Pilot Surveys on Human Rights Issues

— in Mexico, the Philippines and South Africa

The pilot surveys on human right issues aim at developing and testing survey-based measurement methods that could considerably improve and enhance proper assessment of human rights implementation.

The three countries where this type of activity is being implemented (Mexico, the Philippines and South Africa) appear quite different when considering their particular cultures, historical backgrounds, economic performances or social environments; nevertheless, they present some common features that are of relevance and allow for a fruitful cross-fertilization process. In particular they have solid institutional, scientific and technical capacities to carry out and further expand a challenging complex pilot experience such as these Metagora surveys (that is a precondition for further national sustainable development, replication and extension of the foreseen measurement approach). Moreover, in the course of the last decade, the three countries embarked in vigorous democratization processes, but they are still today confronted to numerous human rights issues inherited from past regimes. Also, in the three cases, enhancement of human rights monitoring mechanisms is generally considered as an important contribution to the consolidation of the democratization process.

Thus in these countries the implementation of Metagora activities was welcomed not only by stakeholders from the civil society and the academic circles, but also by public authorities. And this was not an "attitude de façade": in the three countries, Metagora activities are being proactively supported by public agencies and human rights institutions. In each of the three countries, it was decided to relate the pilot survey to a specific issue of major public concern and the analysis of the data collected will be anchored to the assessment of specific key policies.