The Intersectionality of Human Rights Violations and Multiple Grounds of Discrimination

Summary
Combinations of numerous violations of human rights and multiple forms of discrimination – defined as intersectional human rights violations – have a particularly devastating impact on their victims. To date, however, these situations have not been sufficiently considered within the international human rights system. This project will use a multidimensional case study approach to analyse different types of intersectionality in order to map the dynamics and consequences of these combinations of violations. It will also consider current institutional responses to these situations in order to identify obstacles, challenges and possible avenues for change.
The research aims to clarify the multiple dimensions of intersectional human rights violations and, in collaboration with several experts from international human rights and civil society organisations, to formulate strategic proposals to better address them. Applying an interdisciplinary approach, it will bring together some of the lived experiences of intersectional human rights violations with the recent practice of UN human rights mechanisms. The results of the study will be fed into the UN treaty body strengthening process as well as other relevant national and international mechanisms, thereby contributing to improving institutional responses to these situations.
Keywords
- International human rights law
- Multiple discrimination
- Multiple violations
- United Nations mechanisms
- Intersectionality
Disciplines
- Anthropology
- Human rights
- Law
- Philosophy
Collaborations
International Organisations:
- Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
- United Nations Human rights Conventional mechanisms
- Special procedures of the Human Rights Council
Non-Governmental Organisations:
- ATD Quart monde
Relevant Countries
- All countries
Status
Project Outputs
- Abstract
- Executive Summary
- Working Paper
- Dossier « Persepectives » dans la Revue « droits fondamentaux », 2016, no 132016 b, J. Bouchard et P. Meyer-Bisch : L’intersectionalité des violations des droits humains et les discriminations multiples
2016. J. Bouchard : Intersectionalité et interdisciplinarité : une connexion nécessaire pour comprendre et réaliser l’effectivité des droits humains
Contact the project team
Research team
Patrice Meyer-Bisch
Coordinator
University of Fribourg
Adriano Previtali
Co-Coordinator
University of Fribourg
Johanne Bouchard Neff
Principal Member
University of Fribourg
Joanna Bourke Martignoni
Principal Member
University of Fribourg
Ivona Truscan
Principal Member
Graduate Institute Geneva
Emmanuel Decaux
Associated Member
Université Panthéon Assas (Paris 2)
Christophe Golay
Associated Member
Graduate Institute Geneva
Barbara Wilson
Associated Member
University of Lausanne