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The Blind-Spot in Protecting Global Minorities: A Blue-Print for Strengthening the Normative Framework?

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Der Schutz des Individuums durch das Recht

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Abstract

Fears over the tyranny of majorities towards smaller ethnic, linguistic and religious communities led progressive thinkers and scholars in the mode of Professor Rainer Hofmann, to contribute, through the ages, to articulate norms and standards, which are recognised as global minority rights law. This paper explores three interwoven strands that enabled these developments from the peremptory norm of international law, namely non-discrimination. Set against the contemporary challange of scapagoating minorities to build artificial political majorities the paper aims to: (a) re-articulate the normative basis for minority rights; (b) identify threats and potential impacts in minorities; and (c) offer starting points for for a direction to mitigate the challenges.

Prof. Dr. Joshua Castellino, Professor of Law and Executive Director of Minority Rights Group International.

Offered with special thanks and deep gratitude for the leadership with humility Professor Rainer Hofmann has shown in develo** and inspiring others including me to persist in making contributions to the growth of global minority rights law.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    As captured in the analysis of the much later period by Koskenniemi (2001).

  2. 2.

    For an assessment of this Declaration at its twentieth anniversary see Caruso and Hofmann (2015).

  3. 3.

    General background on that frames the context for promise is available at https://www.britannica.com/biography/Louis-IX, accessed 30.11.2022.

  4. 4.

    Karpat (2002).

  5. 5.

    For broad reading of discrimination law see Fredman (2011).

  6. 6.

    Vierdag (1973), p. 7.

  7. 7.

    P.C.I.J. Series A/B, No. 64 (1935), p. 19.

  8. 8.

    Boyle and Baldaccini in Fredman (2001), p. 138.

  9. 9.

    UN Doc. E/1371 (1949).

  10. 10.

    UN Doc. E/CN.4/52, s V, 6.12.1947, para. 13–14.

  11. 11.

    See e.g. Art. 2(1) ICCPR; Art. 2(2) ICESCR; Art. 2 CEDAW and Art 4(1) ICRPD among others.

  12. 12.

    Stone (1932), pp. 502–513. Also see Mazower (1997), pp. 47–63.

  13. 13.

    Humphrey (1968), p. 872.

  14. 14.

    Edward (1983), pp. 467–490.

  15. 15.

    Kampelman (1983).

  16. 16.

    McGoldrick (1994).

  17. 17.

    Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, UN GAOR 1904 (XVIII) 20.11.1963, UN Doc. A/RES/18/1904.

  18. 18.

    Meron (1985), pp. 283–318.

  19. 19.

    There are 42 provisions referring to women in the 1949 Geneva Conventions on the Laws of Wars and the 1977 Additional Protocols, see Gardam and Jarvis (2001). For an articulation of child rights during the League of Nations see Geneva Declaration of the Rights of the Child of 1924.

  20. 20.

    For more on access to justice, see Rhode DL (2004), pp. 1–19, pp. 103–120.

  21. 21.

    See Convention Concerning Indigenous & Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries (ILO No. 169).

  22. 22.

    CEDAW (1981); Op. Protocol to CEDAW (2000); Declaration on the Protection of Women and Children in Emergency and Armed Conflict (1974).

  23. 23.

    Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989); Convention concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour (ILO No. 182); Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflicts (2000); Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography (2000). In addition, there are also guidelines concerning juvenile offenders such as United Nations Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty (1990); United Nations Guidelines for the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency (The Riyadh Guidelines) (1990) and the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice (The Bei**g Rules) (1985).

  24. 24.

    International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (1990).

  25. 25.

    Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (1954); Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees (1967); Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement (1998); and the Cartagena Declaration on Refugees (1984).

  26. 26.

    Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons (1975); International Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities (2006); First Optional Protocol to the International Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities (2006).

  27. 27.

    Human Rights Defenders as a non-identity based category also benefit. See ‘Ensuring Protection: EU Guidelines On Human Rights Defenders’ https://www.eeas.europa.eu/sites/default/files/eu_guidelines_hrd_en.pdf, accessed 30.11.2022. Also see Lewis and Castellino (2013).

  28. 28.

    UN Doc. E/CN.4/Sub.2/2002/21, para. 5.

  29. 29.

    Castellino (2021).

  30. 30.

    CESCR, General Comment No. 1, para. 3, in HRI/GEN/Rev. 4 (2000).

  31. 31.

    HRC, General Comment No. 18, para. 10, in HRI/GEN/1/Rev. 4 (2000).

  32. 32.

    CERD, General Comment No. 32, ‘The Meaning and Scope of Special Measures in the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination’ (2009).

  33. 33.

    CERD, General Comment No. 32, ‘The Meaning and Scope of Special Measures in the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination’ (2009), para. 29.

  34. 34.

    CERD, General Comment No. 32, ‘The Meaning and Scope of Special Measures in the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination’ (2009), para. 15.

  35. 35.

    CERD, General Comment No. 32, ‘The Meaning and Scope of Special Measures in the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination’ (2009), para. 20.

  36. 36.

    CERD, General Comment No. 32, ‘The Meaning and Scope of Special Measures in the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination’ (2009), para. 22.

  37. 37.

    UN Doc. E/CN.4/Sub.2/2002/21, para. 20.

  38. 38.

    Framework Convention on National Minorities, 01.02.1995, CoE ETS 157.

  39. 39.

    European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages, 05.11.1992, CoE ETS 148.

  40. 40.

    Statement by CERD at the World Conference to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination, 33 UN GAOR Supp. (No.18) at 108, 109 UN Doc. A/33/18 (1989)

  41. 41.

    CERD, General Recommendation XXV on Gender Related Dimensions of Racial Discrimination, 56th session, 2000.

  42. 42.

    CERD, General Recommendation XXVII On Discrimination against Roma, 57th session 2000.

  43. 43.

    CERD, General Recommendation XXIII On the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, 51st session 1997.

  44. 44.

    CERD, General Recommendation XXIX On Article 1, paragraph 1, (Descent) (Sixty-first session, 2002).

  45. 45.

    CERD, General Recommendation XI on Non-Citizens, 42nd Session, 1993 & General Recommendation XXX Discrimination Against Non-Citizens, 1st October 2004.

  46. 46.

    For instance, the most widely used definition of a minority (Capotorti), includes the requirement that minorities are ‘nationals’ of the state from which they may seek protection. See Capotorti (1977).

  47. 47.

    For more on the utility of the notion of indigeneity see Waldron (2003), pp. 56–82.

  48. 48.

    https://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Minorities/Pages/UNNetworkRacialDiscriminationProtectionMinorities.aspx, accessed 30.11.2022.

  49. 49.

    Report of the Secretary General’s Panel of Experts on Accountability in Sri Lanka (31 March 2011).

  50. 50.

    Rosenthal (2019).

  51. 51.

    Guterres (2020).

  52. 52.

    Hilpold (2007), p. 182.

  53. 53.

    Castellino and Dominuez Redondo (2014), pp. 283–305.

  54. 54.

    Choudhry (2007), pp. 141–172.

  55. 55.

    Deutsch and Foltz (1963).

  56. 56.

    See generally Pejic (1997), p. 575.

  57. 57.

    Kymlicka (2001).

  58. 58.

    Lijphart (1977). Also see Ehrlich (2000), pp. 447–484.

  59. 59.

    Gilbert (2002), p. 307.

  60. 60.

    De Varennes (1996).

  61. 61.

    Hannum (1980).

  62. 62.

    Castellino (2000).

  63. 63.

    Ahmed (2010), pp. 222–244.

  64. 64.

    Report of the independent expert on minority issues, McDougall (2007); UN.Doc. A/HRC/4/9.

  65. 65.

    Anaya and Williams (2001), p. 33.

  66. 66.

    Skutnabb-Kangas et al. (2009).

  67. 67.

    Pierce (2012); Gomez and Premdas (2013).

  68. 68.

    See IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (February 2022); Strategic Plan 2020–2022 (DPPA).

  69. 69.

    Deutsch and Foltz (2012), p. 79.

  70. 70.

    Al-Rasheed (2013).

  71. 71.

    Karim (2020).

  72. 72.

    The official World Directory on Minorities & Indigenous Peoples forms a useful starting point available https://minorityrights.org/directory/, accessed 30.11.2022.

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  1. London, Großbritannien

    Joshua Castellino

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  1. Joshua Castellino
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  1. Europäische Akademie der Arbeit in der Universität Frankfurt am Main, University of Labour, Frankfurt am Main, Deutschland

    Philipp B. Donath

  2. Goethe Universität Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main, Deutschland

    Alexander Heger

  3. Goethe Universität Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main, Deutschland

    Moritz Malkmus

  4. Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer PartG mbB, Frankfurt am Main, Deutschland

    Orhan Bayrak

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Castellino, J. (2023). The Blind-Spot in Protecting Global Minorities: A Blue-Print for Strengthening the Normative Framework?. In: Donath, P.B., Heger, A., Malkmus, M., Bayrak, O. (eds) Der Schutz des Individuums durch das Recht. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-66978-5_30

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