International: UN report on Freedom of Religion and Status of Women

26. In 2002, the previous mandate-holder submitted a comprehensive study on freedom of religion or belief and the status of women from the viewpoint of religion and traditions (E/CN.4/2002/73/Add.2) in which he noted that many forms of discrimination against women were based on or attributed to religion, tolerated by the State and in some cases enshrined in legislation. At the heart of this problem lies the fact that discriminatory and harmful practices against women, such as female genital mutilation, polygamy, discrimination related to inheritance, sacred prostitution, general preference to have boys, are often perpetrated by individuals or communities who perceive them as a religious obligation or as being part of their freedom to manifest their religion or belief. However, the previous mandate-holder argued that religions have not invented discriminatory and harmful practices against women; rather, these practices are mainly attributable to a cultural interpretation of religious precepts......The previous mandate-holder emphasized that, while certain traditional practices have ancestral origins, the Government nevertheless remains responsible to protect women from discriminatory practices perpetrated by individuals or communities on its territory.

28. The Special Rapporteur has sent joint communications with other special procedures mandate-holders - such as the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences and the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children - on cases where women suffer from discrimination on the grounds of gender and religion or belief. In addition, several of her recent country reports include subchapters on the specific situation of women. In these reports, she refers to discriminatory and harmful practices against women, including honour killings, polygamy, marriage of underage girls and prohibition or coercion to wear religious symbols.