Human Rights

Violations in Iraq
and Syria
conducted by the
Islamic State (IS)
Background
Operating mainly in the states of Iraq and Syria, the Islamic State (IS, renamed in
2014), formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria or the Islamic State of
Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant1 (ISIL), is a
terrorist group2 that controls the regions in the Levant along with territories in South
Asia (mainly Pakistan) and North Africa (mainly Egypt and Libya).
A self proclaimed Worldwide Caliphate, it claims ultimate authority over all Muslims
in the spheres of religion, politics and military. However, this self proclamation has
been highly ostracized worldwide with the refusal to acknowledge the same by major
Muslim groups and governments.
The group publicly display their brutality in order to exert authority over the areas of
its control by trying to convey a message of the immensity of their strength so as to
threaten those who question their authority and make a strong hand at attracting
prospective recruits.
The IS in the beginning were a one of the other armed groups in Syria, say one of the
few hundreds. However, it off late in the year 2013, it grew into a methodized
paramount armed force that took under control a huge chunk of the population in
Iraq and Syria, becoming one of the worlds largest terror assemblages.
1 The Levant includes regions of Cyprus, Hatay, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine
and Syria, sometimes the region of Iraq and the Sinai Peninsula and the whole of
Egypt and Turkey.

2 The ISIS is recognized as a terrorist organization according to United Nations

Security Council Resolution 2710

Timeline
2004- Abu Musab Al Zarqawi begins with Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI)
2006- AQI merges with Iraqi jihadist groups and now known as Islamic State of Iraq
(ISIS)
2007-2011 US Forces begin with Counterterrorism campaign in Iraq
2011- Syrian conflict begins
2011 Jabhat Al-Nusra and Al-Qaeda coalition in Syria
2013 Split from Jabhat Al-Nusra and established as ISIS
2014 ISIS now renamed as Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) with territorial
claim over the Levant and Iraq

Mode of Operation
The IS has been established as a hierarchical structure, with Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi
holding the highest rank and the ultimate power. Command and control systems
along with a military council include the various entities of the IS along with local
emirs and military commanders leading each entity. The group follows a strict code
of conduct amongst themselves and discipline is given the utmost importance when
it comes to operational conduct.

Centralised military leadership has been assumed by the group with their constant
deployments of fighters and equipment to different frontlines. Surprisingly, foreign
fighters make up for most the military ranks than Syrians do, even though the IS
operates in their region, showing the vast support it gets from foreign areas and
people pushing for their radical, extremist agendas.

Resources for the ISIS mainly came from their significant earnings in Iraq during the
years 2013 and 2014. With eastern Syria already taken over by the IS, northern Syria
faced territorial disputes with the Kurdish armed group called the Peoples Protection
Unit (Yekneyn Parastina Gel) and the IS fighting over the region of Koban
(originally known as Ayn Al-Arab) which resulted in a whole new battle over the
region.
Exploitation of small time radical arms groups and tying up with groups fuelling
sectarian conflicts strengthen the IS mode of networking in order to establish a
stronghold over weak groups that identify with an extremist group such as the IS,
rendering them as the strongest jihadist group with extensive alliances following
similar sectarian ideologies.
Further, the Syrian conflict fuelled the operations of the IS since repeated political
attempts to stabilise the area were rather unsuccessful, proffering a void amongst
the suffering populace of the region that was filled with religious extremism and
radicalism promoted by these groups.
Great numbers of foreign extremists gave in to the groups expansionist ideas with
persons of the greatest experience joining the IS ranks. Access to the area of conflict,
still remains without guard and all international efforts to strengthen the
neighbouring areas have failed.
With the groups military capabilities growing every year, or for that matter every
month, the IS have made of use extremely horrific and brutal mechanisms to employ
the usage of explosive weapons, civilian casualty attacks and suicide or remote
detonated car bombs and the execution of fighters captured during military
operations. Firepower and mobility are the strengths of this group and they are
always successful in surprise attacks and establishing dominance and superiority
over localities.
Making various local agreements and breaking up regions to rule them as dominate
them as areas have all been strategies used by the group, showing its extensive
military know how and the possibility of having experience marksmen and armed
forces trainees that have joined hands with the group. In Ar-Raqqah and other areas
it controls, the IS operates a primitive but rigid administrative system that comprises
the Al-Hisbah morality police, the general police force, courts, and entities managing
recruitment, tribal relations, and education. The group sustains the areas under its
control by maintaining some basic services in a highly repressive environment. At
the core of ISISs propaganda strategy is an effective use of modern
communications, particularly social media for purposes of recruitment and
fundraising. Many new recruits, from the region and beyond, have been influenced
by widely disseminated violent images of executions, beheadings and stoning.

Funding
The external support provided to all belligerents in Syria has contributed to the
radicalisation of armed groups, ultimately benefitting ISIS. Charity organisations and
wealthy individuals funded radical entities willing to promote their ideologies and
serve their agendas. Arms and support provided to armed groups deemed as
moderate have repeatedly fallen into the hands of more radical actors, including ISIS.
It is well known that ISIS captured large amounts of US-supplied arms when the Iraqi
Army fled in the face of the initial ISIS advance in June 2014. What has not been
reported widely is the fact that the IS has been seen using weapons the CIA helped
send to rebels in Syria.
Both Qatar and Saudi Arabia deny they have funded IS and other jihadist groups.
However, many disagree. It is often argued that the foster parents of IS and the
other Sunni jihadist movements in Iraq and Syria are Saudi Arabia, the Gulf
monarchies and Turkey.
There has been a lot of debate about whether this support is from the Qatari and
Saudi governments or from private individuals from these countries. In fact, it has
been reported that the US knew as early as spring 2011 that Qatari support for
rebels in Libya meant, in part, sending arms to jihadist groups.

In fact, German Minister Gerd Mueller has accused3 Qatar of financing the IS militia
and that it has extended its support to Islamist insurgents in Iraq and Syria.
The group has fashioned a small army out of a mix of foreign and local fighters,
established oil refining and trafficking operations, and even collects taxes.
While there may be some foreign money flowing in to the IS, stopping these
transnational flows will not stymie the group. Whatever its international influences,
the IS raises most of its money from the territories it feeds off of, making the
problem of beating back the group exceedingly difficult.
Most important, the IS raises much of its money just as a well-organized criminal
gang would do. It smuggles, it extorts, it skims, it fences, it kidnaps and it shakes
down. Although supposedly religiously inspired, its actions are more like those of an
organized criminal cult.
The IS most important revenue source right now is the smuggling of oil from the oil
fields it controls in Syria and Iraq. It has been reported to control about a dozen oil
fields along with several refineries. Estimates of revenue vary, but a range of
$1million to more than $2 million a day is reasonable.
To keep the oil flowing to direct buyers and through middlemen to markets in Syria,
Iraq, Turkey and possibly even Iran, ISIS retains the technical workers at these oil
operations, but replaces top management with its own people.
So, the IS is a formidable fund-raiser. To its disadvantage, the group is also a
formidable spender. It pays regular salaries to members based on family size and
even has promised to maintain those payments if the member is killed or captured.

3 http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/20/us-iraq-security-germany-qataridUSKBN0GK1I720140820

When casualties are high, this can mean high personnel costs relative to active
manpower.
This is nothing new. Al Qaeda in Iraq, the pre-ISIS organization, was raising its money
locally, mostly from theft, in 2005 and 2006, the peak of its power in Iraqs Anbar
Province. Over a period of 11 months, only about 5% of Al Qaeda in Iraq revenues in
Anbar came from donations. Later, from 2006 to 2009, the groups Ministry of Oil
raised $2 billion with a smuggling operation based at the Bayji 4refinery in Iraq.
Historically, ISIS main outside revenue has come in small donations from supporters
who have travelled to Iraq and Syria in many instances as suicide bombers and
while donations from the Gulf countries may have been welcome additions,
neutralizing donations from wealthy Gulf sources will have little effect today.

Human Rights Violations

The array of violations and abuses perpetrated by the
ISIL and associated armed groups is staggering, and
many of their acts may amount to war crimes or crimes
against humanity. - Zeid Raad al Hussein, U.N. High
Commissioner for Human Rights.
Iraq
The IS continues to prey on vulnerable communities, including those historically
concentrated in the Nineveh plains, such as the Chaldo-Assyrian Christians, Shia
Shabaks, Turkmen, and Yezidis. These groups have a long history of marginalization
but the IS has intensified this ostracism, labelling them as crusaders, heretics, and
devil-worshipers and then threatening them with death if they dont convert to Islam.

4 The Bayji refinery is a major industrial centre and the biggest oil refinery in Iraq.

Islamic State insurgents in Iraq have carried out mass executions, abducted women
and girls as sex slaves, and used child soldiers in what may amount to systematic
war crimes that demand prosecution.
In a report based on 500 interviews with witnesses, Iraqi government air strikes on
the Sunni Muslim militants had caused significant civilian deaths by hitting
villages, a school and hospitals in violation of international law.
As of 2015, 17,000 civilians had been killed and 21,000 wounded so far, well over
half of them since the Islamist insurgents began seizing large parts of northern Iraq.
Islamist forces have committed gross human rights violations and violence of an
increasing sectarian nature against groups including Christians, Yazidis and Shiite
Muslims in a widening conflict that has forced 1.8 million Iraqis to flee their homes,
according to a report by the U.N. Human Rights Office and the U.N. Assistance
Mission for Iraq (UNAMI)5.
Attacks directly targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, executions and other
targeted killings of civilians, abductions, rape and other forms of sexual and physical
violence perpetrated against women and children, forced recruitment of children,
destruction or desecration of places of religious or cultural significance, wanton
destruction and looting of property, and denial of fundamental freedoms are some of
the inclusions to the endless brutalities of the IS.
Syria
It is reported6 that after four years of fighting the IS insurgency, Syria has suffered an
unfortunate death of 210,060 individuals with nearly half of them Syrian civilians.
Whats worse is that the death toll is likely to go up by 85,000. Moreover, over 3.73
million Syrians have fled the country and have been registered as official refugees
abroad and over 1.5 million Syrians have been left permanently disabled with one
injury or another.

Female Sex Slaves

Women have been treated particularly harshly as the IS has attacked and killed
female doctors, lawyers, among other professionals.
It has been reported that in August 2014, The IS took 450-500 women and girls to
the Tal Afar citadel in Iraqs Nineveh region where 150 unmarried girls and women,
predominantly from the Yazidi and Christian communities, were transported to Syria,
either to be given to the IS fighters as a reward or to be sold as sex slaves.
The Research and Fatwa Department of the Islamic State (ISIS) has released a
pamphlet on the topic of female captives and slaves. The pamphlet, which is dated
Muharram 1436 (October/November 2014) and was printed by ISs publishing house,
Al-Himma Library, is titled Sual wa-Jawab fi al-Sabi wa-Riqab (Questions and
Answers on Taking Captives and Slaves).
It was presumably released in response to the uproar caused by the many reports
this summer that ISIS had taken Yazidi girls and women as sex slaves. Written in the
5 http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Countries/MENARegion/Pages/UNAMIHRReports.aspx
6 http://app.newscron.com/render/3150886/364258642#.VOy4lHyUfVo

form of questions and answers, it clarifies the position of Islamic law (as the IS
interprets it) on various relevant issues, and states, among other things, that it is
permissible to have sexual intercourse with non-Muslim slaves, including young girls,
and that it is also permitted to beat them and trade in them.
Many journalists in their interviews with young Yezidi men, women and girls who had
recently escaped ISIS captivity have reported that these captives described
harrowing tales of cramped detention, abuse, forced conversion, forced marriage,
and sexual slavery. One 15-year-old girl interviewed, only arrived back with her
family the day before she was taken from Mosul to Raqqa, Syria. Along the way, she
was detained in four different locations, including in Badoush prison, near Mosul,
with hundreds of other Yezidis. While there, she said she saw fighters take more than
100 boys, some as young as six years old, from their mothers. Maybe they were sent
to be re-educated or maybe to a training camp. It is likely they were all forced to
convert; maybe some were killed.
When this girl arrived in Raqqa after her grueling journey, she said she was detained
in a private home with about 20 other girls, only to be sold a few days later to an IS
fighter for about $1000.
Another Yezidi girl interviewed was held captive with her four sisters, the youngest of
whom was 10 years old. She shared the story of another young girl, with whom she
was detained and who had been selected by an older IS fighter. He regularly took
her to his home, locked her in a room and told his family he was helping her with
her Islamic education. Instead, he was beating and raping her.

Beheadings

July 25, 2014- Photos of the beheadings of a number of Syrian soldiers were
posted by ISIL members to social media. The reports said up to 75 Syrian
soldiers from a captured base were beheaded with their heads and bodies
displayed along the streets.
August 2014 - Khaled Sharrouf, an Australian citizen, joined ISIL, which was
proscribed by Australian authorities as a terrorist organisation. Sharrouf's
activities received wide coverage in Australia following his posting in August
2014 of a photo of his seven-year-old son holding the decapitated head of a
Syrian soldier. The incident was strongly condemned by Australian leaders and
by the public. Sharrouf's activities are thought to be war crimes. The incident
raised concerns about Australian Muslims being recruited for terrorist activity

abroad, and the possibility that the recruits would return to Australia and
conduct further attacks.
August 19, 2014- James Wright Foley was an American freelance journalist
and photojournalist of the Syrian Civil War when he was abducted on
November 22, 2012, in north-western Syria. Foley was the first American
citizen to be killed by Jihadi John.7
James Foley's beheading by the IS received wide condemnation in the United
States.
September 6, 2014- Lebanese Army Sergeant Ali al-Sayyed was beheaded
following his capture by ISIL during the Battle of Arsal. Abu Musaab Hafid alBaghdadi, an IS member posted pictures of his beheading on Twitter. The
beheading sparked public outrage in Lebanon. Sergeant Al-Sayed's body was
delivered to Lebanese authorities on September 1, and the body confirmed
through DNA tests on September 2. His funeral ceremony was held on
September 3, with family, friends, and members of the public, comrades, and
Lebanese Army Commander Gen. Jean Kahwaji.
September 2, 2014- Steven Joel Sotloff was an Israeli-American journalist
for Time magazine and The Jerusalem Post. In 2013, he was kidnapped
in Aleppo, Syria, and was held captive by Islamic militants. On September 2,
2014, a video was released purporting to show Jihadi John beheading Steven
Sotloff.
September 13, 2014- David Haines was abducted in March 2013 by the IS
while working in Syria for the humanitarian group Agency for Technical
Cooperation and Development assessing the Atmeh refugee camp near the
Turkish border and the Syrian province of Idlib. Haines family requested that
his abduction be kept a secret, however it became public with Haines
appeared in the purported Sotloff beheading video being held by Jihadi John
who threatened Haines would be the next victim. On September 13, 2014, the
IS released a video of the beheading of David Haines as a message to the
allies of America (in this case, Britain).
September 6, 2014- Lebanese Army soldier Abbas Medlej is believed to
have been beheaded following an attempted escape from his captors. ISIL
members claim that he was contained following an escape attempt, where he
fired upon his captors, according to comments made by an ISIL Leader on the
Turkish Anatolia news channel. Gruesome photos of the slaughtered soldier
were posted on several pro-jihadist Twitter accounts on September 6. Abbas
Medlej was captured by ISIL during the Battle of Arsal.
September 11, 2014- An unidentified Kurdish soldier was beheaded
following capture. The fate of the other 23 soldiers seen in the video is
unknown.
September 20, 2014- Local officials in Ghazni Province Afghanistan reported
that Taliban insurgents from different regions of the country ed by
camouflaged men wearing black masks had captured several villages, set at
least 60 homes on fire, killed more than hundred people and beheaded fifteen
family members of local police officers. The masked insurgents reportedly
carried the black flag of the IS and openly called themselves soldiers of
Daesh. Deputy Police Chief General Asadullah Ensafi reported that Taliban ambushes

7 Jihadi John is a British national known for several beheadings in 2014 and 2015 and
is a member of the IS.

stopped reinforcements from the Afghan National Army and provincial police from
reaching the area. Afghan commandos inserted by helicopter were able to reinforce units
already defending the area and the "immediate threat to district's center had been
nullified.
September 24, 2014 Herv Gourdel, a French citizen and mountaineering
guide was kidnapped on September 21, 2014 while hiking in the Djurdjura
National Park in Algeria. The following day, a recently formed IS affiliate in
Algeria, Jund al-Khilafah, released a video which showed Herv Gourdel being held
hostage. The group threatened to kill Gourdel if the French government continued to
conduct airstrikes against IS. On September 24, they carried through on threats to
behead him after a 24-hour deadline passed. The beheading was captured in a video
titled "A Message of Blood for French Government. The video is similar to other ISIL
beheading videos. It opens with a news clip of French President Franois Hollande and a
title screen. It then shows Herv Gourdel handcuffed and kneeling in front of four armed
masked men. After Gourdel delivers a statement, one of the militants reads a statement.
In it he declares that this kidnapping and execution were in response to the order of IS
spokesman Abu Mohammad al-Adnani to attack citizens of countries participating in the
US-led coalition against the Islamic State. Like the other IS beheading videos, it does not
show the actual beheading, but the final scene does show Herv Gourdel's dead body
with his severed head in his lap, and then the fighters holding it up. The day after the
beheading, approximately 2,000 Algerian soldiers and 500 marines assisted by
helicopters and sniffer dogs searched the Tizi Ouzou region to try to find the militants
responsible for the beheading. A spokesman for the Algerian government reiterated its
commitment to protecting foreign residents living inside the country, which includes
around 30,000 French citizens.
October 1, 2014- The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on
October 1 that ISIL had beheaded 10 individuals near Kobane, Syria two
male and three female Kurdish fighters, four Syrian Arab rebels and a male
Kurdish civilian. "I don't know why they were arrested or beheaded. Only the
Islamic State knows why. They want to scare people," according to Rami
Abdulrahman. He also reported ISIL has used beheadings in eastern Syria to
scare local leaders of Sunni Muslim tribes to withdraw from the battlefield. The
beheadings are often carried out in public and the public is told that any
violent or non-violent dissent will not be tolerated.
October 3, 2014- Alan Henning was a British humanitarian aid worker.
Henning was the fourth Western hostage killed by the IS. Henning was
captured during ISIL's occupation of the Syrian city of Al-Dana in December
2013, where he was helping with humanitarian relief. TheBritish Foreign
Office withheld news of Henning's capture while they attempted to negotiate
his release. Alan Henning was shown at the end of David Haines's beheading
video, released on September 13, 2014, and referred to by Jihadi John as the
next victim. A video of Henning's beheading was released by ISIL on October
3, 2014.
October 11, 2014- Reporters without Borders (RSF) and his family said that
on September 7, 2014 the IS seized and on October 11 publicly beheaded
Raad al-Azzawi (or translated Azzaoui), 37, a TV Salaheddin cameraman from
the village of Samra, east of Tikrit in Iraq. According to RSF al-Azzawi was
taken because he refused to work for ISIL. They also kidnapped and killed
possibility also by beheading, al-Azzawi's brother and several other civilians.
In December 2013 IS militants had attacked al-Azzawi's TV station with suicide

bombs, killing 5 journalists, after accusing the station of "distorting the image
of Iraq's Sunni community." These actions are part of a widespread organized
effort to control the press through violence. At about the same time, AP
reported that ISIL beheaded a number of journalists in Syria
October 10, 2014- A security official in Baiji said three men were beheaded
on October 10, 2014.
November 16, 2016- Peter Edward Kassig working in Syria and Lebanon as a
humanitarian worker, aided Syrian refugees through Special Emergency Response and
Assistance (SERA), a non-governmental organization he founded in the fall of 2012 to
provide refugees in Syria and Lebanon with medical assistance, supplies, clothing, and
food. Kassig trained as a medical assistant, provided trauma care to Syrians who were
injured, and helped train others to provide medical aid. On October 1, 2013, as he was on
his way to Deir Ezzour in eastern Syria to deliver food and medical supplies to refugees,
Kassig was taken captive by the ISIL. He was kept in a cell with French journalist
Nicolas Henin and British journalist John Cantlie, and beaten regularly. While in captivity,
Kassig formerly a Methodist converted to Islam and changed his name to AbdulRahman Kassig, sometime between October and December 2013. On October 3, 2014,
his parents released a video in which they stressed that his conversion to Islam was not
forced, and that his path to conversion began before he was taken captive. Kassig was
named as the next victim to be beheaded in the video released by ISIL on October 3,
2014, that showed Alan Hennings beheading, and Kassig was shown in the video
wearing a Guantanamo Bay-style orange jump suit. On October 3, his family sent a video
message to the Islamic State, asking for mercy for their son. Kassig's mother later
tweeted an entreaty to the leader of the Islamic State over Twitter, asking to
communicate with him, and Kassig's parents maintained Facebook [ and Twitter accounts
dedicated to raising awareness of their sons captivity. On November 16, 2014, the IS
posted a video showing Jihadi John standing over a severed human head. The
beheading itself was not shown in the video. The White House later confirmed the person
killed was Kassig. The Daily Telegraph and security expert Will Geddes speculated that
Kassig may have defied his captors, and refused to provide a beheading video
statement.
November 16 and 17, 2014- In the same video that depicted Peter Kassigs
death, the IS also included the beheading of 21 Syrian soldiers in gruesome
detail. On November 17, French media reported that 22-year-old French citizen Maxime
Hauchard, who goes by the nom de guerre Abdallah Al-Faransi, was believed to be
among the executioners in the beheading video. Hauchard lived in Normandy and
converted to Islam at the age of 17. A French prosecutor said that another Frenchman
may have also been present.[ On November 19, 22-year-old Michael Dos Santos, known
by fellow militants with his nom de guerre Abou Uthman, was also identified by the
French media as the second French Jihadist featured in the beheading video. Dos
Santos lived in Champigny-sur-Marne east of Paris and converted to Islam in 2010.
December 2014, after some recent military setbacks, ISIL was reported to
have beheaded about 100 foreign fighters who tried to leave Raqqa. A
military police had been established in Raqqa to look for fighters who failed to
report
January 2015- Haruna Yukawa was a Japanese national reported to be
beheaded in January 2015. In April 2014, he was in Syria where he was
captured by the Free Syrian Army; Japanese journalist Kenji Goto Jogo was
brought in to interpret, and Goto secured Yukawa's release. Both Yukawa and
Goto went back to Japan, but Yukawa soon returned to Syria, where he

disappeared after July 2014; the IS released a video on YouTube of Yukawa on

the ground bleeding. In October 2014, Goto returned to Syria; he was soon
captured. The two appeared in a video in January 2015 in which the IS gave
the Japanese government a deadline of 72 hours for a ransom of $200 million.
The deadline passed without fulfilment of the ransom, and a video of Yukawa's
beheading was released. Yukawa and Goto were the first Japanese nationals to
be held hostage by ISIL. By the end of the month, the group released another
video of the beheading of Goto, in which Jihadi John proclaimed to Japanese
prime minister Shinz Abe "because of your reckless decision to take part in
an unwinnable war, this knife will not only slaughter Kenji, but will also carry
on and cause carnage wherever your people are found. So let the nightmare
for Japan begin." Both videos await confirmation of authenticity.
A Peshmerga officer named Hujam Surchi was beheaded days before Kenji
Goto, allegedly by a Kurdish member of ISIL
February 2015- In response to the buffer zone the Egyptian government
placed along the GazaEgypt border, the IS members beheaded 10 men they
believed were spies for Mossad and the Egyptian Army.
15 February 2015- The IS al-Hayat Media Center posted a video
on Twitter titled "a message signed with blood to the nation of the cross". It
showed the beheading of 21 Coptic Egyptian masons by the sea shore
in Tripoli/Libya. They were kidnapped from Sirte in late December 2014.

Response from the International Community

United States
More than two years after President Barack Obama brought home combat troops
from a lengthy war in Iraq, a new mission creeps upward.

First came dozens of military advisers -- the buzz term for military involvement from
the Vietnam War -- sent by Obama in June to work with Iraqi and Kurdish forces in
response to the lightning sweep by ISIS fighters from Syria across northern Iraq.
Then on August 8, the President escalated U.S. involvement with limited air strikes
against ISIS to protect American personnel in Iraq as well as minority communities
threatened with extermination. U.S. Central Command has conducted 90 airstrikes,
including six after Obama pledged Wednesday to continue hitting ISIS despite the
group's threat to kill another American captive.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Thursday that Washington also was providing
weapons and other military aid to Iraqi and Kurdish forces fighting ISIS, though
Kurdish officials complain they need more heavy weaponry.
Obama called on friends and allies to band together against the militants he accused
of indiscriminate killings, abductions and rapes, saying the group had "no place in
the 21st Century."
Next month, Obama will hold a leaders meeting on the threat posed by foreign
terrorist fighters as part of the U.N. General Assembly.
Britain
Prime Minister David Cameron cut short his August vacation after the beheading
video showed a hooded man with a British accent threatening the United States and
killing Foley.
With estimates of about 500 Britons having traveled to Iraq and Syria to join ISIS,
Cameron said his government would take away passports and prosecute those who
take part in such extremism and violence.
Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond called ISIS a cancer and a poison,
declaring in a BBC interview that "we are opposed to them with every breath in our
body."
While saying Britain might send military trainers -- akin to U.S. advisers -- to work
with Iraqi government forces, Hammond made clear no combat troops would take
part in fighting against ISIS.

France
President Francois Hollande has announced military aid for Kurdish fighters, and he
called for an international meeting next month on combating ISIS. It wasn't
immediately clear how Hollande's proposed meeting would differ from the one
Obama will host in New York.
"We can no longer keep to the traditional debate of intervention or non-intervention,"
Hollande said in an interview with the French newspaper Le Monde. "We have to
come up with a global strategy to fight this group."
Germany
The German government also will provide weapons and other military supplies to
Kurdish forces after previously limiting its help to non-lethal aid. Like France,
Germany has no plans to send military personnel.
Italy
Italian officials said the government was looking at sending light weapons such as
guns and ammunition to Kurdish forces.
Syria
The ISIS sweep through northern Iraq got a lot of help from Syria, where the
extremists have fought the opposition forces seeking to oust President Bashar alAssad.
Now, ISIS fighters are taking over swathes of Syrian territory once held by al-Assad's
forces, causing the government to launch air strikes on the militants.
State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf rejected any contention that the fight
against ISIS could unite Washington and Damascus against a common enemy, noting
the Obama administration still wants al-Assad out of power.
"I don't want to in any way put us on the same page as the Syrian regime," she said
Wednesday, accusing the Syrian regime of permitting ISIS to grow to what it is today.
"While on the right hand, the Syrian regime might be bombing them, on the left
hand, everything they've done has allowed this group to flourish."
On Thursday, Hagel refused to rule out the possibility of U.S. air strikes against ISIS
in Syria as well as Iraq.
The Middle East region
On another front, the United States is working with governments in the region,
including Turkey, Qatar and Jordan, to cut funding for ISIS from private citizens.

Resolution 2170
The United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2170, in the year 2014,
condemning gross, widespread abuse of human rights by extremist groups in Iraq
and Syria. The text of resolution 2170 reads as follows:
The Security Council,
Reaffirming its resolutions 1267 (1999), 1373 (2001), 1618 (2005), 1624 (2005),
2083 (2012), 2129 (2013), 2133 (2014), 2161 (2014) and its relevant Presidential
Statements,
Reaffirming the independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of the
Republic of Iraq and Syrian Arab Republic, and reaffirming further the purposes and
principles of the Charter of the United Nations,
Reaffirming that terrorism in all forms and manifestations constitutes one of the
most serious threats to international peace and security and that any acts of
terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable regardless of their motivations, whenever and
by whomsoever committed,
Expressing its gravest concern that territory in parts of Iraq and Syria is under the
control of Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and Al Nusrah Front (ANF) and
about the negative impact of their presence, violent extremist ideology and actions
on stability in Iraq, Syria and the region, including the devastating humanitarian
impact on the civilian populations which has led to the displacement of millions of
people, and about their acts of violence that foment sectarian tensions,
Reiterating its condemnation of ISIL, ANF and all other individuals, groups,
undertakings and entities associated with Al-Qaida for ongoing and multiple criminal
terrorist acts aimed at causing the deaths of civilians and other victims, destruction
of property and of cultural and religious sites, and greatly undermining stability,
and recalling that the asset freeze, travel ban and arms embargo requirements in
paragraph 1 of resolution 2161 (2014) apply to ISIL, ANF, and all other individuals,
groups, undertakings, and entities associated with Al-Qaida,
Reaffirming that terrorism, including the actions of ISIL, cannot and should not be
associated with any religion, nationality, or civilization,
Stressing that terrorism can only be defeated by a sustained and comprehensive
approach involving the active participation and collaboration of all States, and
international and regional organizations to impede, impair, isolate and incapacitate
the terrorist threat,
Reaffirming that Member States must ensure that any measures taken to combat
terrorism, including while implementing this resolution, comply with all their
obligations under international law, in particular international human rights, refugee
and international humanitarian law, and underscoring that effective counterterrorism measures and respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms and the
rule of law are complementary and mutually reinforcing, and are an essential part of

a successful counter-terrorism effort, and notes the importance of respect for the
rule of law so as to effectively prevent and combat terrorism,
Reaffirming that those who have committed or are otherwise responsible for
violations of international humanitarian law or violations or abuses of human rights
in Iraq and Syria, including persecution of individuals on the basis of their religion or
belief, or on political grounds, must be held accountable,
Gravely concerned by the financing of, and financial and other resources obtained
by, ISIL, ANF and all other individuals, groups, undertakings, and entities associated
with Al-Qaida, and underscoring that these resources will support their future
terrorist activities,
Strongly condemning incidents of kidnapping and hostage-taking committed by ISIL,
ANF and all other individuals, groups, undertakings and entities associated with AlQaida for any purpose, including with the aim of raising funds or gaining political
concessions, expressing its determination to prevent kidnapping and hostage-taking
committed by terrorist groups and to secure the safe release of hostages without
ransom payments or political concessions, in accordance with applicable
international law, calling upon all Member States to prevent terrorists from benefiting
directly or indirectly from ransom payments or from political concessions and to
secure the safe release of hostages, and reaffirming the need for all Member States
to cooperate closely during incidents of kidnapping and hostage-taking committed
by terrorist groups,
Expressing concern at the flow of foreign terrorist fighters to ISIL, ANF and all other
individuals, groups, undertakings and entities associated with Al-Qaida, and the scale
of this phenomenon,
Expressing concern at the increased use, in a globalized society, by terrorists and
their supporters of new information and communication technologies, in particular
the Internet, for the purposes of recruitment and incitement to commit terrorist acts,
as well as for the financing, planning and preparation of their activities, and
underlining the need for Member States to act cooperatively to prevent terrorists
from exploiting technology, communications and resources to incite support for
terrorist acts, while respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms and in
compliance with other obligations under international law,
Condemning in the strongest terms the incitement of terrorist acts
and repudiating attempts at the justification or glorification (apologie) of terrorist
acts that may incite further terrorist acts,
Underlining the primary responsibility of Member States to protect civilian
population on their territories, in accordance with their obligations under
international law,
Urging all parties to protect the civilian population, in particular women and
children, affected by the violent activities of ISIL, ANF and all other individuals,
groups, undertakings and entities associated with Al-Qaida, especially against any
form of sexual violence,
Reaffirming the need to combat by all means, in accordance with the Charter of the
United Nations and international law, including applicable international human rights,

refugee and humanitarian law, threats to international peace and security caused by
terrorist acts, stressing in this regard the important role the United Nations plays in
leading and coordinating this effort,
Noting with concern the continued threat posed to international peace and security
by ISIL, ANF and all other individuals, groups, undertakings and entities associated
with Al-Qaida, and reaffirming its resolve to address all aspects of that threat,
Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations,
1. Deplores and condemns in the strongest terms the terrorist acts of ISIL and its
violent extremist ideology, and its continued gross, systematic and widespread
abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law;
2. Strongly condemns the indiscriminate killing and deliberate targeting of
civilians, numerous atrocities, mass executions and extrajudicial killings, including of
soldiers, persecution of individuals and entire communities on the basis of their
religion or belief, kidnapping of civilians, forced displacement of members of minority
groups, killing and maiming of children, recruitment and use of children, rape and
other forms of sexual violence, arbitrary detention, attacks on schools and hospitals,
destruction of cultural and religious sites and obstructing the exercise of economic,
social and cultural rights, including the right to education, especially in the Syrian
governorates of Ar-Raqqah, Deir ez-Zor, Aleppo and Idlib, in northern Iraq, especially
in Tamim, Salaheddine and Niniveh Provinces;
3. Recalls that widespread or systematic attacks directed against any civilian
populations because of their ethnic or political background, religion or belief may
constitute a crime against humanity, emphasizes the need to ensure that ISIL, ANF
and all other individuals, groups, undertakings and entities associated with Al-Qaida
are held accountable for abuses of human rights and violations of international
humanitarian law,urges all parties to prevent such violations and abuses;
4. Demands that ISIL, ANF and all other individuals, groups, undertakings and
entities associated with Al-Qaida cease all violence and terrorist acts, and disarm
and disband with immediate effect;
5. Urges all States, in accordance with their obligations under
resolution 1373 (2001), to cooperate in efforts to find and bring to justice individuals,
groups, undertakings and entities associated with Al-Qaida including ISIL and ANF
who perpetrate, organize and sponsor terrorist acts and in this regard underlines the
importance of regional cooperation;
6. Reiterates its call upon all States to take all measures as may be necessary and
appropriate and in accordance with their obligations under international law to
counter incitement of terrorist acts motivated by extremism and intolerance
perpetrated by individuals or entities associated with ISIL, ANF and Al-Qaida and to
prevent the subversion of educational, cultural, and religious institutions by terrorists
and their supporters;
Foreign Terrorist Fighters

7. Condemns the recruitment by ISIL, ANF and all other individuals, groups,
undertakings and entities associated with Al-Qaida of foreign terrorist fighters, whose
presence is exacerbating conflict and contributing to violent
radicalization, demands that all foreign terrorist fighters associated with ISIL and
other terrorist groups withdraw immediately, and expresses its readiness to consider
listing those recruiting for or participating in the activities of ISIL, ANF and all other
individuals, groups, undertakings and entities associated with Al-Qaida under the AlQaida sanctions regime, including through financing or facilitating, for ISIL or ANF, of
travel of foreign terrorist fighters;
8. Calls upon all Member States to take national measures to suppress the flow of
foreign terrorist fighters to, and bring to justice, in accordance with applicable
international law, foreign terrorist fighters of, ISIL, ANF and all other individuals,
groups, undertakings and entities associated with Al-Qaida, reiterates further the
obligation of Member States to prevent the movement of terrorists or terrorist
groups, in accordance with applicable international law, by, inter alia, effective
border controls, and, in this context, to exchange information expeditiously, improve
cooperation among competent authorities to prevent the movement of terrorists and
terrorist groups to and from their territories, the supply of weapons for terrorists and
financing that would support terrorists;
9. Encourages all Member States to engage with those within their territories at
risk of recruitment and violent radicalization to discourage travel to Syria and Iraq for
the purposes of supporting or fighting for ISIL, ANF and all other individuals, groups,
undertakings and entities associated with Al-Qaida;
10. Reaffirms its decision that States shall prevent the direct or indirect supply,
sale, or transfer to ISIL, ANF and all other individuals, groups, undertakings and
entities associated with Al-Qaida from their territories or by their nationals outside
their territories, or using their flag vessels or aircraft, of arms and related materiel of
all types including weapons and ammunition, military vehicles and equipment,
paramilitary equipment, and spare parts for the aforementioned, and technical
advice, assistance or training related to military activities, as well as its calls for
States to find ways of intensifying and accelerating the exchange of operational
information regarding traffic in arms, and to enhance coordination of efforts on
national, subregional, regional and international levels;
Terrorist Financing
11. Reaffirms its resolution 1373 (2001) and in particular its decisions that all
States shall prevent and suppress the financing of terrorist acts and refrain from
providing any form of support, active or passive, to entities or persons involved in
terrorist acts, including by suppressing recruitment of members of terrorist groups
and eliminating the supply of weapons to terrorists;
12. Recalls its decision in resolution 2161 (2014) that all States shall ensure that no
funds, financial assets or economic resources are made available, directly or
indirectly for the benefit of ISIL, ANF or any other individuals, groups, undertakings
and entities associated with Al-Qaida, by their nationals or by persons within their
territory, and reaffirms its decision in resolution 1373 (2001) that all States shall
prohibit their nationals or any persons and entities within their territories from
making any funds, financial assets or economic resources or financial or other

related services available, directly or indirectly, for the benefit of persons who
commit or attempt to commit or facilitate or participate in the commission of
terrorist acts, or for the benefit of entities owned or controlled, directly or indirectly,
by such persons and of persons and entities acting on behalf of or at the direction of
such persons;
13. Notes with concern that oilfields and related infrastructure controlled by ISIL,
ANF and all other individuals, groups, undertakings and entities associated with AlQaida, are generating income which support their recruitment efforts and strengthen
their operational capability to organize and carry out terrorist attacks;
14. Condemns any engagement in direct or indirect trade involving ISIL, ANF and
all other individuals, groups, undertakings and entities associated with Al-Qaida,
and reiterates that such engagement could constitute financial support for entities
designated by the Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1989 (2011)
(the Committee) and may lead to further listings by the Committee;
15. Emphasizes the importance of all Member States complying with their
obligation to ensure that their nationals and persons within their territory do not
make donations to individuals and entities designated by the Committee or those
acting on behalf of or at the direction of designated entities;
16. Expresses its concern that aircraft or other transport departing from territory
controlled by ISIL could be used to transfer gold or other valuable items and
economic resources for sale on international markets, or to make other
arrangements that could result in violations of the asset freeze;
17. Confirms that the requirements in paragraph 1 (a) of resolution 2161 (2014)
shall also apply to the payment of ransoms to individuals, groups, undertakings or
entities on the Al-Qaida Sanctions List, regardless of how or by whom the ransom is
paid;
Sanctions
18. Observes that ISIL is a splinter group of Al-Qaida, recalls that ISIL and ANF are
included on the Al-Qaida sanctions list and in this regard, expresses its readiness to
consider listing individuals, groups, undertakings and entities providing support to
ISIL or to ANF, including those who are financing, arming, planning or recruiting for
ISIL or ANF and all other individuals, groups, undertakings and entities associated
with Al-Qaida through information and communications technologies including the
internet and social media or through any other means;
19. Decides that the individuals specified in Annex I of this resolution shall be
subject to the measures imposed in paragraph 1 of resolution 2161 (2014) and
added to the Al-Qaida Sanctions List;
20. Directs the Committee to make accessible on the Committees website the
narrative summaries of reasons for listing the individuals specified in Annex I of this
resolution as agreed by the Council and confirms that the provisions of
resolution 2161 (2014) and subsequent relevant resolutions shall apply to the names
specified in Annex I for so long as they remain on the Al Qaida Sanctions List;
21. Encourages the submission of listing requests to the Committee by Member
States of individuals and entities supporting ISIL, ANF and all other individuals,

groups, undertakings and entities associated with Al-Qaida and further

encourages the Committee to urgently consider additional designations of
individuals and entities supporting ISIL and ANF;

Reporting
22. Directs the Monitoring Team to submit a report to the Committee within 90 days
on the threat, including to the region, posed by ISIL and ANF, their sources of arms,
funding, recruitment and demographics, and recommendations for additional action
to address the threat and requests that, after a Committee discussion of this report,
the chair of the Committee to brief the Security Council on its principal findings;
23. Requests UNAMI, within its mandate, capabilities, and its areas of operation, to
assist the Committee and the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team
established by resolution 1526 (2004), including by passing information relevant to
the implementation of the measures in paragraph 1 of resolution 2161 (2014);
24.Decides to remain seized of this matter.
Annex
1.

Abdelrahman Mouhamad Zafir al Dabidi al Jahani

Abdelrahman Mouhamad Zafir al Dabidi al Jahani is associated with Al-Qaida or any

cell, affiliate, splinter group or derivative thereof for participating in the financing,
planning, facilitating, preparing or perpetrating of acts or activities by, in conjunction
with, under the name of, on behalf of, or in support of and recruiting for Jabhet alNusra, an a.k.a. of Al-Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant (QE.A.137.14).
2.

Hajjaj Bin Fahd Al Ajmi

Hajjaj bin Fahd al Ajmi is associated with Al-Qaida or any cell, affiliate, splinter group
or derivative thereof for participating in the financing, planning, facilitating,
preparing or perpetrating of acts or activities by, in conjunction with, under the name
of, on behalf of, or in support of Al-Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant
(QE.A.137.14).
3.

Abou Mohamed al Adnani

Abou Mohamed al Adnani is associated with Al-Qaida or any cell, affiliate, splinter
group or derivative thereof for participating in the financing, planning, facilitating,
preparing or perpetrating of acts or activities by, in conjunction with, under the name
of, on behalf of, or in support of Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), an a.k.a
of Al-Qaida in Iraq (QE.J.115.04).
4.

Said Arif

Said Arif is associated with Al-Qaida or any cell, affiliate, splinter group or derivative
thereof for participating in the financing, planning, facilitating, preparing, or
perpetrating of acts or activities by, in conjunction with, under the name of, on
behalf of or in support of and recruiting for Jabhet al-Nusra, an a.k.a. of Al-Nusrah
Front for the People of the Levant (QE.A.137.14).

5.

Abdul Mohsen Abdallah Ibrahim al Charekh

Abdul Mohsen Abdallah Ibrahim al Charekh is associated with Al-Qaida or any cell,
affiliate, splinter group or derivative thereof for participating in the financing,
planning, facilitating, preparing or perpetrating of acts or activities by, in conjunction
with, under the name of, on behalf of, or in support of Jabhet al-Nusra, listed as an
a.k.a. of Al-Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant (QE.A.137.14).
6.

Hamid Hamad Hamid al-Ali

Hamid Hamad Hamid al-Ali is associated with Al-Qaida or any cell, affiliate, splinter
group or derivative thereof for participating in the financing, planning, facilitating,
preparing or perpetrating of acts or activities by, in conjunction with, under the name
of, on behalf of, or in support of Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), an a.k.a.
of Al-Qaida in Iraq (QE.J.115.04) and Jabhet al-Nusra, an a.k.a. of Al-Nusrah Front for
the People of the Levant (QE.A.137.14).

Possible Solutions
1. The Syrian Government must protect its citizens from the IS and take
immediate steps to de-escalate the situation along with ending all human
rights abuses and violations and comply with international humanitarian
law and prioritise the protection of individuals not only held captive by the
IS but also recruited by the IS and also comply with Resolution 2139 and
reach a sustainable solution to the ongoing armed conflict in Syria through
an inclusive and Syrian-led political process with a view to full
implementation of the Geneva Communique of 30 June 2012. The Syrian
Government must also ensure that peace or reconciliation discussions
systematically incorporate child protection concerns including the
cessation and prevention of violations against children, rehabilitation and
reintegration of recruited children, and accountability for perpetrators of
grave violations against children and implement effectively Security
Council Resolution 2170 and ensure that the members of the IS most
responsible for the perpetration of abuses of human rights and violations
of international humanitarian law are held accountable.
2. Over the longer term, destroying the group will require governments in
Iraq and Syria that to some degree have the consent of the governed and
that are viewed as legitimate enough by the residents of those countries.
3. International Accountability Mechanisms must be engaged with including
the International Criminal Court to hold individuals, especially IS
commanders responsible for war crimes against humanity.
4. States that have a tenacious influence must comply with rules of
international humanitarian law and cease any transfer, supply or selling of
arms to actors in Syria if there is a risk that they will be used in the
commission of crimes against humanity.
5. The states must also exert influence over armed groups to take
appropriate measures ensuring that they abide by the obligations set out
in Security Council Resolutions 2139, 2165, 2170 and 2178, in particular
through the cessation of funding and trade with the IS and individuals
affiliated with the armed group.
6. Prioritisation of child protection through the Children and Armed Conflict
agenda at the Security Council.
7.

The principle of non-refoulement must be respected and countries should

abstain from forcibly returning any refugees to the Syrian Arab Republic,
unless the conduct of all parties to the conflict improves, as verified by UN
human rights monitors

8. Countries must address adequately individuals violations of international

humanitarian law in order to contribute to efforts to suppress war crimes,
when undertaking domestic efforts to prosecute foreign fighters in line
with Security Council Resolution 2178.
9. Humanitarian agencies must give priority to and expand the provision of
psychosocial support to children associated with armed groups, including
rehabilitation of children who have been subjected to indoctrination in ISIS
training camps and schools.

10.Prioritisation of the provision of specialised medical services and

psychosocial support to women and girls, in particular victims of sexual
violence.

Questions to ponder upon:

What kind of a strategy is required to counter the IS considering the capture of its
senior leaders?
How can oil smuggling be shut down along with other sources of finance?

More than funding, does the Gulf play an important role in planting the roots of the
IS ideology? How must you combat that and what must the Gulf do in order to
unanimously stop the same?
The US-led strategy of air-strikes harms mostly the civilians and has left with only 1%
of the territory held in Iraq recovered. Alternatives?
What can be done to strengthen the condition of women and children in the area?
What can be done to address the reforms and accountability for abuses that could
earn back the support of Iraqs Sunni population?
How can the issue be addressed as the humanitarian cause it is always said to be
within a binding international human rights framework?
How can we ensure the rights of individuals held captive by the IS?
How can we address the issues pertaining to individuals feeling the requirement to
be recruited by the IS?
How can the international community address the problems that relate to the
inadequacies faced by individuals in their own Government that they feel obligated
to join extremist groups such as the IS?
Residing in the hotbed of sectarian conflict, how can the IS be completely eliminated
of its extreme Islamist ideology that attracts several youth around the world to
partake in their atrocities?

Note: Delegates may refer to previous UN resolutions on the same for further points
to ponder upon and derive their own conclusions.

Topic 2:

Addressing the
rights of HIV-AIDS patients and
their elevation from
discriminatory violations.
Contents
Introduction...................................................................................................................1
Key Issues.....................................................................................................................2
Human Rights of Women...........................................................................................2
Homophobia...............................................................................................................3
Injection Drugs...........................................................................................................3
Stigma and Discrimination............................................................................................3
International Framework...............................................................................................4
Role of the United Nations System...............................................................................5
Human Rights and HIV..................................................................................................6
Major States/Regions and Their Views..........................................................................7
Sub-Saharan Africa....................................................................................................7
Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia..................................................................7
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................8
Questions a Resolution Must Answer............................................................................8

Stigma remains the single most important barrier to public

action. It is a main reason why too many people are afraid to
see a doctor to determine whether they have the disease, or
to seek treatment if so. It helps make AIDS the silent killer,
because people fear the social disgrace of speaking about it,
or taking easily available precautions. Stigma is a chief reason
why the AIDS epidemic continues to devastate societies
around the world.

Introduction
With the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection rates declining around the
world, there is a drive to understand why HIV spreads and why people living with HIV
may choose not to seek medical treatment. The fear associated with people learning
of someones HIV status can at times be worse than living with the virus itself. People
may choose to separate themselves from their communities or refuse to seek their
HIV status. There are still groups of citizens around the world who suffer from fear,
violence, and loss of employment, family, and societal exclusion because of the
possible unavailability of medical and educational resources available to a person
living with HIV.
HIV-related stigma and discrimination are defined as: a process of devaluation of
people either living with or associated with HIV and AIDSDiscrimination follows
stigma and is the unfair and unjust treatment of an individual based on his or her
real or perceived HIV status. This stigma is multi-layered, tending to build upon
and reinforce negative connotations through the association of HIV and AIDS with
already-marginalized behaviours, such as sex work, drug use, and homosexual and
transgender sexual practice.
Stigma and discrimination are interrelated, reinforcing and legitimizing each other.
Indeed, stigma lies at the root of discriminatory actions, leading people to engage in
actions or omissions that harm or deny services or entitlements to others, in
essence, discrimination can be described as the enactment of stigma both
reinforcing and encouraging stigma. Discrimination is a violation of fundamental
human rights, as laid out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) and
other human rights instruments, which define the principle of non-discrimination,
based on recognition of the equality of all people. Stigmatizing and discriminatory
actions, therefore:

Violate the fundamental human right to freedom from

discrimination. In addition to being a violation of human rights
in itself, discrimination directed at people living with HIV or
those believed to be HIV-infected, leads to the violation of
other human rights, such as the rights to health, dignity,
privacy, equality before the law, and freedom from inhuman,
degrading treatment or punishment. A social environment
which promotes violations of human rights may, in turn,
legitimate stigma and discrimination.
As a result, of the complexity of the relationship between stigma, discrimination, and
human rights violations, and a simultaneous, multi-pronged approach which longterm is necessary. The United Nations (UN), specifically through its Joint United
Nations Programme for HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), has targeted stigma and discrimination
based on HIV status as an important issue in its work, specifically working to
eliminate stigma and discrimination against people living with and affected by HIV
through promotion of laws and policies that ensure the full realization of all human
rights and fundamental freedoms.

Key Issues
Human Rights of Women
Women are often not given equal treatments in sexual acts as a result of
subordination or cultural, social restrictions and appropriations. Women are also
often the victims of forced prostitution and trafficking, particularly in poverty ridden
regions. These circumstances prevent many women from having the ability to
negotiate safe sex with their partners leading to violations of human rights such as
the freedom to decide, freedom from coercion or discrimination, and control over
reproductive health.
Many sex workers, either forced or unforced, generally have little to none support in
requiring their clients to use condoms or in any related health-care services. As
sexually transmitted diseases have culturally been viewed with a negative
connotative especially in regards to women, many women from abstained from
receiving aid due to fear of being stigmatized. However, actions such as the
convention monitored by The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against
Women (CEDAW) have emphasized on womens subordinate social positions and
their increased vulnerability to HIV, showing global awareness on the human rights
of women on the issue of HIV/ AIDS.

Homophobia
Since the start of the epidemic, gay men have often been targeted as the causes of
HIV/ AIDS. This myth was largely supported by the press, who would publish articles
demonising the gay community. The discrimination that emerged as a result
prevented large numbers of men from testing for HIV amongst other diseases that
can be sexually transmitted in fear of being punished for their sexual orientation,
making homophobia a key issue in the Violation of Human Rights of People Infected
with HIV/AIDS. Nowadays, there are still 78 countries that criminalize homosexual
behaviour. That is 78 countries lacking sufficient education, research, and
development in the field of HIV/AIDS awareness and treatment.

Injection Drugs
The sharing of often unsterilized drug-taking equipment has led to blood sharing, a
practice that carries high chances of HIV transmission. Although transmissions are
possible through other drug taking means, possibilities for virus transmissions are
the highest amongst people who inject drugs. Since injecting drugs is an illegal
activity, many of those who partake in injections do not test for diseases. In
countries such as India in which owning syringes for non-medical purposes is illegal,
people choose to share needles as a means to avoid being caught by officials as well
as a means to save time and money. As a result, 30% of global new infections have
come from injection drugs, most of which come from Eastern Europe and Central
Asia. In Eastern Europe and Central Asia, 80% of new infections are the result of
injection drugs. Around 13.1% of those who inject drugs are infected with HIV, but
only 4% of these people eventually receive treatment. Thus, as infections due to
homophobia and unequal treatment start to decrease, a new issue emerges.

Stigma and Discrimination

Stigma and discrimination continue to be major issues when combating the
HIV/AIDS epidemic. Stigma is defined as a dynamic process of devaluation that
significantly discredits an individual in the eyes of others. Stigma can adhere to
even the most surface-level or seemingly irrational range of qualities including
commonly known sources of stigma such as skin colour to the manner in which
someone speaks. Culture also plays a role in determining which particular
characteristics may be the one stigmatized or discredited depending on social norms
and setting.
Stigma is perpetuated and projected unto others as a result of factors including, but
not limited to: (1) the misunderstandings of HIV/AIDS; (2) how the HIV virus is
contracted; (3) the treatment of HIV; (4) lack of treatment access; (5) the fear
surrounding the disease; and (6) its inability to be cured. In the 2011 Declaration of
Commitment on HIV/AIDS (A/RES/65/277), many governments made the pledge to
make greater commitments to HIV/AIDS and the stigma that continues to be
associated with the virus. While there have been significant strides in the fight
against HIV/AIDS, social stigma is sighted as a major challenge when attempting to
give people living with HIV/AIDS access to health care and social serves such as
housing. HIV-related stigma continues to undermine progress and discrimination
leads to many cases of job loss, property seizures, and loss of family, violence, and
social exclusion. These potential outcomes lead to a reduced number of citizens
seeking help to find out their HIV status or seeking treatment for their HIV-positive
status thus the cycle of HIV transmission is reinforced. The continued spread of HIV
ultimately hinders the progress of the MDGs.
There are several examples from around the world which illustrate the
marginalization and stigma facing individuals who are HIV-positive. For example, in
Myanmar, one survey found that 11% of HIV-positive people reported feeling
excluded in social events, 35% reported being denied family planning services and
20% other sexual and reproductive services. In China, half of people living with
HIV/AIDS reported being worried about being physically attacked and 41% reported
facing some type of HIV connected discrimination. Over 9% of people with children
reported their children having to be removed from school because of their parents
health status.
Much of the discrimination facing people living with HIV/AIDS comes from social
stigma towards a certain lifestyle of groups within the population. Stigma and
discrimination does not necessarily affect every person living with HIV/AIDS in the
same way; research shows that stigma is more common amongst groups within the
population who are already considered marginalized. These groups include people
who have same-sex relationships, intravenous drug users, sex workers, and family
members of people living with HIV/AIDS. Stigma may alter someone from seeking his
or her HIV status or prevent a HIV-positive person from seeking medical treatment.
Fear or refusal to disclose HIV status can lead to the family members of HIV-positive
people to be left with the continued stigma associated with the disease. The goal is
to have a safe and encouraging framework of assistance including medical
treatment, counselling, and social welfare programs for persons with HIV-positive
status, especially those with lifestyles that have a history of being prejudiced against

in society, leads to the continued spread of HIV and prevention of global and national
health organizations to treat those infected properly.
When it comes to stigma, men and women experience discrimination associated with
HIV/AIDS differently. Some women are held to perceived gender roles by either their
family or their community, which may increase a womans risk for experiencing
some form of stigma. Women and girls may find themselves without an avenue to
learn about their individual options or voice their opinions. Sexual and reproductive
decisions are often by their husband or males in the family. Stigma attached to
womens reduced role in society can include fewer women having access to
education, health services, and employment leading to increased vulnerability to HIV.
Most reports indicate that when comparing women and men, women experience
more HIV-related stigma and discrimination. In Tanzania, for example, 63% of women
claim to live with HIV-related stigma versus 49% of men. Women reported
experiencing increased violence, loss, of property, and loss of family and partners
because of their HIV/AIDS status. The rates of reported stigma and discrimination
rise when women attempt to take precautionary measures such as birth control or
abstaining from sexual intercourse. Women report experiencing violence when
requesting the use of condoms, request for HIV testing, refusal of sex with partners,
or for testing positive for HIV.

International Framework
In addressing HIV-related stigma and discrimination UNHRC is guided by the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) (1948) as well as a range of human
rights and health-related instruments.
The UDHR states that every person must have adequate standard of living including
medical care and necessary social services. Many international documents include
guidelines in respect to human rights including the International Covenant on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966), the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights (1966) and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women (1979). As mentioned earlier, one of the central
concepts in the existing human rights framework is the idea of non-discrimination,
which, together with equality before the law and equal protection of the law without
any discrimination, constitutes a basic and general principle relating to the
protection of human rights. Given this, the discrimination of persons with HIV is
thus, a violation of human rights and should be addressed as such within
international and domestic law.
There are several landmark declarations which advance this topic: (1) the 2001
Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS, adopted by the General Assembly at its
26th special session; (2) the 2006 Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS, adopted by the
General Assembly in resolution 60/262; and (3) the 2011 Political Declaration on HIV
and AIDS: Intensifying our Efforts to Eliminate HIV/AIDS (A/RES/60/262). These three
instruments, combined, provide a strong framework for guiding the international
community in ensuring that human rights and fundamental freedoms for all is an
essential element in the global response to HIV. Further, specifically within the 2011

Political Declaration, recognizes that addressing stigma and discrimination is a

critical element in the global response to HIV and also recognizes the need to
strengthen national policies and legislation in that regard.
Building off the momentum which led to the adoption of the 2011 Declaration of
Commitment, the International Guidelines on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights, written in
2002 by the United Nations Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights (OHCHR) and UNAIDS, and adopted by the UN Human Rights Council,
serve as a fundamental framework for policymaking and action on the addressing
intersection between HIV/AIDS and human rights in national legislation. The
Guidelines aim to assist governments and civil society in the prevention of stigma
and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS through a human rights lens.
Recommendations range from calling for the development of a national framework to
respond to HIV broadly to specific points regarding ways in which to enact or
strengthen anti-discrimination and other protective laws that protect vulnerable
group.
In recent years, a rights-based approach to HIV/AIDS has influenced other fields of
policymaking, namely, efforts to address the rights of persons with disabilities have
integrated HIV status as part of the definition of what encompasses a disability.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines disabilities as impairments, activity
limitation, and participation restrictions. HIV can create physical limitation and
social discrimination and the UN and other international organizations recognize
HIV/AIDS as a potential disability. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities (2006) outlines the importance of health and education in enabling
people with disabilities to enjoy all human rights and freedoms afforded to them, and
based on the disability component of HIV/AIDS, this Convention directly applies to
those living with HIV/AIDS.
Additional regional and sub-regional instruments that address the concepts of HIVrelated stigma, discrimination and human rights include: Paris Declaration on Greater
Involvement of People Living with HIV/AIDS (1994); Brazzaville Commitment to
Scaling up towards Universal Access to HIV and AIDS Prevention, Treatment, Care
and Support in Africa by 2010 (2006); and the Southern African Development
Community (SADC) Declaration on Gender and Development (1997). Particular
regions have a stronger focus on this issue and thus have more to draw from in
addressing this issue, of note are the work done by SADC, which has a range of
instruments on HIV/AIDS generally, with specific protocols focused on nondiscrimination and addressing stigma.

Role of the United Nations System

Within the United Nations system, UNAIDS takes the lead on HIV/AIDS-related work
in partnership with its cosponsors. On this issue in particular, entities within the UN
system which are active range from the United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP), the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the United Nations Childrens
Fund (UNICEF), the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and
the World Health Organization (WHO).

The unique structure of UNAIDS utilizes several UN entities, non-governmental

organizations, and the private sector in a collaborative effort which harnesses the
expertise of co-sponsors. Co-sponsoring UN entities bring in their specific expertise
in enhancing UNAIDS approach to programs thereby creating and implementing the
strongest and most comprehensive global HIV/AIDS programs. For example, UNICEF
has it as a programmatic focus to provide care and support to children affected by
HIV/AIDS. UNICEF has programs that work within the existing First Decade of Life
and the Second Decade of Life, which are efforts undertaken by the UN system
broadly to raise awareness and generate action on particular issues. The First
Decade of Life focuses on infants and children under five. It helps in the effort to
eliminate new infections by mother-to-child transmission, while the Second Decade
of Life focuses on adolescents 10 to 19 years of age. United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP) continues to integrate new ways to improve policy related to
HIV/AIDS and produce materials that aim to assist government, civil society and
other HIV actors to make clear, concerted, and sustainable efforts to address multidimensional gender and human rights issues.
One of UNAIDS partners, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC),
seeks out ways to reach key people at higher risk for contracting HIV. The UNODC
has a Protocol on Assessing Drug Use and HIV in Prison Settings to guide Member
States in implementing the assessment needed to understand the prevalence of
HIV/AIDS in their respective prison systems and how to approach the various
knowledge, attitudes, and behaviour unique to prison structures. UNAIDS seeks out
the expertise of UN bodies to help integrate policy and implementation to help deal
with the AIDS epidemic. Each body works with other members of UNAIDS including
members civil society to create, implement and carry-out policy and programmes
created with the skills and knowledge each level of the UNAIDS has to offer.
Additional examples of ways in which this topic has been addressed by the UN
system include the ILO Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS and the World of Work (2001),
and the WHO Guidelines on HIV infection and AIDS in Prisons (1993). Both of these
are strong examples of good practice and normative guidance provided by the UN
system to Member States in strengthening policies which will address stigma and
discrimination.

Human Rights and HIV

Many new commitments to expand the rights of persons living with HIV/AIDS have
arisen since the Millennium Declaration (A/RES/55/2). The Declaration of
Commitment adopted by the UN General Assembly Special Session in 2001 and
expanded its goals in the Political Declaration of the 2006 High Level Meeting on
AIDS. The United Nations Centre for Human Rights and UNAIDS held a meeting in
1996 bringing together thirty-five experts in the field of HIV/AIDS and human rights.
The conference consisted of government officials, staff of AIDS programmes, persons
living with HIV, human rights activists, non-governmental organizations, and
representative of organizations dealing with law, human rights, and HIV. The meeting
outlined principles for addressing HIV and human rights, focusing on the essential
role protection of human rights plays in safeguarding human dignity in the context of
HIV and ensuring an effective, rights-based response to HIV and AIDS. To this end, an
effective response requires the implementation of all human rights, civil and

political, economic, social and cultural, and fundamental freedoms of all people, in
accordance with existing international human rights standards; public health
interests do not conflict with human rights. On the contrary, it has been recognized
that when human rights are protected, fewer people become infected and those
living with HIV and their families can better cope with HIV and AIDS.
UNAIDS and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) created a
framework for Member States to help when developing and improving their
individual HIV/AIDS programmes. This framework outlined in International Guidelines
on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights displays the necessity for clear guidelines dealing
with human rights and HIV has led to recommendations from various bodies and
organizations. This includes input from governments and civil society (including
people living with HIV). International Guidelines on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights is
one example of illustrating how human rights should be promoted and protected.
The principles are to be treated as concrete measures to be integrated into the
HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment strategy. These recommendations are based on
international human rights treaties and include states establishing an effective
national framework for response to HIV/AIDS such as a transparent and accountable
approach. There needs to be a response by states to ensure political and financial
support to uphold ethics, law, and human rights related to HIV/AIDS. The response by
states should also include changes in public health and criminal law so there are
consistencies with national policies and human rights.
One program created by UNAIDS that seeks to provide people living with HIV/AIDS a
space to connect with others from all over the world is AIDSspace. Its an online
community dedicated to allow people living with HIV/AIDS connect with other people
living with HIV/AIDS and for anyone involved in the AIDS response. AIDSspace serves
as a resource for retrieving documents and information related to HIV/AIDS related
initiatives, programs and literature. The HIV/AIDS related programs include job
resources for those searching for employment or listing potential employment
opportunities.

Major States/Regions and Their Views

Sub-Saharan Africa
The originating region of AIDS, the top ten countries with the highest adult HIV/AIDS
prevalence rates are all located in southern Africa. 36 of the 78 countries in which
homosexual activity is illegal are located in Africa. A region that has for a long time
had little access to tests, treatments, and contraceptives, the HIV/AIDS epidemic in
Africa has remained severe. In the beginning, few political leaders were willing to
acknowledge AIDS, making President Kenneth Kaunda of Zambias announcement in
1987 that his son had died from AIDS, a significant step in African HIV/AIDS
awareness.
Also, the regions poor economic stance made treatments such as ART a rare
commodity that was only reserved for the rich. The cost of providing ART (around
$10,000~$15,000 per person per year) would have taken up between 9% to 67% of
Sub-Saharan African countries GDP. In 2001, out of the more than two million PLWA
in the region, only 8,000 had access to treatment. Nevertheless, a 2006 UNAIDS
report showed decreases in HIV infections particularly amongst young people and

women. This improvement is believed to have been caused by the increased

education in contraception as well as sex education in the region, showing gradual
attitude change towards frankness and openness on the issue.

Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia

Between 2005 and 2011, the region saw a 21% increase of AIDS-related deaths,
mostly attributed to the large amount of injection drug takers and sex workers in the
region. As of now, Eastern Europe and Central Asia is the region in which the
HIV/AIDS epidemic is the most rapidly spreading. A report by UNAIDS estimates that
90% of the new injections come from Russia and Ukraine alone. In 2012, almost half
of new injections were in women. Known for its laws against homosexuality, Russia
has relatively low numbers of HIV prevention programmes targeted towards women
and young people, limiting awareness and testing in the region. As one Russian man
describes, Conditions within drug treatment facilities in Russia remind more of
prisons than hospitals, highlighting on the negative connotation put on the infection
in Russia.
Only a quarter of HIV/AIDS patients in the region received treatment by the end of
2011. Due to denial and stigma towards the topic, populations have low access to
treatments. A UNDP study has shown evidence of denial of treatment, excess
payments, and a general unwillingness to treat those infected with HIV. However,
there were large conferences held in Moscow in 2006, 2008, and 2009 concerning
the presence of HIV in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, demonstrating a growing
attention to the epidemic.

Conclusion
HIV-related stigma and discrimination is a human rights violation and a problem in
achieving public health and policy. The path to eliminating new infections has been
and will continue to be a long path; stigma and discrimination against those living
with HIV and AIDS is directly linked to the continued spread of the virus. The
intended goal of UNHRC and UNAIDS is to allow people who are seeking treatment
either for their status or to receive long-term medical care for their HIV status to be
able to do so without fear, violence, confidentiality, and respect.
Preventing stigma and discrimination against persons living with HIV/AIDS is
instrumental in preventing the epidemic from continuing.

Questions a Resolution Must Answer

Is the current international approach, across all relevant international

institutions, to HIV prevention and AIDS care, at present, doing enough to
reduce stigma?
In what ways can UNHRC support community-based programmes which aim to
reduce stigma at a local level, and are there good practices that can be scaled
up?

Are there existing, specific antidiscrimination measures that have been

adopted at a regional or national level which could be scaled up and modelled
for other countries?
Where are the gaps and opportunities for improving antidiscrimination
measures, particularly in places of work or health services?
How can the UN facilitate the standardization of these measures?
What existing legal and human rights mechanisms are there to promote
human rights as well as seek redress for discrimination against people living
with HIV; and what gaps are there in those mechanisms?
How can nations support existing efforts to strengthen these mechanisms?
How can members contribute to building momentum for addressing this issue
from a legal and human rights framework?