3.7 Protecting and Promoting the Rights of Specific Groups

While all human rights are interdependent and indivisible, NHRIs have special responsibilities to support human rights protection for specific groups and empower them to claim their rights. The rights of these groups are often contested and controversial. NHRIs are often the only ones that can and do speak out and come forward in defence of specific groups, and sometimes in the face of trenchant public critique. These include:

• Women
• Children
• Persons with disabilities
• Elderly persons
• Migrant workers
• Minorities
• Indigenous peoples
• Persons with HIV/AIDS
• Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons
• Refugees and displaced persons
• Human rights defenders

A detailed analytical framework for each of these categories is beyond the scope of this Chapter, but three main categories are analysed here; namely, women’s human rights, persons with disabilities, and refugees, IDPs and stateless persons: guidance notes prepared by the OHCHR exist for each of these groups. However, before reviewing these in detail, here is an overview of the basic equality analysis underpinning many of these rights.