Abstract
This chapter examines women’s human rights within the frame of multicultural theories. By way of examining the most crucial challenges faced by women in the exercise of their cultural rights within and outside the minority group of belonging, the chapter will analyze the peculiar status of minority women living in Western societies, taking into account minority women belonging to the so-called minorities by will with a specific reference to ethnic and racial minorities and indigenous communities. A major focus of the chapter will be devoted to an investigation of the responses to this problem of selected European and non-European states (e.g. Italy, France, the UK, the United States, and Canada) from a constitutional, comparative, and supranational perspective, relying on a legislative and case-law analysis. In the given examples, Western states’ reactions to cultural practices involving displays of religious symbols and clothing in the public sphere and the realization of harmful practices and contemporary forms of slavery will be highlighted. At the outset of the analysis, the chapter wishes to contribute to the ongoing debate on minority women’s rights in the Western reality by arguing in favor of the need to include and boost the concepts of intersectionality and empowerment in the broader women’s human rights discourse as a guiding principle for legislators and courts.
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Notes
- 1.
- 2.
See UN 1966. Resolution of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, 2200 (XXI). U.N. GAOR, 21st Sess. U.N. Doc., A/6316, 993 U.N.T.S. 3. Article 15; Committee on Economic, Social & Cultural Rights: Report on the Seventh Session. E/1993/22—E/C.12/1992/2, paras. 202–223; General Discussion on the Right to Take Part in Cultural Life as Recognized in Article 15 of the Covenant. U.N. Doc. E/C.12/1992/SR.17.
- 3.
Benhabib (2018).
- 4.
- 5.
- 6.
See CEDAW Committee, Concluding Observations on Turkey; Canada; Kenya; UN OHCHR (2014); Spiliopoulou Åkermark (2000).
- 7.
Wirth (1945).
- 8.
Claude (1995).
- 9.
Laponce (1960).
- 10.
Capotorti, Franceso. 1979. Report of the Special Rapporteur of the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities: Study on the Rights of Persons Belonging to Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities. E/CN.4/Sub.2/384/Rev.1.
- 11.
ibid., p. 96.
- 12.
ibid.
- 13.
Thornberry (1991).
- 14.
Anaya (2004).
- 15.
Capotorti (1979).
- 16.
ibid.
- 17.
ibid.
- 18.
Laponce (1960).
- 19.
ibid.
- 20.
Green (1992).
- 21.
Kymlicka (1989).
- 22.
- 23.
- 24.
D’Amico (2020).
- 25.
Minow et al. (2008).
- 26.
Xanthaki (2019).
- 27.
Deller Ross (2013).
- 28.
Brems (2014).
- 29.
Nardocci (2016).
- 30.
Bond (2003).
- 31.
Laponce (1960).
- 32.
Green (1998).
- 33.
Malloy and Palermo (2015).
- 34.
- 35.
Nardocci (2016).
- 36.
See, among others, S.A.S. v. France; Lachiri v. Belgium.
- 37.
See Samira Achbita, Centrum voor gelijkheid van kansen en voor racismebestrijding v. G4S Secure Solutions NV, and Asma Bougnaoui, Association de défense des droits de l’homme [ADDH] v. Micropole SA, 2017, and IX v. Wabe eV, and MH Müller Handels GmbH v. MJ, (2021), Nardocci (2019a).
- 38.
D’Amico and Nardocci (2021).
- 39.
Human Rights Council. 2022. Contemporary forms of slavery affecting persons belonging to ethnic, religious, and linguistic minority communities. Report of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences. A/HRC/51/26, para. 8.
- 40.
- 41.
Barker (2017).
- 42.
- 43.
Benhabib (2012).
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Nardocci, C. (2023). Minority Women, Human Rights, and Cultures in the Multicultural Discourse. In: Fornalé, E., Cristani, F. (eds) Women’s Empowerment and Its Limits. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-29332-0_4
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