8.6A - Gender and Ethnic Differences
In some states, (post-colonial states), there are significant groups, defined by gender and/or ethnicity, that have had fewer rights than the dominant group.
Human rights can also vary within sovereign states, especially post-colonial ones that gained their independence from European colonial powers in the period 1945-80.
Human rights in these countries have proved problematic because:
- Human rights had almost no role in colonial governance, so there was little history of respecting such rights
- Post-colonial poverty led to a focus on economic growth, and basic needs, but not human rights
- Post-colonial national borders rarely reflected the geography of nations of people, meaning many countries contained religious and/or ethnic minority groups that were ignored or even persecuted by the majority.
Ethnicity example - the Rohingya people in Burma
Until 1948 Burma (or Myanmar) was a British colony:
- The Rohingya are a Muslim people living in Rakhine State in northwest Burma, which is a majority Buddhist country
- Under the 1982 Myanmar Nationality Law the Rohingya were denied nationality - meaning they had no rights are were effectively stateless.
- In 1978, 1991-2, 2012 and 2015-18 military crackdowns and persecution forced more than 740,000 Rohingya to flee as refugees to Bangladesh
- The 2015-18 crisis has been called a genocide and crime against humanity.
Gender example - Women in Pakistan
Pakistan was part of British India until Indian partition and independence in 1947.
- Despite the adoption of laws to protect women's rights in Pakistan, and some progress in improving women's lives, progress has been very slow
- Despite being illegal, child marriage is still common
- Forced marriage is widespread
- Female literacy is about 45% compared with 70% for men
- Honour killings of women are still very common in parts of Pakistan, and despite this being murder they are often ignored or very lightly punished.
- (When women are murdered for bringing 'shame' on the family, e.g. by having an affair)