Box 5: Definition of ‘social exclusion’ and ‘horizontal inequalities’ The concept of social exclusion is used to describe a group, or groups, of people who are excluded from the normal activities of their society in the economic, social and/or political spheres. Groups that are socially excluded are also typically poor according to standard definitions of poverty but mainstream anti-poverty programmes will not reach them unless the discrimination they face is also addressed. Social exclusion is also about exclusion from political power, and in some cases, groups that are privileged economically may otherwise be excluded socially and politically, or vice versa. Social exclusion tends to be a feature of groups, rather than individuals. These groups may be distinguished from others in society by their Early warning by monitoring minority rights: Awareness of the situation of minorities is a useful tool for early warning to prevent conflict. Discrimination against minorities and violations of minority rights often increase in situations of immediate pre-conflict, taking such forms as:     hate speech between groups, especially by politicians; gradual processes of demonization/dehumanization of minorities, especially in the media or education; increased incidence of sexual violence/ harassment towards minority women; passing of laws that restrict cultural or religious expression by minority groups; culture, religion, colour, gender, nationality or migration status, or caste; or they may be identified by characteristics such as gender, age, physical or mental disabilities or illness. Although not all features of social exclusion coincide with minority status, many of them do. A key dimension of social exclusion is process and agency - the behaviour of particular agents and institutions leads to the exclusion of certain groups. Social exclusion is also relational, which means that its definition depends on what is normal in the particular society where people live. The concept of ‘horizontal inequalities’ has many points in common with that of social exclusion, and refers to inequalities between groups with shared identities (e.g. ethnic, cultural, religious, linguistic, etc.). Source: Stewart (2004).   random violence against minorities or their property; denial of citizenship or mother tongue education to minorities;  land rights disputes;  gross economic inequalities between groups. Recognizing the role hate speech has played in conflicts and genocide, both ICERD and the ICCPR require signatories to prohibit advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence. In 2005, CERD recognized the importance of hate speech when it developed indicators to help it to identify the early signs of genocide, when examining a government’s record towards eliminating racial discrimination. Chapter 4: Minorities in Development 57