An unfinished business: discrimination in law against persons affected by leprosy and their family members

The present report is the first report submitted to the General Assembly by the Special Rapporteur on the elimination of discrimination against persons affected by leprosy and their family members, Alice Cruz. In the report, she identifies more than 100 laws that discriminate against persons affected by leprosy worldwide, examining their roots in biomedical misconceptions about the disease and their provisions and consequences, which are reflected in the persisting dehumanization of persons affected by leprosy and their family members. She also examines the efforts undertaken towards legal harmonization, and her analysis of the impact of discrimination in law against persons affected by leprosy is grounded in the lived experience of the individuals concerned in order to demonstrate why it is urgent to finish the business of formal recognition of persons affected by leprosy as rights holders. In order to contribute to the elimination of formal discrimination and to the enforcement of formal equality for persons affected by leprosy, the Special Rapporteur puts forward constructive recommendations for eliminating discriminatory laws, customs and practices, as well as for fighting against some of the more immediate consequences of extended discrimination in law with regard to the enjoyment of rights and access to opportunities of persons affected by leprosy and their family members on an equal basis with others.