What forms do intersectional human rights violations and multiple discrimination take and how could the United Nations’ human rights protection mechanisms better address these issues?

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.