OHCHR | Feature stories

Feature Stories

The Dalit: Born into a life of discrimination and stigma
For centuries, the Dalit minority in South Asia have faced discrimination, marginalisation, stigma and violence. Beena Pallical is the General Secretary of the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights in India. She dedicates her life’s work to fighting for Dalit rights.
19 April 2021

Report: Online hate increasing against minorities, says expert
A new report by the Special Rapporteur on minority issues, Dr Fernand de Varennes, looks at how to address rising online hate speech against minority groups.
23 March 2021

Fight against slavery must continue despite pandemic
The fight against all forms of slavery has turned more difficult under the pandemic, but anti-slavery activist Brahim Ramadhane won’t stop fighting. “I do this because I belong to this community of ex-slaves and I will give up my life, all of my life, for this fight.”
2 December 2020

Using the arts to stand up for human rights
“I believe that we (dancers and artists) have a role in society to defend human rights for our communities,” said a 2019 UN Human Rights Minority Fellow.
2 January 2020

Rohingya refugees and the right to education
A learning centre in Malaysia is giving Rohingya refugees a chance to have an education. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet visited the centre on a recent trip to the country.
15 October 2019

Education in mother tongue a key element in success of minority youth
“Language is the key to inclusion. Recognizing the kind of importance that people place on their own language fosters the kind of participation in development that achieves long lasting results,” Elzbieta Kuzborska from the Association of Polish Academics in Lithuania told the Minority Forum which took place recently in Geneva.
13 December 2017

Minority rights must be top priority in humanitarian crisis
Conflicts driven by sectarian ideologies fuel discrimination and abuse against minorities, targeting groups like the Yazidi religious minority in Iraq.
5 January 2017

Cartoonists for minorities
Renowned cartoonists describe how their work contributes to raising awareness of the rights of minorities and combating discrimination.
12 December 2016

Protecting and promoting minority rights in Kyrgyzstan
Utkir Dzhabbarov believes that learning how to better use the UN human rights instruments and mechanisms is key to help improve the lives of ethnic minority communities in Kyrgyzstan. Dzhabbarov, who belongs to the Uzbek minority community in Kyrgyzstan, was a participant in the UN Human Rights Office Minority Fellowship Programme.
3 March 2015

Learning to live in peace in Kyrgyzstan
Following an intense ethnic conflict in Kyrgyzstan in 2010, today students at Osh State University start thinking critically about ethnicity through a course initiated by the UN Human Rights Regional Office in Central Asia.
21 February 2014

Savio Mahimaidass: calling to end caste-based discrimination worldwide
“Caste-based discrimination is not just an Indian issue. It’s a global issue,” says Savio Mahimaidass, the 2013 Fellow of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and member of the Dalit community.
21 January 2014

Rimon Albeer Misattr, a defender of the Iraqi Christian minority
Minority Fellow Rimon Albeer Misattr works to increase global awareness on issues pertaining to minorities.
26 December 2013

“A little bit of money makes a real difference”
Romani human rights activist, Valeriu Nicolae, runs and funds from his own resources a project aimed at giving young people in a Bucharest ghetto a future free of drugs and crime through education and sports.
12 June 2013

Between tradition and exclusion: struggling for the right to pitch a trailer
Candy Sheridan advocates for the rights of the Irish Travellers who were evicted from Dale Farm in Basildon, United Kingdom, over a year ago.
3 June 2013

The politics of exclusion continue in and around Rome
Roma migrants and their defenders describe the living conditions in camps, and forced evictions by the local authorities in Rome, Italy.
10 May 2013

Innovative grassroots projects for Roma integration in the Czech Republic
The UN Human Rights Office has welcomed projects for the integration of the Roma population launched by the local authorities in Ostrava, Czech Republic. Regrettably, critical civil society voices were excluded in the process.
1 May 2013

Empowering Roma in rural Hungary
UN and civil society are making efforts to empower the Roma in Cserehát region in their struggle against socio-economic exclusion and racial discrimination.
25 April 2013

Minority forum marks 20 years of rights advocacy
The fifth annual session of the Forum on Minority draws up recommendations for the effective implementation of the two decades-old UN Minority Rights Declaration.
5 December 2012

Minority Fellow Fuad Ahmed Al-Selwi: defending the rights of the Al-Akhdam community in Yemen
Fuad Ahmed Al-Selwi, a participant in the UN Human Rights Office Minorities Fellowship Programme wants to introduce fellow members of his Al-Akhdam community in Yemen to the idea of freedom.
20 November 2012

Mohamed El Hor Abeidy from the Haratin community in Mauritania
Mohamed El Hor Abeidy says through his participation in the UN Human Rights office Minorities Fellowship Programme he expects to learn more about the UN human rights system “which will enable us to defend our rights without violating the rights of others
6 November 2012

Husam Abdullah Ali: human rights activist from Iraq
“The right to language and education for all should be guaranteed,” says Husam Abdullah Ali, a 28-year-old human rights activist who participated in the UN Human Rights office Minorities Fellowship Programme in Geneva.
16 August 2012

Minority Fellow: Enam Abuljalil El Asfour
“I work at the national level to reduce the gap between the different components of the Saudi Arabian population and to flatten the differences between social groups,” says UN Human Rights Minority Fellow Enam Abuljalil El Asfour.
17 July 2012

Prakash Mohara from Nepal: campaigning against caste-based discrimination
Prakash Mohara plans to use the knowledge and experience he gained from the UN Human Rights office Minorities Fellowship Programme in his campaign to ensure justice and equal rights for members of the Dalit community in his home country of Nepal.
23 May 2012

The Minority Rights Declaration at 20
An expert panel reflects on 20 years of achievements in promoting the rights of national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities
20 April 2012

Opening the Door to Equality: Access to Justice for Dalits in Nepal
A major report from the UN Human Rights office in Nepal says despite significant progress in combating caste-based discrimination and untouchability, many obstacles remain for victims seeking access to justice.
22 December 2011

“I commit to end caste discrimination and untouchability”
Campaigning for an end to caste-based discrimination – the Human Rights Office in Nepal and the National Dalit Commission of Nepal call for personal pledges and the implementation of a new law to end the deep-seated practice of caste discrimination.
8 November 2011

Indian human rights defender fights to end Roma discrimination
Sri Kumar Vishwanathan, an Indian human rights defender, fights to end discrimination against the Roma in the Czech Republic.
21 December 2010

Minority Forum opens third session
Minorities’ effective participation in economic life contributes to fair and just societies.
15 December 2010

Defending the rights of national minorities in Southern Kyrgyzstan
Defending human rights in the wake of the violence in Kyrgyzstan earlier this year.
24 November 2010

Minority Rights
Minority rights are States’ responsibility.
17 November 2009

The story of Khalid Hussain
Khalid Hussain appeals to the international community to help the Urdu speaking Bihari minority achieve equal rights in Bangladesh
22 April 2009

The story of Elena Gorolová
A Roma woman’s horror at discovering she had been involuntarily sterilized and her courage in the fight for justice.
21 April 2009

The story of the Honourable Al Shaymaa J. Kwegyir
The story of albinos in Africa is one of suffering, appalling discrimination and murder – one woman campaigns for change.
20 April 2009

Promoting and protecting the right to education for minorities
The United Nations Forum on Minority Issues calls for an effective education strategy for minorities based on the principles of equality and non-discrimination.
17 April 2009