Non judicial procedures
Advocacy is the process of implementing actions that can transform the interests of the population or citizens into rights, influencing the mechanisms of decision making at national and international level. Advocacy also has the purpose of drawing the attention of the public opinion on a specific issue and to encourage policy makers to design possible solutions.
Advocacy activities carried out by the Unione forense per la tutela dei diritti umani are undertaken at various levels:
- on the political level, by contributing to the drafting of bills or to the debate on current human rights issues;
- at the jurisdictional level, by participating as amicus curiae in proceedings before national courts and before the European Court of Human Rights (such as, for instance: the issue of refoulements in Libya, specifically the Hirsi case, the case of Slovenian stateless persons, specifically the Kuric case against the Slovenian state);
- at the extrajudicial level, dedicating itself to the work of denouncing and monitoring Italy’s compliance with the obligations assumed through the ratification of human rights treaties, in particular in 2008 UFDU drafted the shadow report sent to the Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (C.E. R.D.); in 2011 it presented two further counter-reports, respectively sent and received by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (C.E.D.A.W.) and the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of the Child (C.R.C.), on the political and legislative situation of women’s and children’s rights.
Alternative Report UPR | Universal Periodic Review
In the framework of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the United Nations Human Rights Council, scheduled for November 2019 with regard to the Italian State, UFDU and FIDH presented a shadow report on the topic of migration and asylum rights.
Particular attention was paid to the impact of recent legislative interventions introduced in the Italian legislation on the rights of migrants and asylum seekers and to the restrictive policies regarding access to the courts and the entry of irregular migrants in the Italian territory. In particular, the retreat of protections put in place by Decree Law No. 13/2017 (so-called Minniti-Orlando Decree) and Decree Law No. 113/2018 (so-called Salvini Decree) was represented.
Al the measures recently implemented by the Italian government in order to prevent the landing by ships with migrants on board were also represented, like the violations of the principle of non-refoulement carried out by Italy through bilateral agreements reached with non-EU countries and aimed at limiting migration flows and outsourcing responsibility for the management of migrants, as well as the contrast and criminalization of NGOs engaged in international waters in rescuing migrants.
Download the national report (2019)
Report “The environmental disaster of ILVA in Taranto and the violation of human rights” | Fédération internationale pour les droits humains (FIDH)
In 2018, the report “the environmental disaster of the ILVA of Taranto and the violation of human rights” was published, prepared by the Fédération internationale pour les droits humains (FIDH) in collaboration with the Unione forense per la tutela dei diritti umani, Peacelink and Human Rights International Corner (HRIC).
The report, in particular, highlights the serious human rights violations following the ILVA environmental disaster and the related responsibilities of both the previous owners of the plant and the Italian government towards the people of Taranto and the workers employed in the Taranto plant.
Download the report “ILVA’s Taranto environmental disaster and human rights violations” (2018)
Shadow Report CERD | Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD)
During the 91st session of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), the Unione forense per la tutela dei diritti umani presented to the C.E.R.D. an Alternative Report on hate-speech towards migrants and asylum seekers in political debate and the media. The shadow report specifically analyzes the persistent use of racial hate speech against migrants, asylum seekers and refugees, a circumstance found both in the political debate, in the media and on the internet (on social networks to a greater extent).
Download the CERD counter-report (2016)
Alternative Report UPR | Universal Periodic Review
On the occasion of the Universal Periodic Review (UNIVERSAL PERIODIC REVIEW – UPR) of the UN Human Rights Council, scheduled in October-November 2014 and concerning the Italian State, UFDU presented a shadow report with the subject of immigration and asylum, proposing a particular focus on the rejections at sea of migrants from Libya.
Download the national report (2014)
Thematic discussion on hate speech | Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD)
As part of the activities of the project “Enhancing Italy’s civil society participation to international bodies’ decision making”, carried out by the Unione forense per la tutela dei diritti umani with the contribution of Open Society Foundations, UFDU has been the promoter of the drafting of a joint document that showed an increase in incitement to racial hatred related to political speeches and media, especially against Roma and Sinti, as well as an increase in racism spread through new channels, such as internet and social networks. The research was presented by the network of Italian associations within the thematic discussion of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination of the United Nations (CERD) on incitement to racial hatred (racist hate speech).
Download the joint document on incitement to racial hatred (2012)
Shadow Report CERD | Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD)
During the 80th session of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), held in Geneva from February 13 to March 9, 2012, the Unione forense per la tutela dei diritti umani presented a shadow report on the situation of racial discrimination in Italy in the media, social networks and political debate.
Download CERD counter-report (2012)
Shadow Report CEDAW | Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)
During 2011, UFDU was involved in the drafting of a counter-report which was presented during the 49th Session of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, held in New York between July 11 and 21, 2011, in which Italy was also involved. Through the “Observations on the sixth periodic report of Italy to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women”, UFDU wanted to present to the CEDAW Committee additional information to the report submitted by the Italian Government on 16.12.2009 (CEDAW/C/ITA/6) and indicated to the Committee specific recommendations to be addressed to the Italian Government. For the drafting of the counter-report, UFDU followed the guidelines in the list of issues of the Committee itself (CEDAW/C/ITA/Q/6) and it involved a group of experts of the Unione forense on specific issues: violence against women and the crime of stalking, trafficking and exploitation of prostitution, the principle of equality, women’s participation in politics and decision-making processes, Roma women, migrants and asylum seekers.
Download the counter-report CEDAW (2011)
Shadow Report CRC | Committee on Rights of the Child
The Unione forense per la tutela dei diritti umani, in collaboration with the Centre for the Study of Juvenile Justice of the University of Macerata, drafted and presented preliminary observations on the report submitted by the Italian Government (CRC/C/ITA/3-4) to the Pre-sessional Working Group of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which was held in Geneva between June 20 and 24, 2011. The aim of the “Preliminary Observations on the third and fourth periodic reports of Italy to the Committee on the Rights of the Child” was to urge the CRC Committee to include the gaps in the state of the juvenile penitentiary regime in Italy and the lack of specific measures regarding the administrative detention of migrant children in the list of issues, a request accepted by the Committee in paragraph n. 18 of the list of issues (§18, CRC/C/ITA/Q/3-4).
Subsequently, UFDU and the Centre for Juvenile Justice Studies jointly drafted the counter-report “Observations on the third and fourth periodic reports of Italy to the Committee on the Rights of the Child”, presented during the 58th Session of the CRC.