The principle of universality must be applied to challenge which families are considered to be worthy of state protection and therefore which family members are entitled to human rights, according to the state. At this very moment, we are witnessing families being decimated in service of a racist, colonial state and its expansionist aspirations. Are these family members not entitled to human rights?
We echo the report’s call on States to repeal all laws and policies that penalise individuals for structural inequality, and to move away from punitive and carceral approaches.
There is overwhelming evidence showing that the criminalisation of drug use and of sex work is deeply discriminatory, disproportionately affecting people on the basis of gender, race, ethnicity and class. It also increases exposure to physical and sexual violence. It is also used as a driver of other harmful policies, for instance by restricting access to safe housing and shelter, as well as to safe places of work and labour rights for sex workers.
Sexual rights are profoundly impacted by the interrelated global crises brought on by capitalism through rampant neoliberalism, unchecked extractivism and climate degradation, violent populism and nationalism, soaring inequality within and between states, and entrenched patriarchal, racist, classist and ableist systems of oppression. As part of the development of a new ten-year strategy, SRI sought to deepen its analysis of the political economy of sexual rights. Using a participatory approach, SRI convened a series of three conversations that teased out different dimensions of the overarching theme. Each conversation drew in various actors working nationally, regionally, and globally.
This document contains a summary of the interventions of our 3 conversations of 2023 on the political economy of sexual rights.
Prepared in response to the call for inputs issued by the Special Rapporteur on the right to development to inform his 2023 thematic reports and priorities for the mandate, this submission recommends adopting an intersectional approach to the right to development by engaging with gender, racial and economic justice, among others.
This joint submission by SRI, AWID and IWRAW AP responds to a call for input issued by the Independent Expert on foreign debt for her upcoming report on multiple crises, fiscal systems and human rights. The submission aims to address the current situation as a crisis of neo-liberal capitalism, white supremacy, colonialism and patriarchy, and calls for an intersectional approach to these crises, their causes and their human rights impacts.
This submission argues that one of the essential elements to “profoundly transform economies to make them greener, fairer and more inclusive” is to review the current macroeconomic system, which itself is a continuation of the historical and ongoing consequence of colonialism: its impact on people and to embark on a radical global system change - one which places people and the planet before profits.
In response to the Special Rapporteur’s call for input about unilateral coercive measures and the right to health, SRI made a submission examining unilateral sanctions as forms of economic and racial injustice and imperial domination, and a violation of the right to development.
SRI, IWRAW Asia Pacific and AWID made a joint submission in response to the Working Group’s call for inputs on “Human security of women and girls in the context of poverty and inequality.” The submission advocates for an economic justice approach and class analysis of poverty and inequality.
States are failing in their obligations to respect, protect, and fulfill the right to health and coverage alone is not enough. Even in countries with universal health care like Canada, over 6.5 million people lack access to a family doctor. As public health systems face mounting pressure from austerity measures, privatization, chronic funding cuts, and impact of foreign debt and economic sanctions, inadequate compensation and heavy administrative burdens are driving burnout and dissatisfaction among healthcare workers. These increasing barriers to access and the erosion of global health infrastructures are deepening inequities, especially for marginalized communities.
This report examines gaps in Canada’s obligation to respect, protect, and fulfil the right to abortion. Abortion is a decriminalized healthcare procedure and is enshrined in numerous human rights instruments and ratified conventions. Despite this, many people in Canada face barriers when seeking abortion services and some are ultimately unable to access care.
In response to the Special Rapporteur’s call for inputs on racism and the right to health, SRI made a submission advocating for an analysis of racism and the right to health addressing both racism and colonialism as determinants of health and as structural violence.
SRI Statement to the Interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance at the 50th session of the UN Human Rights Council.
SRI statement to Annual full-day discussion on the human rights of women - Panel 2:Human rights-based and gender-responsive care and support systems at the 50th session of the Human Rights Council
SRI and Center for Reproductive Rights Statement: Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights at the 50th session of the Human Rights Council
In response to the Special Rapporteur’s call for inputs on violence and its impact on the right to health, SRI made a submission addressing violations of bodily autonomy and the operation of systems of oppression as structural violence
It is true that in all countries there is economic and social inequality, which has a greater impact on the rights of women and girls, black and indigenous people, people with disabilities, migrants, among others.
There is no doubt that this scenario is also a consequence of inequality between countries, mainly between the Global North and South. This inequality should not be reduced only to the distribution of vaccines or foreign debt. These are manifestations of a long history of colonialism and oppression in different forms that is more evident today than ever.
This is the moment to radically reimagine our systems and institutions so that they serve the people. The pandemic has shown that when states choose to, they can act swiftly to implement policies and spend resources that would have been unthinkable two years ago. At the Human Rights Council, we must recognize this moment for what it is -a chance to breathe new and transformative life into the human rights system and everything that it is supposed to stand for.
40th Session of Human Rights Council
Item 3: Clustered Interactive Dialogue with Special Rapporteur on the right to Food and Independent Expert on Foreign Debt
Statement by Action Canada for Population and Development
28 February 2019
Human Rights Council – 28 th session – March 2015
High-level panel discussion on human rights mainstreaming
Statement by Action Canada for Population and Development
Mr President.
I make this statement on behalf of Action Canada and the Sexual Rights Initiative.
We congratulate those states which have made advances on MDG1 and welcome the Special Rapporteur’s Report and recommendations.
Human Rights Council – 35th session
Item 3: SR on Extreme Poverty
Thank you Mr. President,
Action Canada makes this statement on behalf of the Sexual Rights Initiative.
Statement by H.E. Mr Minelik Alemu Getahun, Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary, Permanent Representative of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to the United Nations Office at Geneva and Other International Organizations in Switzerland
UN Human Rights Council, High Level Panel on Human Rights Mainstreaming,
Geneva, 1 March 2013
In response to the Special Rapporteur’s call for input on nationalist populism, the submission makes the links between the resurgence of white supremacist, racist and xenophobic discourse in mainstream, right-wing and populist movements, related discriminatory laws and policies, and States’ complicity in furthering violence. It looks at the impact of racial discrimination in the area of sexuality and gender, and advocates for an intersectional approach to these issues.
During the 28th session of the UN Human Rights Council, the Sexual Rights Initiative (SRI) collaborated with national-level organizations and advocates to deliver oral statements regarding outcomes from the Universal Periodic Review ‘s (UPR) of Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, El Salvador and Madagascar. Responses were also prepared for Egypt and Iran but not delivered due to time limitations
