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Everyone has the right to equality and to be free from all forms of discrimination, including based on gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics, race, disability, religion or belief, national or ethnic origin, or other status.
ISHR is committed to addressing all forms of discrimination and promoting diversity and inclusion, both internally and through our programmatic support to women human rights defenders, LGBTIQ rights defenders, and anti-racism defenders, among others.
Unfortunately because of deep-rooted discrimination and stereotypes related to gender and sexuality, women human rights defenders face multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and violence – both because of the work they do and because of who they are. Women human rights defenders are detained and tortured in retaliation for their work to challenge patriarchy and demand an end to discrimination and violence. ISHR played an instrumental role in lobbying States at the UN Human Rights Council to call for the immediate and unconditional release of detained Saudi women human rights defenders and accountability for their torture.
Social movements taking to the streets to demand racial justice are met with disproportionate force from police and armed security forces. Working together with affected people and communities, and as part of together with a broad civil society coalition, ISHR played an instrumental role in:
These developments are a testament to the resilience, bravery and commitment of victims, their families, their representatives and anti-racism defenders globally.
ISHR has played a significant role in supporting progress on the rights of LGBTI persons and communities at the UN, assisting LGBTI communities and defenders to participate in and have their voices heard.
We played a leading role in developing the Yogyakarta Principles on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and the Yogyakarta Principles plus 10; as well as contributing to the creation and renewal of a the first UN Independent Expert on violence and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Our work with LGBTI rights defenders strengthens international and regional protections against violence and discrimination.
Check out all the latest updates to this topic.
Zholia Parsi of Afghanistan and Manuchehr Kholiqnazarov of Tajikistan are set to receive the 2024 Martin Ennals Award in recognition of their work in deeply repressive environments.
The international community must fulfill its obligation to protect civilians facing war crimes.
On 17 October 2024, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor, presented her latest report in an interactive dialogue with United Nations member States during the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly in the Third Committee.
Two years after the publication of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights' landmark assessment on the situation in the Uyghur region (Xinjiang), global scrutiny of China's human rights violations remains strong.
Rute Fiuza demands justice for her son Davi, 16 years old, who was forcibly disappeared by 23 military police officers Brazil in October 2014.
During the Enhanced Interactive Dialogue on racial justice, concerns were raised about the international community's insufficient response to systemic racism, particularly regarding the need for concrete measures and accountability.
"I remember to be hopeful... because I believe in my own power."
