Alice Cruz is a Portuguese anthropologist who became a lawyer and the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of people with leprosy (Hansen's disease).
[2] In November 2017 Cruz, who was then teaching law in Ecuador,[1] was appointed as the UN Special Rapporteur on the elimination of discrimination against persons affected by leprosy and their family members.
[1] In August 2018, Cruz issued a statement saying that, "The use of leprosy as a pejorative metaphor derives from long-lasting stigmatising connotations produced by different cultural traditions, social rules and legal frameworks,..
Using it as a metaphor leads to wrongful stereotyping that fuels public stigma, everyday discrimination, and impairs the enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms by persons affected and their families.
[5] Miranda-Galarza's amended job title was "Special Rapporteur on the elimination of discrimination against persons affected by leprosy (Hansen’s disease) and their family members".