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In practice, basic human rights are broadly respected in the British Virgin Islands (BVI). Reports of repression of freedom of speech, interference with democracy or the rule of law, and arbitrary arrest and torture are virtually unknown. The BVI have been described as “generally free of human rights abuses” and its government has been characterised as taking “a strong and proactive approach to the protection of human rights.”〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.caribank.org/uploads/publications-reports/economics-statistics/country-poverty-assessment-reports/BVI.vol1.pdf )〕 However, the laws in the British Virgin Islands do openly discriminate against people who do not hold what is called “belonger status.” This form of discrimination is expressly preserved in the BVI constitution, which excludes non-belongers from the full scope of its non-discrimination protections. Belongers and non-belongers enjoy unequal rights to employment and to the right to purchase property, and in certain cases non-belongers are made subject to higher rates of taxation.〔For example, under the Land and House Tax Act (Cap 207) belongers pay land tax assessed at US$3 for the first acre of land; non-belongers pay US$50 for the first half-acre of land.〕 Also, non-belongers in certain professions are subject to exploitation and abuse which their status makes it more difficult for them to challenge ==Constitutional human-rights protections== Human rights in the British Virgin Islands are codified in the 2007 constitution. Section 9 of the constitution is entitled ''Fundamental rights and freedoms of the individual'', and provides: The subsequent sections of the constitution enumerate and elaborate on certain specific basic human rights, including the right to life, equality before the law, protection from inhuman treatment, protection from slavery and forced labour, the right of prisoners to humane treatment, freedom of movement, freedom of conscience, the right to education, freedom of expression, and freedom of assembly and association. The constitution also provides for the formation of a Human Rights Commission to oversee the protection of human rights, although to date no such commission has been formed. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Human rights in the British Virgin Islands」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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