The concept of universality is under siege from emerging or entrenched belief-systems that deny the equal worth of every human being, while shifting constructions of social and political identity threaten to render traditional anti-discrimination strategies obsolete.  Inequalities of access to rights are widening both within and between states, but are masked or neglected in attempts to improve standards of living at the aggregate level.

 

Increased people mobility due to socio-economic and conflict related causes has surfaced complex issues related to the limits of a citizen-based approach to rights protection, threatening the concept of universality of rights. Increasingly xenophobic migration policies risk creating "rights-free zones" fuelling human rights violations against migrants, refugees and asylum seekers.