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Gender Dimensions of Racial Discrimination

Document number
1362
Date
2001
Title
Gender Dimensions of Racial Discrimination
Author/publisher
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations (UN)
Availability
View/save PDF version of this document
Document type(s)
Research/Study/Analysis,
Keywords
Equality, Human rights, World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance,
Summary
There has been growing recognitionin recent years that racial discriminationdoes not always affect womenand men in the same way. In some circumstances,women belonging to particularracial or ethnic groups may facedual or multiple forms of discriminationbased on race, gender, religion,nationality, social class, caste, ageand/or other status. Racism is frequentlylinked to hatred and intoleranceof other facets of identity, includingsexual orientation. These factorsare differences that make a differenceto the ways in which particular womenexperience discrimination. Yet theUnited Nations, governments, intergovernmentaland non-governmentalorganizations have often addressedracial and gender discrimination astwo separate problems, leaving womenfaced by multiple forms of discriminationunsure of where to turn forredress.This publication does not have the ambition to present a complete or definitestudy on the gender dimensions of racial discrimination. It provides anoverview which examines a set of fundamental issues on the intersectionalitybetween gender and racial discrimination. This is enough to understandhow women experience multiple discrimination and what challenges lie forus at Durban to ensure we conclude with a declaration and programme ofaction which live up to the high ideals and principles of the UniversalDeclaration of Human Rights: universality and indivisibility of all humanrights, equality and non-discrimination.
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