Category: Asia

Caste Discrimination in Asia

ALRC AT THE UN, Asia, CHR 58th Session - 2002, Commission on Human Rights, documents, World, Written Submissions March 4, 2002August 25, 2015 admin 0 Comments

Item 06: RACISM, RACIAL DISCRIMINATION, XENOPHOBIA AND ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION 2. Caste Discrimination in Asia Link to UNCHR COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS Fifty-eighth Session Item 6 of the Provisional Agenda RACISM, RACIAL DISCRIMINATION, XENOPHOBIA AND ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION Written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organization with general consultative status Caste Discrimination in Asia 1. Caste-based discrimination, which takes place in a number of parts of the world, stipulates unequal social status based on birth. The largest segment of people discriminated by caste are in South Asia, but the Buraku people of Japan are treated similarly. Despite many condemnations of caste, it remains […]

Item 11: Civil and Political Rights, Including the Question of (a) Torture and Detention and (b) Disappearances and Summary Executions

ALRC AT THE UN, Asia, CHR 57th Session - 2001, Commission on Human Rights, documents, Oral Statements, World April 4, 2001August 25, 2015 admin 0 Comments

(Note: The following oral presentation was made by Sanjeewa Liyanage of ALRC on April 4, 2001, at the 38th meeting of the 57th session of the UNCHR.) Presented by: Mr. Sanjeewa Liyanage Mr. Chairman, I speak on behalf of the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC). The 1994 Convention against Torture Act (CATA) made torture a specific crime and a punishable offence in Sri Lanka. The High Court has jurisdiction over violations, and a criminal conviction carries a seven-year minimum sentence. However, the prosecution of this offence suffers from the same defects of the prosecution system as does all other serious violations, such as extrajudicial killings. The prosecutor, who is a […]

Item 11: SPEAKERS URGE ACTION TO END TORTURE, ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES

ALRC AT THE UN, Asia, CHR 57th Session - 2001, Commission on Human Rights, documents, press releases, World April 4, 2001August 25, 2015 admin 0 Comments

United Nations Press Release COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS CONTINUES DEBATE ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS Commission on Human Rights 57th session 4 April 2001 Evening and Night The Commission on Human Rights continued its debate on civil and political rights in an extended meeting from 6 p.m. to midnight, hearing from country delegations about national efforts to promote those rights and from non-governmental organizations who alleged violations of civil and political rights around the world. On the issue of torture, a number of country delegations expressed their support for the Working Group on an optional protocol to the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. […]

Lack of legal and institutional remedies for violence against women in Asia

ALRC AT THE UN, Asia, CHR 57th Session - 2001, Commission on Human Rights, documents, World, Written Submissions January 30, 2001August 25, 2015 admin 0 Comments

Item 12(a): INTEGRATION OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF WOMEN AND THE GENDER PERSPECTIVE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN Lack of legal and institutional remedies for violence against women in Asia (E/CN.4/2001/NGO/72) Link to UNCHR (E/CN.4/2001/NGO/72) COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS Fifty-seventh Session Item 12 (a) of the Provisional Agenda INTEGRATION OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF WOMEN AND THE GENDER PERSPECTIVE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN Written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre a non-governmental organization with general consultative status Lack of legal and institutional remedies for violence against women in Asia 1. The Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women (1993) recognised violence against women as constituting “a violation of the rights […]

Religious Intolerance in Asia

ALRC AT THE UN, Asia, CHR 57th Session - 2001, Commission on Human Rights, documents, World, Written Submissions January 30, 2001August 25, 2015 admin 0 Comments

Item 11(e): CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS THE QUESTION OF RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE Religious Intolerance in Asia (E/CN.4/2001/NGO/71) Link to UNCHR (E/CN.4/2001/NGO/71) COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS Fifty-seventh session Item 11 (e) of the provisional agenda CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS THE QUESTION OF RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE Religious Intolerance in Asia 1. Freedom of religion is guaranteed by article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Notwithstanding, the Asian Legal Resource Centre concurs with the Special Rapporteur that “the situation with regard to intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief is alarming” (A/55/280, paragraph 133). In the last year, Asia has witnessed a marked increase in the level of religious intolerance and overt […]