Country & communITy DATABASE  

Name the community & country and introduce the report.

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II. DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE

Population: Describe the population of the community and ethnic characteristics.
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LandArea: Describe the physical characteristics of the community.

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Languages: Name the languages and educational level of the population.

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Economics: Describe the economic activity in the area.

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Government: Identify the type of government and name the political parties.

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Religion or Belief: Name the majority and minority religions or beliefs and a paragraph history of worship or assembly in the community.

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III. 1981 U.N. DECLARATION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS
OF INTOLERANCE AND OF DISCRIMINATION BASED ON
RELIGION OR BELIEF  

ARTICLE 1: Legal Definition

Article 1 repeats Article 18 of the ICCPR which is a legally-binding definition under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Article 1 is the legal basis for the other seven articles of the 1981 U.N. Declaration on Freedom of Religion or Belief. Based on your research, write a short introduction of how Article 1 is and is not a foundation for freedom or religion or belief in your community.
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PARAGRAPH 1.1: Policy and Legal Framework

Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shall include freedom to have a religion or belief of their choice, and freedom either individually or in community with others, and in private or public to manifest their religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.

Write the constitutional principle and/or legal framework of your country that refers to freedom of religion or belief.

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1.1.1: Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.

Briefly describe what each of these terms mean in the 1981 Declaration and how they apply to your community.

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1.1.2:This right shall include freedom to have a religion or belief of their choice.

Describe what freedom to choose whatever belief means in the 1981 U.N Declaration. Are individuals in your community free to join or to leave a religion or belief of their choice? Explain.
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1.1.3:This right shall include freedom individually, in community, in public or private.

Are there any instances in your community where freedom to practice your religion or belief as an individual, in community, in private or public been denied? Explain.
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1.1.4:It includes the right to manifest a religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.

Explain what each term means within the cultural context of your community.

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PARAGRAPH 1.2: Coercion and Freedom to Choose

No one shall be subject to coercion, which would impair their freedom to have a religion or belief of their choice.

1.2.1:Coercion

Coercion can mean intellectual, moral or psychological compulsion as well as physical force. Explain your research on any incidents of coercion in your community.

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1.2.2:Impairment

Explain what impairs mean and describe any incidents in your community.

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1.2.3:Choice

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Has choice been denied because of being impaired in your community? Explain.

PARAGRAPH 1.3: Limitations on a Religion or Belief

Freedom to manifest one’s religion or belief may be subject only to such limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary to protect the public safety, order, morals, or the fundamental rights and freedoms of others.

There are six ways in which the manifestation of a religion or belief can be limited by a State. Limitations must always be by law and for a specific purpose. Review the Topic Notes and General Comment on Article 18 for this term. Describe and write a one paragraph explanation of your research for each term. If applicable, relate specific incidents in your community where a term/s was used to limit a religion or belief.

1.3.1:Law

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1.3.2: Public Safety

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1.3.3: Order

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1.3.4: Health

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1.3.5: Morals

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1.3.6: Fundamental Freedoms

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ARTICLE 2: Classifying Discrimination

Article 2 explains who can be identified as committing acts of discrimination based on religion or belief and what the terms “intolerance” and “discrimination” means. Write a two paragraph introduction to the article based on your research for a community report.

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PARAGRAPH 2.1: Four Categories

No one shall be subject to discrimination by any State, institution, groups of persons or person on grounds of religion or belief.

Article 2 paragraph 1 describes four categories of State and non-state parties who discriminate or who allegedly are discriminated against on grounds of religion or belief. Case studies on discrimination will always include one or more of these categories. Explain what each category means with specific examples from your community for each category.

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2.1.1:No one shall be subject to discrimination by any State.

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2.1.2: No one shall be subject to discrimination by any Institution.

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2.1.3:No one shall be subject to discrimination by any Groups of Persons.

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2.1.4:No one shall be subject to discrimination by any Person.

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PARAGRAPH 2.2: Two Definitions

For the purposes of the present Declaration, the expression “intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief’ means any distinction, exclusion, restriction, or preference based on religion or belief and having as its purpose or as its effect nullification or impairment of the recognition, enjoyment or exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms on an equal basis.  

2.2.1:Intolerance

Give an example of intolerance based on religion or belief in your community.

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2.2.2: Discrimination

Give an example of discrimination based on religion or belief in your community.

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ARTICLE 3: Link to Other Rights

Article 3 links other human rights instruments to Article 18 and the 1981 U.N. Declaration. Write a brief introduction on a link to another human rights instrument for your community research.

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PARAGRAPH 3.1: Indivisibility of Human Rights

Discrimination between human beings on grounds of religion or belief constitutes an affront to human dignity and a disavowal of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, and shall be condemned as a violation of the human rights and fundamental freedoms proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and enunciated in detail in the International Covenants on Human Rights, and as an obstacle to friendly and peaceful relations between nations.

3.1.1: International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

Give two or three examples of ICCPR links you are using for your community report.

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3.1.2:International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

Give two or three examples of ICESCR links you are using for your community report.

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3.1.3:Regional Human Rights Instruments

Give two examples of links to regional instruments that apply to your country, such as the European Convention on the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms or the Organization of African States. Explain how they were used for your research.

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3.1.4: Other Human Rights Instruments

U.N. bodies such as the International Labor Organization (ILO), UNESCO or World Health Organization (WHO). Give examples from your research on alleged incidents in your community that violate human rights to employment, education or health.

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ARTICLE 4: Effective Measures

Article 4 is the way in which the 1981 U.N. Declaration proposes solutions to alleged acts of intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief. Write a two paragraph introduction based on your research for the article.

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PARAGRAPH 4.1: Fields of Civic Activity

All States shall take effective measures to prevent and eliminate discrimination on grounds of religion or belief in the recognition, exercise and enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms in all fields of civil, economic, political, social and cultural life.

Explain how your community promotes tolerance and prevents discrimination in each of these five fields of civic activity; civil, economic, political, social and cultural life.

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4.1.1:Are there effective measures to prevent and eliminate discrimination on grounds of religion or belief in the field of civil life?

Civil services including engineering and public works departments, zoning departments, police, military, anything in the public domain that serves the community. Summarize your research below on how you would use civil services as effective measures to reduce intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief in the community.

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4.1.2:Are there effective measures to prevent and eliminate discrimination on grounds of religion or belief in the field of economic life?

Corporations, business associations, government employment departments, economic development departments, religions or beliefs, non-profit corporations, private employment agencies, self-employed persons. Summarize your research below on how you would resources as effective measures to reduce intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief in the community.

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4.1.3:Are there effective measures to prevent and eliminate discrimination on grounds of religion or belief in the field of political life?

Political parties, mayor, village manager, city council, school boards, appointed commissions. Summarize below your research on how you would use political resources (other than legislation) as effective measures to reduce intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief in the community.

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4.1.4:Are there effective measures to prevent and eliminate discrimination on grounds of religion or belief in the field of social life?

Departments and organizations in the social services such as; religious leadership, places of worship or association, government health departments, public, private and religious schools, housing programs, welfare departments, etc. Summarize your research on how you would use social resources as effective measures to reduce intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief and in the community.

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4.1.5:Are there effective measures to prevent and eliminate discrimination on grounds of religion or belief in the field of cultural life?

Culture is defined as the ideas, customs, skills, languages, literature and arts of a given group of people passed on from generation to generation. Are cultural values and cultural life used as resources to prevent intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief in your community and if so how? 

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PARAGRAPH 4.2: Legislation and Regulations

All States shall make all efforts to enact or rescind legislation where necessary to prohibit any such discrimination, and to make all appropriate measures to combat intolerance on grounds of religion or other beliefs in this matter.

4.2.1:Enact and rescind legislation and regulations where necessary.

Explain the meaning of enacting and rescinding local laws, rules and regulations to prevent discrimination based on religion or belief in your community. Compile a list on a separate sheet of paper of the laws and regulations that should be rescinded or enacted and summarize below.

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4.2.2:Make all appropriate measures to combat intolerance.

Intolerance is a deadly form of bigotry. Legislative redress for grievances can only come from legally defined acts of discrimination. Explain how you would use specific community resources for proposed solutions to combat intolerance on grounds of religion or belief.

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ARTICLE 5: Parents, Children, State

Introduce Article 5 as one paragraph broken into five sub-paragraphs to discuss the rights of parents, children and the state.

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PARAGRAPH 5.1: Rights of the Three Parties

Article 5 has one paragraph with five sub-paragraphs or terms. The language of the article is in italics for each of the terms and measures. It is done this way because of the sensitivity and importance of the article for all parties and the religions or beliefs in a community. Breaking the paragraph into terms and measures will make it easier to exchange information with other communities and cultures on this article.

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5.1.1:The parents, or as the case may be, the legal guardians of the child have the right to organize the life within the family in accordance with their religion or belief and bearing in mind the moral education in which they believe the child shall be brought up.

Explain what this means giving specific examples where this may be a problem in your community. If you are preparing a community case study of alleged discrimination, give specific examples of where parent rights have been violated.

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5.1.2:Every child shall enjoy the right to have access to education in the matter of religion or belief in accordance with the wishes of his parents or, as the case may be, legal guardians, and shall not be compelled to receive teaching on religion or belief against the wishes of his parents or legal guardians, the best interests of the child being the guiding principle.

Parents have the right to organize life within the family and to provide moral education for their children. Are there examples in your community when parental wishes conflict with their own religion or belief, the laws and regulations of your nation, or the rights of the child? Explain.

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5.1.3: The child shall be protected from any form of discrimination on grounds of religion or belief. They shall be brought up in a spirit of understanding, tolerance, friendship among peoples, peace and universal brotherhood, respect for freedom of religion or belief of others, and in full consciousness that his energy and talents should be devoted to the service of their fellow men and women.

Give examples of children’s need for protection based on grounds of religion or belief in your community. Summarize your research below with specific examples.

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5.1.4:In the case of a child who is not under the care of either of his parents or of legal guardians, due account shall be taken of their expressed wishes or of any other proof of their wishes in the matter of religion or belief, the best interests of the child being the guiding principle.

Are there children not in the care of parents or legal guardians in your community? If so, explain how their interests in matters of religion or belief are protected. Give specific examples. Describe what “best interests of the child” means.

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