Decoration

In the CHOICE Flower of Participation, decoration is a situation which occurs when (young) people are used to give the impression that a program/activity/campaign etc. is inspired and supported by them. They have little say or information about the program and they are effectively used as props (decoration) to give off a certain image. CHOICE believes that this is a very disempowering form of participation which would not be considered meaningful.

Discrimination

The unjust or prejudiced treatment of a person or a group of people based on real or perceived social/economic/cultural/political factors, such as sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, HIV-status, race, ethnicity, nationality, socio-economic status etc. Discrimination can have severe negative effects on the life of an individual. It can result in decreased educational performance and higher rates of school drop-out, reduced financial and professional success, low self-esteem, increased rates of suicide, higher chances of exposure to certain diseases such as HIV or AIDS, increased exposure to environmental and social dangers such as physical or sexual violence, and even death. Discrimination can occur in many forms, some more obvious than others, but it is always damaging, and in its most extreme forms can result in the systemic oppression of entire groups of people.

Duty-bearers

Duty bearers are people/groups/organizations who have an obligation or responsibility to respect, promote and realize human rights, and to abstain from human rights violations. The term is most commonly used to refer to State actors (like the government), but non-State actors can also be considered duty bearers. For example, armed rebel groups are also considered duty-bearers under international law because they have an obligation to refrain from human rights violations. Depending on the context, individuals (e.g. parents), local organizations, private companies, aid donors and international institutions can also be duty-bearers.