About the Statement:

Issued by the Union Association for Human Rights in cooperation with an organization holding consultative status, the written statement was submitted to the United Nations Human Rights Council at its 59th session (June–July 2025). It addresses the topic:

“Protection of Cultural Rights and Rejection of Violence Against Women and Girls”

Contents of the Statement:

First: The legal framework for the protection of cultural rights

• The statement affirms that cultural rights are an integral part of the comprehensive human rights system.

It is based on:

• Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
• Article 15 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which stipulates the right to equal participation in cultural life without discrimination, including discrimination based on gender.

Second: Protection of women and girls in the cultural context

• The statement stresses the need to protect women and girls from discrimination and violence associated with the exercise of their cultural rights.
• It links the violations targeting women in this context to the increasing exploitation of digital platforms and media to harm them.
• It condemns what it describes as international media assaults and global platform abuses against women and girls participating in the revival of Gulf cultural arts, particularly in the UAE.

Third: Reference to Al-Ayyala and women’s participation

• The statement highlights violations targeting female participants in the Al-Na’asha art (part of Al-Ayyala), which has been inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2014.
• It considers these violations a distortion of dignity and a clear breach of international human rights law.

Fourth: Clear demands to the Human Rights Council

• Activate international protection mechanisms for women and girls to practice cultural rights without discrimination.
• End all forms of violations related to their participation in Gulf traditional arts, and remove offensive media content.
• Include the term “symbolic cultural defamation” as one of the contemporary forms of discriminatory speech that requires intervention and accountability.
• Launch an international charter to protect cultural heritage in the digital and media space.

Fifth: Commendation of the UAE

• Reviving and safeguarding community cultural heritage.
• Enacting legislation to protect human dignity and combat cybercrimes, particularly Federal Decree-Law No. 34 of 2021 on combating rumors and cybercrimes.

Importance of the Statement:

• It integrates the defense of cultural rights with the protection of women in the face of digital challenges.
• It presents an advanced model of what is known as “symbolic cultural discrimination”, which is not necessarily practiced through physical violence but through defamation and distortion of cultural image in the media space.
• It reflects a strong position in defending women participating in traditional Gulf arts and calls for international recognition of comprehensive cultural protection that includes the digital space.