"As societies build walls of separation between communities,
ICAAD works to remove each brick to illuminate our common humanity"
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Building multidisciplinary partnerships & strategies to combat structural discrimination globally

Programs

We believe that women & girls can reach their full potential when systems are designed to include their experiences and voices, and existing patriarchal systems are disabled. Our programs expand access to justice and human rights education by using evidence-based solutions that are institutionalized in local communities affecting millions of women & girls.
We believe that the identity of marginalized communities must be safeguarded. This happens when their ethnic, national, religious, linguistic, political, or cultural backgrounds are not seen as antithetical to the State, but rather, as a driving force towards creating a pluralistic society. Ensuring equal dignity for minorities helps to ensure just and equitable systems.
The U.N. Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism is central to how we monitor discrimination globally because of its universal coverage of human rights issues and ability to track States who have explicitly agreed to address human rights gaps by reforming their domestic policy. We train law students and civil society on law as an invaluable advocacy tool.

 

Featured Media

Handbook puts gender bias on the spot

Lawyers and local advocacy organisations will gain access to an important tool needed to identify gender bias within legal decisions ... Read More
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Sexual Harassment Train the Trainers Workshop

ICAAD in partnership with The Fiji Women's Rights Movement (FWRM) organised the first ever train the trainers workshop to raise ... Read More
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Addressing Racism in VR + Donor Spotlight

Dear friend of ICAAD, This season, we are grateful that ICAAD has grown to be a vibrant community of people ... Read More
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Demanding Access to Vital Services in Delhi

In December 2016, Nazdeek and ICAAD launched the SMS for Justice program in Delhi to track access to vital services ... Read More
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Global Pro Bono Report: Accessing Justice – 3 Year Anniversary Review

The Global Pro Bono Report shows the breadth and depth of ICAAD's ability to leverage multidisciplinary partnerships to catalyze social ... Read More
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Serving Vulnerable Communities Globally: Introduction to ICAAD

Vision: As societies build walls of separation between communities, ICAAD works to remove each brick to illuminate our common humanity ... Read More
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#RaiseYourShield

International Center for Advocates Against Discrimination - ICAAD

6 days ago

International Center for Advocates Against Discrimination - ICAAD

Quebec recently passed a discriminatory law similar to the ones in France prohibiting religious garb in public spaces. In this radio interview, ICAAD Advisor Ranjit Singh discusses the impact the law has had in France -- instead of reducing extremism, it has caused it to grow. ... See MoreSee Less

It didn't work in France, why will it work here?

iheartradio.ca

The author of an in-depth report on France's law that restricts Religious symbols suggests that we could see more extremism in Quebec. 
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International Center for Advocates Against Discrimination - ICAAD

2 weeks ago

International Center for Advocates Against Discrimination - ICAAD

On May 17, 2019, ICAAD Advisor Erin Thomas’ publication: Compacts of Free Association in FSM, RMI, and Palau: Implications for the 2023-2024 Renewal Negotiations (hrbrief.org/2019/03/compacts-of-free-association-in-fsm-rmi-and-palau-implications-for-the-2023-2...) was cited by the President of Palau, Tommy Remengesau Jr., in an op-ed published in The Hill (thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/foreign-policy/444291-pacific-defense-pact-renewal-vital-to-the-u...). In her piece, Erin points to critical issues stakeholders have raised regarding human trafficking, adoption policies, and COFA migrant rights among other important human rights issues.

Some of the above-mentioned policy gaps span several of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), particularly 10 (reduced inequalities) and 17 (partnership for the goals). Holistically, the existing COFA agreements represent the type of inequity that SDG 10 seeks to address. SDG 17 promotes inclusive and participatory decision-making at the international, national, and local levels. Developing transparency on both sides will allow for a more equitable process and outcome for the renewal negotiations.

The issues within the existing agreements also involve SDG 16 (peace, justice, and strong institutions) and limited access to justice regarding redress for nuclear testing and environmental destruction. This impacts targets and indicators including SDG 13 (climate action) and SDG 3 (good health and well-being). Finally, SDG 10 and 8’s targets for responsible migration policies are important considering the limited provisions for COFA migrants in the U.S. and U.S. territories. ... See MoreSee Less

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International Center for Advocates Against Discrimination - ICAAD

1 month ago

International Center for Advocates Against Discrimination - ICAAD

"It is also the first time that the Australian government — which has failed to meet emissions reduction targets and continues to approve embattled coal mine projects — has faced climate change litigation that asserts a human rights violation. The claimants call on the country to help fund sea walls and other infrastructure that might save the Torres Strait Islands, which have a population of about 4,500, and to meet the emissions targets set under the Paris climate agreement."

"On Masig Island, which lies on average less than 10 feet above sea level, people are already struggling to combat the impacts of climate change. As the shoreline has crept closer, fresh water wells have turned brackish, and coconut trees have been uprooted and fallen into the ocean. Other trees, withering from the heat, have stopped bearing edible fruit." ... See MoreSee Less

Their Islands Are Being Eroded. So Are Their Human Rights, They Say.

nytimes.com

Indigenous Australians from low-lying islands in the Torres Strait argue that the government, by failing to act on climate change, has violated their fundamental right to maintain their culture.
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International Center for Advocates Against Discrimination - ICAAD

2 months ago

International Center for Advocates Against Discrimination - ICAAD

"Up to 1 million of the estimated 8 million plant and animal species on Earth are at risk of extinction — many of them within decades ... The essential, interconnected web of life on Earth is getting smaller and increasingly frayed," says Josef Settele, a co-chair from Germany. "This loss is a direct result of human activity and constitutes a direct threat to human well-being in all regions of the world." ... See MoreSee Less

1 Million Animal And Plant Species Are At Risk Of Extinction, U.N. Report Says

npr.org

"Protecting biodiversity amounts to protecting humanity," says UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, who warns that species are being lost at an alarming rate.
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International Center for Advocates Against Discrimination - ICAAD

2 months ago

International Center for Advocates Against Discrimination - ICAAD

The fact that a law like this is just now being changed shows how much further society has to go to remove structural gender bias.

"The statute protected people from prosecution if the sexual misconduct they committed was against a partner in an 'ongoing, voluntary relationship.'
Gov. Tim Walz made the repeal of the statute official Thursday during a signing ceremony. The new law to eliminate the voluntary relationship defense is set to go into effect July 1." ... See MoreSee Less

Marital rape is no longer legal in Minnesota with new law

cnn.com

Gov. Tim Walz said "the concept of a pre-existing relationship defense should've never been part of our criminal statutes."
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