Claiming Human Rights - in the Comoros

The Union of the Comoros is a member of the United Nations and the African Union. It has ratified many UN Human Rights Conventions (compare list on the right) and thus has made binding international commitments to adhere to the standards laid down in these universal human rights documents.

The Comoros is a Comorian-, Arabic- and French-speaking island country in the Indian Ocean off the south-eastern coast of Africa between Madagascar and Mozambique. With an area of 2,235 square km it is a very small country. On a global scale, its population density is high. The capital of the country, which became independent on 6 July 1975 from France, is Moroni. The Union of the Comoros is a member of the regional economic communities COMESA and CEN-SAD.

With a Human Development Index of 0.58 the Comoros ranks 139^th of 182 countries ranked in the UNDP Human Development Report of 2009. Life expectancy of the 600,000 inhabitants at birth is 65 years, population growth is 2.4 percent per year. GNI is 750 US-$ per capita. External debt is 64.7 percent of gross national income. Primary school enrolment is 55.1 percent.

In as far as the Comoros have ratified the Optional Protocols for UN Human Rights Conventions or has accepted the Competence of the corresponding UN Treaty Bodies (compare list on the right), the inhabitants of the Comoros and their representatives are able to invoke their human rights through these bodies.

All inhabitants of the Comoros may turn to the UN Human Rights Committee through procedure 1503, to the Special Rapporteurs for violations of specific human rights or to ECOSOC for women's rights violations.

Since the Comoros are a member state of UNESCO, its citizens may use the UNESCO procedure for human rights violations in UNESCO's fields of mandate.

Employers' or workers' and certain other organizations (not individuals) of the Comoros may file complaints through the ILO procedure in the cases of those conventions which the Comoros have ratified.

Since the Comoros are an AU member, its citizens and NGOs may file complaints to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

They may also file complaints according to the EU guidelines (on Human Rights Defenders, Death Penalty and Torture) to Embassies of EU Member States and the Delegations of the European Commission.

In cases of human rights violations by multinational enterprises, they may also invoke the National Contact Point in an OECD member state.

The Comoros has joined the International Criminal Court, it may thus be called upon in case of severe crimes.