Persistent Exclusion: Roma Women’s Struggle for Equality in North Macedonia

Persistent Exclusion: Roma Women’s Struggle for Equality in North Macedonia

The Case of Roma Women in North Macedonia presents a comprehensive examination of the discrimination and socio-economic challenges faced by Roma women—particularly those belonging to communities discriminated on work and descent (CDWD). It is authored by Fikrija Tair-Selmani and published by the Global Forum of Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (GFoD), in partnership with…

What the Néma Death Tells Us About Health and Human Dignity in Mauritania

What the Néma Death Tells Us About Health and Human Dignity in Mauritania

By Cheikh Sidati Hamadi, Senior Expert on CDWD Rights (GFoD), Essayist, Research Associate, Specialist in Structural Discrimination The harrowing image of a woman giving birth outdoors in NĂ©ma, followed by her horrific death on June 9, 2025, should haunt the conscience of every citizen and policymaker in Mauritania. This was not just a tragic incident—it…

Global leaders Call for Global Action to End Caste and Descent-Based Discrimination

Global leaders Call for Global Action to End Caste and Descent-Based Discrimination

At the Global Conference for a Caste Free World 2025, held in Toronto, Paul Divakar Namala delivered a powerful address that spotlighted the enduring global crisis of caste and descent-based discrimination.  His speech, titled “Addressing Caste and Descent-Based Discrimination: A Global Imperative,” weaving together deep historical insight, lived experiences of oppressed communities, appealed for an…

Land Governance and Right to Adequate Housing in Mauritania: Key challenges & recommendations

Land Governance and Right to Adequate Housing in Mauritania: Key challenges & recommendations

Mauritania finds itself at a pivotal juncture in the quest to secure housing rights for its population. Four decades after Ordinance No. 83-127 abolished customary ownership and vested all unregistered land in the State, landlessness, informal urban growth, and forced evictions remain acute. The State’s dual land-tenure framework—modern statutory law overlaid on largely unrecognised customary…

Mali criminalises slavery by descent in landmark legal reform

Mali criminalises slavery by descent in landmark legal reform

In a historic step for human rights of Communities Discriminated in Work and Descent (CDWD), Mali has officially outlawed slavery by descent through a sweeping reform of its Penal Code. On December 14, 2024, the National Transition Council approved amendments to the Penal Code that explicitly criminalise slavery and related practices, including descent-based slavery—marking a…