and other grounds into account when developing such strategies. The report elaborates on key provisions in international human rights law in order to explain concepts that are particularly relevant for understanding women’s human rights. The report examines the work of United Nations human rights mechanisms together with selected areas of women’s human rights: public and political life, sexual and reproductive health and rights, the right to an adequate standard of living, violence against women, migration, conflict and crisis and access to justice.

 
Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) , United Nations Security Council
This Security Council resolution aims to strengthen women’s role in all stages of conflict prevention and resolution. This text places the onus of providing women with seats at the peace table on Member States, regional organizations, and the United Nations itself. The focus of the resolution is on the need to consistently implement resolution 1325(2000) – the women, peace, and security agenda – in its own work, and invites a review on its implementation. It was enacted to respond to the deficits in the agenda in the areas of: protection from human rights abuses, opportunities for women to exercise leadership, and the capacities and commitment of all actors to implement resolution 1325(2000) to advance women’s participation and protection. The resolution requested more updates and regular briefings on issues relating to this agenda, as well as information on the impact of armed conflict on women and girls.

 
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)is the founding international text on the protection of human rights. The Declaration was adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 10, 1948 as part of its project to create an "International Bill of Rights" and entered into force in 1950. The International Bill of Rights comprises the UDHR, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), along with its two Optional Protocols. While the UDHR is not itself binding on States, it is almost universally recognized and may (at least in part) represent customary international law. WHRR Users may also be interested in viewing the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Fact Sheet No. 2 on the International Bill of Rights that is contained under the "Documents by United Nations Bodies & Agencies" heading of this section.
http://www.unhchr.ch/udhr/index.htm

 
Universal Rights, Local Remedies: Implementating Human Rights in the Legal Systems of Africa
This is a collection of papers and the proceedings of a conference held in Dakar, Senegal (11-13 December, 1997), organized by Interights, The Inter-African Network of Human Rights and Development ("Afronet") and Rencontre Africaine pour la Defense des Droits de L'Homme ("Raddho"). The first chapter deals with the possibilities and constraints of human rights under African constitutions, and the second with protecting human rights in the plural legal systems of Africa. Chapter 3 is the keynote speech of Ms. Shirin Aumeeruddy-Cziffra (of Mauritius). Chapter 4 assesses information and training resources in Africa, and Chapter 5 sets out strategic and thematic considerations, including problems with the definition and implementation of rights human norms, and gender and international law. Chapter 6 sets out practical initiatives for the future, such as implementing effective continuing education for judges and supporting the development of Africa-sensitive information materials.

 

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