HRC 58: SRI, YWCA Hamilton and Barbra Schlifer Clinic statement to the Interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on housing

Statement
Housing is more than shelter. It is a fundamental determinant of health, safety, and well-being. Migrants, particularly those with irregular status, face systemic barriers to securing safe housing, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation, ill health, displacement, gender-based violence, and human rights violations. In Canada, many migrant workers, especially in agricultural and caregiving sectors, and international students endure overcrowded and unsafe conditions with little recourse when facing exploitation, violence, or eviction.
Right to housing
Migration
Racial discrimination
Poverty and economic inequality
Economic justice
Right to health

HRC 58: Joint Statement to the Annual high-level panel discussion on human rights mainstreaming

Statement
The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action have long been heralded as a pivotal moment in the recognition of women’s rights. While feminists fought fearlessly for a declaration many also noted its shortcomings. Those concerns remain relevant today.
Gender equality
Civil society participation
Racial discrimination
Economic justice

HRC 57: SRI Statement to the Panel discussion on th​e implementation of States’ obligations on the role of the family in supporting the human rights of its members

Statement

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?

Economic justice
Migration
Colonialism
Racial discrimination
Gender-based discrimination
Poverty and economic inequality

HRC 56: SRI, AWID & NSWP statement to the interactive dialogue with the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls

Statement
We urge States to heed the Working Group’s recommendations related to the realization of individual and collective rights to substantive equality, including guaranteeing the right to decent work, comprehensive social protection, and repealing laws criminalizing poverty. International and regional economic, financial and monetary institutions and their member States must move away from the growth-centered and neoliberal paradigm that are root causes of inequalities.
Poverty and economic inequality
Gender equality
Gender-based discrimination
Racial discrimination
Sex work

Submission to the Special Rapporteur on cultural rights: the right to participate in sports

Prepared in response to the call for inputs issued by the Special Rapporteur on cultural rights to inform her report on the right to participate in sports, this submission advocates for an intersectional approach that examines the colonial, racist, patriarchal and capitalist underpinnings and root causes for violations of the right to participate in sports.

Submissions
Cultural rights
Colonialism
Economic justice
Gender-based discrimination
Racial discrimination

HRC 55: SRI Statement to the Interactive dialogue with the Independent Expert on Foreign Debt

Statement
As noted in the report, military spending by Global North states reflects their priorities and disregard for basic human rights - and we remind states in the Global North that their military aid and arms exports currently contribute to the genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza, in violation of the current ICJ provisional measures order.
Economic justice
Poverty and economic inequality
Gender-based discrimination
Racial discrimination
Colonialism

HRC 54 Action Canada Statement to the ID with the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous People

Statement
We urge Canada to honour its treaty obligations, fully implement the calls to action set out in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the calls to justice in the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women’s National Inquiry, and to guarantee in law and practice the rights set forth in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Rights of indigenous peoples
Colonialism
Racial discrimination

HRC 54 SRI Statement on the ID on OHCHR report on panel discussion on the negative impact of the legacies of colonialism

Statement
Until all neocolonial and occupying states and forces are withdrawn, until transnational corporations and foreign military bases and operations are expelled, until extractivist industries are stopped, until debt is cancelled and the international economic order reframed to put people before profit, people living under occupation and those who bear the brunt of neocolonialism as well as their allies will continue to fight to be free.
Colonialism
Economic justice
Right to development
Racial discrimination

SRI Submission on the Draft General Recommendation n°37 on Racial discrimination in the enjoyment of the right to health to be adopted by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

The suggested changes to the Draft General Recommendation proposed in this document are based on the joint submission, and focuses on the impact of systemic racism on global health systems, and consequent impact on people.
Submissions
Racial discrimination
Right to health
Economic justice
Poverty and economic inequality
Bodily autonomy

HRC 53 SRI Statement to the Interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Racism

Statement

The relationship between health, race, caste, class and gender is rooted in colonial, patriarchal and capitalist control over women’s sexuality, reproduction and bodies and produces distinct experiences of oppression that are often fatal. Racialised women are specifically targeted by harmful stereotypes, the essentialisation of women to their reproductive capacities, forced sterilisation, forced pregnancies and chromosomal testing in sporting events through state interventions or purposeful inaction. This has profound impacts on their health and human rights.

Racial discrimination
Right to health
Sexual and reproductive health and rights

HRC 53 SRI, Santé Sexuelle & partners' Statement to Switzerland UPR

Statement
We regret Switzerland’s inconsistent approach to recommendations received on addressing racism and racial discrimination. We remain concerned by structural racism in Switzerland, and its varied manifestations as illustrated through barriers to accessing affordable health services or housing, through restrictive immigration rules and related border harassment, or through a lack of accountability for racial profiling, police harassment, brutality, and murder- as recently exemplified through the acquittal of the police officers who murdered Mike Ben Peter.
Sexual and reproductive health and rights
Comprehensive sexuality education
Sexual orientation and gender identity
Contraception
Racial discrimination

Submission to the Special Rapporteur on the right to development: thematic priorities for the mandate

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.

Submissions
Right to development
Economic justice
Poverty and economic inequality
Gender-based discrimination
Racial discrimination

Joint submission to the Independent Expert on foreign debt: multiple crises, fiscal systems and human rights

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.

Submissions
Economic justice
Poverty and economic inequality
Colonialism
Racial discrimination

SRI BRIEFS: CERD submission summary: Racial Discrimination and the Right to Health

Summary of the submission to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) to inform the elaboration of General Recommendation no 37 on racial discrimination and the right to health

Submitted by: Sexual Rights Initiative (SRI), National Council of Women Leaders (NCWL), Dalit Human Rights Defenders Network (DHRDNet), International Dalit Solidarity Network (IDSN), The Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID), Her Rights Initiative (HRI), and Alisa Lombard

Submissions
Racial discrimination
Right to health

SRI submission to the Special Rapporteur on unilateral coercive measures: sanctions and the right to health

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.

Submissions
Economic justice
Poverty and economic inequality
Colonialism
Racial discrimination
Maternal mortality and morbidity
Right to development

2022 In Review

News

As we embark on another year of activism for sexual rights, we wanted to share with you our highlights of 2022. While the UN human rights system continues to be confronted by multiple challenges –from funding shortages, geopolitical tensions and polarisation and attempts to undermine multilateralism to the presence and influence of regressive and conservative actors, we have made steadfast progress in advancing sexual rights in this system. Read below for our highlights of 2022.

Bodily autonomy
Civil society participation
Abortion
Right to development
Colonialism
Migration
Economic justice
Gender-based discrimination
Gender-based violence
Comprehensive sexuality education
Right to health
Racial discrimination

Joint submission to the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls: poverty and inequality

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.

Submissions
Economic justice
Poverty and economic inequality
Colonialism
Right to development
Racial discrimination

Submission to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination: Racial Discrimination and the Right to Health

The main argument of this submission is that a tripartite approach is necessary in order for states to meet their obligations under CERD Article 5 (e)(iv) concerning access to health and healthcare of all people.
Submissions
Racial discrimination
Right to health
Sexual and reproductive health and rights
Rights of indigenous peoples
Poverty and economic inequality

UPR 44 Canada Submission - Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights, Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic, Justice for Migrant Workers (J4MW), YWCA Hamilton, The Community Research Platform at McMaster University, and the SRI

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.

Submissions
Sexual and reproductive health and rights
Abortion
Poverty and economic inequality
Migration
Racial discrimination
Right to health
Bodily autonomy

UPR Submissions - 44th Session

The 44th session of the Universal Periodic was held from 6 to 17 November 2023. 14 Countries were under review during the session: Turkmenistan, Cabo Verde, Uzbekistan, Germany, Canada, Burkina Faso, Colombia, Tuvalu, Djibouti, Bangladesh, Azerbaijan, Cuba, the Russian Federation and Cameroon. In collaboration with our partners, the SRI submitted reports for Canada, Bangladesh and Azerbaijan.
Submissions
Sexual and reproductive health and rights
Abortion
Poverty and economic inequality
Migration
Racial discrimination
Right to health
Bodily autonomy
Sex work
Adolescents and youth
Comprehensive sexuality education
Child, early, and forced marriage
Sexual orientation and gender identity
Gender equality
Gender-based violence
Gender-based discrimination

HRC 51 Statement to Panel discussion on the negative impact of the legacies of colonialism on the enjoyment of human rights

Statement

Statement by the Sexual Rights Initiative, Al-Haq, IWRAW Asia-Pacific, ILGA and AWID on the Panel discussion on the negative impact of the legacies of colonialism on the enjoyment of human rights at the 51st session of the Human Rights Council.

Racial discrimination
Colonialism

SRI Statemennt to CERD’s Day of General Discussion on a Proposed General Recommendation on The Right to Health: Panel 2

Statement
We thank the committee for the opportunity to provide our inputs. We are however concerned by the barriers to participation for civil society organisations, particularly but not limited to those from the Global South, in today’s discussions due to visa restrictions and high costs of travel to Geneva, and that only part of today’s proceedings are in a hybrid format. We urge the committee to expand the opportunities for consultation and engagement in this critical process, including by hosting regional meetings in order to ensure meaningful participation from organisations from the Global South and the people most affected by racial discrimination.
Racial discrimination
Right to health

SRI Statemennt to CERD’s Day of General Discussion on a Proposed General Recommendation on The Right to Health: Panel 1

Statement
A tripartite approach is necessary in order for states to meet their obligations under CERD Article 5 (e)(iv) concerning access to health and healthcare of all people. First, states must ensure that healthcare is publicly funded through progressive taxation; second, states must adopt a systems approach to fulfil the right to health; and, third, states must take an intersectional approach in all aspects of healthcare provision.
Racial discrimination
Right to health

SRI submission to the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health: racism and the right to health

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.

Submissions
Right to health
Racial discrimination
Colonialism
Poverty and economic inequality
Sexual and reproductive health and rights

HRC50: SRI Statement to the Interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism

Statement

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.

Racial discrimination
Right to health
Poverty and economic inequality

SRI submission to the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health: violence and its impact on the right to health

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

Submissions
Poverty and economic inequality
Right to health
Bodily autonomy
Sex work
Abortion
Protectionism
Decriminalization
Gender-based violence
Racial discrimination

HRC 48: Statement for the Annual discussion on the integration of a gender perspective throughout the work of the HRC and its mechanisms

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.

Statement
Sexual and reproductive health and rights
Poverty and economic inequality
Gender-based discrimination
Racial discrimination
Disability

HRC 48: Joint Statement for the Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on truth, justice and reparation

Transitional justice mechanisms must respond to historic causes of violence and conflict by addressing structural oppressions that affect people based on their race, class, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, amongst others. Redress comes only when acknowledging how intersectional oppression continues to operate through associated stereotypes, stigma and discrimination, including those related to race, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression.  Intersectionality is crucial to ensure a truth and reconciliation process.

Statement
Sexual orientation and gender identity
Racial discrimination

SRI adds their voice to request for U.N. independent inquiry into escalating situation of police violence and repression in the US

Statement

The Sexual Rights Initiative has signed on a coalition letter addressed to the members of the Human Rights Council led by the ACLU to demand for an independent UN inquiry into the escalating police violence and repression in the US. 

Racial discrimination

Here’s What to Expect at HRC39

News

The 39th session of the UN Human Rights Council will take place from September 10-28, 2018. Find below information about anticipated sexual rights-related resolutions, panels and reports, UPR outcomes, and parallel events taking place during the 39th session.
 

Expected Resolutions Relevant to Sexual Rights

Sexual rights
Maternal mortality and morbidity
Rights of indigenous peoples
Child, early, and forced marriage
Sexual and reproductive health and rights
Abortion
Racial discrimination

What happened at HRC38

News

The 38th session of the UN Human Rights Council took place from June 18 to July 6, 2018. Below you will find information on some of the key sexual rights related resolutions, oral statements and annual discussions. All of which the Sexual Rights Initiative (SRI) was engaged with during the session.

 

Featured News

Gender-based discrimination
Sexual and reproductive health and rights
Abortion
Gender equality
Contraception
Comprehensive sexuality education
Female genital mutilation
HIV and AIDS
Racial discrimination

SRI submission to the Special Rapporteur on racism: Nationalist populism

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.

Submissions
Racial discrimination
Gender-based discrimination
Maternal mortality and morbidity
Poverty and economic inequality
Sexual rights