Background: The Need for a New Approach

1. Mapping Equal Rights Around the WoRLDSaturday, May 1st, 2010IHSP Research to Policy Conference

2. Background: The Need for a New Approach • Until now, there has been little globally comparative data regarding legislation and public policy. • This has made it impossible to rapidly compare protections available around the world for marginalized populations struggling to achieve equal rights. • The absence of global information has made it difficult for actors to establish where their country stands in relation to others, to know whether it is meeting commonly accepted global standards, and to hold governments accountable for the commitments they have made.

3. WoRLD Data Centre Overview • The World Legal Rights Data Centre (WoRLD) is a unique initiative aimed at improving the quantity and quality of comparative data available to policymakers, citizens, civil society, and researchers around the world on policies affecting human health, development, wellbeing, and equity. • WoRLD includes data and comparative analysis on 192 countries.

4. Components of WoRLD The Institute for Health and Social Policy is gathering and analyzing data for the following components of WoRLD: 1. The Work, Family and Equity Index 2. The Discrimination and Equity in Constitutions Project 3. The Education Initiative 4. The Child Labour Initiative 5. The Poverty Reduction Global Policy Database

5. 1.The Work, Family and Equity Index After determining key elements of work and family rights outlined in international conventions, WFEI examines, among other policies: • Leave to address children’s health and educational needs • Leave for the birth or adoption of a child • Breastfeeding breaks • Overtime policy • Annual leave • Sick leave • Bans on night work • Leave to care for ill family members • Mandatory days of rest from work

6. Where Does the WoRLD Stand on Labour Policy? • 98 countries offer paid sick leave for 26 weeks or until recovery.

7. Where Does the WoRLD Stand on Labour Policy? • All but seven countries offer paid maternal leave.

8. 2. The Discrimination and Equity in Constitutions Project Types of rights: • Civil • Education • Family • Health • Legal • Political • Work Non-discrimination by: • Age • Citizenship • Disability • Language • National Origin • Race/ethnicity • Religion • Sex/gender • Sexual orientation This initiative assesses the types of equal rights and anti-discrimination provisions put forth in charters of rights and constitutions. Based on 37 international conventions and fundamental equity principles, a framework consisting of relevant rights was developed. It involves looking at:

9. Where Does the WoRLD Stand on Discrimination and Equity? • 84 countries guarantee the right to equality before the law in the Constitution to all residents.

10. Where Does the WoRLD Stand on Discrimination and Equity? • Civil rights include the right to liberty, right to freedom of religion or conscience, right to freedom of assembly, and right to freedom of expression. 154 countries guarantee all of these rights in their Constitution using universal language.

11. 3. The Education Initiative This initiative provides a comprehensive source of data on educational policy, practice, and progress around the globe, motivated by the goals of UNESCO’s Education for All 2015. The following measures, among others, are being examined: • Availability of pre-primary to tertiary education • Teaching days per year and years of schooling mandated • Teacher training and education level • Adult and special education provision

12. Where Does the WoRLD Stand on Education? • 8 countries reported no special education provisions and an additional 16 had no public sector special education.

13. 4. The Child Labour Initiative This initiative will allow researchers to launch investigations into the relationships between international standards and domestic legislation on child labour and health and social outcomes. The indicators which will be included in the database have been chosen to reflect countries’ performances in relation to the recommendations put forth in the following international statements and conventions: • UN Declaration of Human Rights (1948) • UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) and optional protocols on armed conflict and prostitution/pornography • ILO Minimum Age Convention, C-138 (1973) • ILO Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, C-182 (1999) • UN Covenants on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1976)

14. Where Does the WoRLD Stand on Child Labour? • Eight countries do not prohibit youth from performing hazardous labour at age 14.

15. 5. The Poverty Reduction Policy Database This initiative focuses on mechanisms aimed at lifting individuals and families out of poverty. Based on key components of ten international conventions, it consists of five sub-databases focusing on: • Minimum wage policies • Unemployment benefit policies • Policies that provide family benefits • Policies targeting individuals with disabilities • Policies that provide income assistance to the elderly

16. Building and Using WoRLD Together We hope to work together in building and using these tools to: • Hold governments accountable for their international agreements and legislative commitments • Identify which public policies matter to human and national outcomes • Develop a better understanding of the best design for these policies