The statement was delivered by Humanists International’s European Advocacy Officer, Tania Giacomuzzi Mota by video. The statement was made at the Annual Panel Discussion on the integration of a gender perspective throughout the work of the Human Rights Council and that of its mechanisms. The topic this year was “enhancing gender integration in human rights investigations: a victim-centred perspective. “Previous topics have included “gender-responsive initiatives to accelerate gender equality” and “gender digital divide in times of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The statement noted that one of the drivers of human rights abuses against women, and the subsequent lack of self-reporting of such abuses, is the instrumentalization of the right to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB). Traditional, historical, religious and cultural attitudes often stand in the way of women’s self-reporting of the abuse they suffer.
In Humanists International’s work protecting humanists-at-risk, this phenomenon is often seen, with many women who reach out to the organization citing control in the home as a major risk. They often lack independent access to the internet and they face stigma and taboo depending on the nature of the abuse.
The statement called on the United Nation’s human rights investigators to be aware of this challenge. Those conducting investigations should make themselves aware of the right to FoRB, and what it does and doesn’t cover, the statement urged. The panelists, all of whom have been members of United Nations investigations, discussed the barriers they have faced in their work, as well as strategies to strengthen the integration of a victim-centered approach through the conduct of trauma-informed interviews.
Featured photo by Aarón Blanco Tejedor on Unsplash
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