Proposed Resolution on “Traditional Values”: Undermining International Human Rights Standards
We are very concerned that the draft resolution on “traditional values” would undermine the standards and principles enshrined in international human rights instruments. We feel that this resolution should be strongly opposed and we urge States to vote against the resolution.
The resolution as tabled assumes that “traditional values” inevitably make a positive contribution to human rights. There is absolutely no recognition in the resolution that “traditional values” are frequently invoked to justify human rights violations. In previous decades and centuries, mixed-race marriages, desegregation, women having the right to work, to vote, or to own property would have been thought by many to be inconsistent with “traditional values”. The Special Rapporteur on violence against women has in her reports repeatedly addressed harmful traditional practices such as female genital mutilation; honour killings; spousal abuse; dowry-related violence; and customary laws that deny women’s equality.