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The Global Gender Equality Constitutional Database is a repository of gender equality related provisions in 194 constitutions from around the world. The Database was updated in partnership with the International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) and with support from the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) and the Government of Japan. Experience its wealth and depth of information by starting your search now.
Obligations of the State
- EnglishWhereas every person in Dominica is entitled to the fundamental rights and freedoms, that is to say, the rights whatever his race, place of origins, political opinions, colour, creed or sex, but subject to respect for the rights and freedoms of others and for the public interest,
… (Sec. 1)
Obligations of the State
- EnglishWHEREAS the People of Saint Lucia-
…
(b) believe that all persons have been endowed equally by God with inalienable rights and dignity;
(c) recognise that the enjoyment of these rights depends upon certain fundamental freedoms namely, freedom of the person, of thought, of expression, of communication, of conscience and of association;
(d) maintain that these freedoms can only be safeguarded by the rule of law;
…
(i) pledge their support for international peace and security, for friendly relations among nations and the promotion of universal respect for human rights and freedoms; and their co-operation in solving by peaceful means international problems of an economic, social or political character;
(j) desire that this Constitution shall reflect and make provision for ensuring and protecting these rights, freedoms and values.
… (Preamble)
Obligations of the State
- EnglishThe Sovereignty of the People shall be exercised and enjoyed in the following manner:–
…
(d) the fundamental rights which are by the Constitution declared and recognized shall be respected, secured and advanced by all the organs of government and shall not be abridged, restricted or denied, save in the manner and to the extent hereinafter provided;
… (Art. 4) - Sinhalaජනතාවගේ පරමාධිපත්යය ක්රියාත්මක වීම ද, භුක්ති විඳීම ද, මතු දැක්වෙන ආකාරයෙන් සිදුවන්නේ ය:–
…
(ඈ) ආණ්ඩුක්රම ව්යවස්ථාවෙන් ප්රකාශ කොට පිළිගනු ලබන මූලික අයිතිවාසිකම් සියලු පාලන ආයතන විසින් ගරු කරනු ලැබිය යුත්තේ ය; ආරක්ෂා කරනු ලැබිය යුත්තේ ය; වර්ධනය කරනු ලැබිය යුත්තේ ය; තව ද, ඒ මූලික අයිතිවාසිකම් මෙහි මින් මතු විධිවිධාන සලස්වා ඇති ආකාරයට සහ ප්රමාණයට මිස සංක්ෂිප්ත කිරීම, සීමා කිරීම හෝ අහිමි කිරීම නොකළ යුත්තේ ය;
… (4 වැනි වගන්තිය)
Obligations of the State
- English
…
- We express our firm determination to defend and preserve our dignity in the eyes of world and to reestablish the role of pioneer of democracy and of the defense of the rights of man that were once ours;
- Solemnly affirm our determination by this Constitution to create a State of law and pluralist democracy in which the fundamental rights of man, the public freedoms, [and] the dignity and justice of the human person are guaranteed, protected and promoted as a necessary condition for the true and harmonious development of every Beninese in their temporal, cultural and spiritual dimension;
- Reaffirm our commitment to the principles of democracy and of the rights of man which have been defined by the Charter of the United Nations 1945 and the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Man of 1948, the African Charter of the Rights of Man and of Peoples adopted in 1981 by the Organization of African Unity, [which was] ratified by Benin on 20 January 1986 and whose provisions are made an integral part of this Constitution and of Beninese law and which have a standing superior to the internal law;
... (Preamble) - French
…
- Exprimons notre ferme volonté de défendre et de sauvegarder notre dignité aux yeux du monde et de retrouver la place et le rôle de pionnier de la démocratie et de la défense des droits de l'Homme qui furent naguère les nôtres;
- Affirmons solennellement notre détermination par la présente Constitution de créer un Etat de droit et de démocratie pluraliste, dans lequel les droits fondamentaux de l’homme, les libertés publiques, la dignité de la personne humaine et la justice sont garantis, protégés et promus comme la condition nécessaire au développement véritable et harmonieux de chaque Béninois tant dans sa dimension temporelle, culturelle que spirituelle;
- Réaffirmons notre attachement aux principes de la démocratie et des Droits de l'Homme, tels qu'ils ont été définis par la Charte des Nations Unies de 1945 et la Déclaration Universelle des Droits de l'Homme de 1948, à la Charte Africaine des Droits de l'Homme et des Peuples adoptée en 1981 par l'Organisation de l'Unité Africaine, ratifiée par le Bénin le 20 janvier 1986, et dont les dispositions font partie intégrante de la présente Constitution et du droit béninois et ont une valeur supérieure à la loi interne;
… (Préambule)
Obligations of the State
- EnglishWhereas the People of Trinidad and Tobago-
(a) have affirmed that the Nation of Trinidad and Tobago is founded upon principles that acknowledge the supremacy of God, faith in fundamental human rights and freedoms, the position of the family in a society of free men and free institutions, the dignity of the human person and the equal and inalienable rights with which all members of the human family are endowed by their Creator;
…
(e) desire that their Constitution should enshrine the above-mentioned principles and beliefs and make provision for ensuring the protection in Trinidad and Tobago of fundamental human rights and freedoms.
… (Preamble)
Obligations of the State
- EnglishThe rights and the duties proclaimed and guaranteed by the international texts relative to the rights of man regularly ratified are [an] integral part of the Constitution. (Art. 19)
- KirundiAmateka n’ibitegerejwe vyatangajwe bigakingirwa n’amasezerano y’isi yose yerekeye agateka ka zina muntu Uburundi bwemeje biri mu bigize iri Bwirizwa shingiro. (Art. 19)
- FrenchLes droits et devoirs proclamés et garantis par les textes internationaux relatifs aux droits de l’homme régulièrement ratifiés font partie intégrante de la Constitution. (Art. 19)
Obligations of the State
- EnglishThe promotion of human rights is a responsibility of the State. … (Art. 42)
- KinyarwandaGuteza imbere uburenganzira bwa muntu ni inshingano ya Leta. … (Ingingo ya 42)
- FrenchL’Etat est responsable de la promotion des droits de la personne. … (Art. 42)
Obligations of the State
- English…
A citizen has the right to be informed on human rights and basic freedoms as well as actively to contribute, individually or jointly with others, to their promotion and protection. (Art. 50) - Macedonian…
Граѓанинот има право да биде запознат со човековите права и основни слободи и активно да придонесува, поединечно или заедно со други за нивно унапредување и заштита. (Член 50)
Obligations of the State
- EnglishThe exercise of rights shall be governed by the following principles:
1. Rights can be exercised, promoted and enforced individually or collectively before competent authorities; these authorities shall guarantee their enforcement.
2. All persons are equal and shall enjoy the same rights, duties and opportunities.
…
3. The rights and guarantees set forth in the Constitution and in international human rights instruments shall be directly and immediately enforced by and before any civil, administrative or judicial servant, either by virtue of their office or at the request of the party.
For the exercise of rights and constitutional guarantees, no conditions or requirements shall be established other than those set forth in the Constitution or by law. Rights shall be fully actionable. Absence of a legal regulatory framework cannot be alleged to justify their infringement or ignorance thereof, to dismiss proceedings filed as a result of these actions or to deny their recognition.
4. No legal regulation can restrict the contents of rights or constitutional guarantees.
5. In terms of rights and constitutional guarantees, public, administrative or judicial servants must abide by the most favorable interpretation of their effective force.
6. All principles and rights are unalienable, obligatory, indivisible, interdependent and of equal importance.
7. Recognition of the rights and guarantees set forth in the Constitution and in international human rights instruments shall not exclude the other rights stemming from the dignity of persons, communities, peoples and nations that might be needed for their full development.
8. The contents of rights shall be developed progressively by means of standards, case law, and public policies. The State shall generate and guarantee the conditions needed for their full recognition and exercise.
Any deed or omission of a regressive nature that diminishes, undermines or annuls without justification the exercise of rights shall be deemed unconstitutional.
9. The State’s supreme duty consists of respecting and enforcing respect for the rights guaranteed in the Constitution.
The State, its delegates, concession holders and all persons acting in the exercise of public authority, shall be obligated to redress infringements of the rights of individuals for negligence or inadequacies in the provision of public services or for the deeds or omissions of their public officials and employees in the performance of their duties.
The State shall immediately exercise the right to file a claim for restoration against those persons responsible for the damage produced, without detriment to civil, criminal and administrative liabilities.
The State shall be held liable for arbitrary arrest and detention, miscarriage of justice, unjustified delay or inadequate administration of justice, violation of the right to effective protection of the court, and any violations of the principles and rules of due process of law.
When a final judgment of conviction is reversed or vacated, the State shall provide redress to the person who has sustained damages as a result of this judgment; when the responsibility for such acts by public, administrative or judicial servants is identified, they shall be duly charged to obtain restitution. (Art. 11) - SpanishEI ejercicio de los derechos se regirá por los siguientes principios:
1. Los derechos se podrán ejercer, promover y exigir de forma individual o colectiva ante las autoridades competentes; estas autoridades garantizarán su cumplimiento.
2. Todas las personas son iguales y gozarán de los mismos derechos, deberes y oportunidades.
…
3. Los derechos y garantías establecidos en la Constitución y en los instrumentos internacionales de derechos humanos serán de directa e inmediata aplicación por y ante cualquier servidora o servidor público, administrativo o judicial, de oficio o a petición de parte.
Para el ejercicio de los derechos y las garantías constitucionales no se exigirán condiciones o requisitos que no estén establecidos en la Constitución o la ley.
Los derechos serán plenamente justiciables. No podrá alegarse falta de norma jurídica para justificar su violación o desconocimiento, para desechar la acción por esos hechos ni para negar su reconocimiento.
4. Ninguna norma jurídica podrá restringir el contenido de los derechos ni de las garantías constitucionales.
5. En materia de derechos y garantías constitucionales, las servidoras y servidores públicos, administrativos o judiciales, deberán aplicar la norma y la interpretación que más favorezcan su efectiva vigencia.
6. Todos los principios y los derechos son inalienables, irrenunciables, indivisibles, interdependientes y de igual jerarquía.
7. El reconocimiento de los derechos y garantías establecidos en la Constitución y en los instrumentos internacionales de derechos humanos, no excluirá los demás derechos derivados de la dignidad de las personas, comunidades, pueblos y nacionalidades, que sean necesarios para su pleno desenvolvimiento.
8. El contenido de los derechos se desarrollará de manera progresiva a través de las normas, la jurisprudencia y las políticas públicas. El Estado generará y garantizará las condiciones necesarias para su pleno reconocimiento y ejercicio.
Será inconstitucional cualquier acción u omisión de carácter regresivo que disminuya, menoscabe o anule injustificadamente el ejercicio de los derechos.
9. El más alto deber del Estado consiste en respetar y hacer respetar los derechos garantizados en la Constitución.
El Estado, sus delegatarios, concesionarios y toda persona que actúe en ejercicio de una potestad pública, estarán obligados a reparar las violaciones a los derechos de los particulares por la falta o deficiencia en la prestación de los servicios públicos, o por las acciones u omisiones de sus funcionarias y funcionarios, y empleadas y empleados públicos en el desempeño de sus cargos.
El Estado ejercerá de forma inmediata el derecho de repetición en contra de las personas responsables del daño producido, sin perjuicio de las responsabilidades civiles, penales y administrativas.
El Estado será responsable por detención arbitraria, error judicial, retardo injustificado o inadecuada administración de justicia, violación del derecho a la tutela judicial efectiva, y por las violaciones de los principios y reglas del debido proceso.
Cuando una sentencia condenatoria sea reformada o revocada, el Estado reparará a la persona que haya sufrido pena como resultado de tal sentencia y, declarada la responsabilidad por tales actos de servidoras o servidores públicos, administrativos o judiciales, se repetirá en contra de ellos. (Art. 11)
Obligations of the State
- EnglishExcept as is otherwise expressly provided in this Constitution, no law may abrogate, abridge or infringe or authorise the abrogation, abridgement or infringement of any of the fundamental rights and freedoms of the individual herein before recognised and declared. (Sec. 19)