(5) Non-discrimination and attention to most affected groups
The right to equality and non-discrimination is a fundamental human right, present in all major human rights treaties. It ensures the same rights and equal opportunities for all persons, regardless of any distinction of any kind. These include, for example, race, colour, sex, language, religion, opinion, origin, economic, status, birth, social status, minority or indigenous status, sexual orientation, disability or HIV-status.
This does not mean that everyone must be treated equally though. There are many instances where this may in fact lead to discrimination against those who were in an equal position to begin with. Equality involves recognising differences and treating different groups differently so that they will eventually end up on the same footing. Equality must also be provided on different levels: in law and in opportunity, but it also must ensure equality in outcomes. All persons within a society have the right to enjoy equal access to and control over the available goods and services that are necessary to fulfil their basic human needs.
From Principle to Practice
Men and boys must play a greater role in addressing gender inequality. Men currently shape much of the world in which women live. As such, they have to be partners in social change. Programmes targeting women must embrace men as partners in order to help nurture social structures that are more supportive to women. Well-designed activities that engage men and boys can help change male socialisation for the better. Brazil‘s Instituto Promundo, for example, reports significant improvement in gender perspectives among young men participating in its courses. Those men are more likely to use condoms, and much less likely to report sexually transmitted infections compared with their peers. In South Africa, the Men as Partners Network found that almost three quarters (71%) of men participating in workshops agreed that women have the same rights as men, whereas only one quarter of the men in the control group shared that conviction. Efforts such as these affirm that men and boys can be a powerful force in challenging and recasting harmful stereotypes of masculinity, confronting violence against women and taking their share of responsibility for HIV prevention within intimate relationships.
Keeping the Promise: An Agenda for Action on Women
UNAIDS (2006)
Some implications of this element are:
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Priority must be given to the most marginalised or impoverished groups, such as women, minorities, migrants, indigenous peoples and prisoners in any given context.
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States and development workers must seek to identify all possible groups that may suffer discriminatory practices or outcomes for redress. This means, for example, that data must be disaggregated, as far as possible.
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Development decisions, policies and initiatives also must be careful not to simply reinforce existing power imbalances (for example, between women and men, or employers and employees).
