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About the mandate

Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its
causes and consequences

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Mandate

In 1994, in its resolution 1994/45, the UN Human Rights Council (formerly the
Human Rights Commission) decided to appoint a Special Rapporteur on violence
against women and girls, its causes and consequences. The mandate was
extended by the then Commission on Human Rights in 2003, at its 59th session in
resolution 2003/45. In the same resolution the Special Rapporteur is requested to:

Seek and receive information on violence against women and girls, its causes
and consequences from Governments, treaty bodies, specialized agencies,
other special rapporteurs responsible for various human rights questions and
intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, including women's
organizations, and to respond effectively to such information;

Recommend measures, ways and means at the local, national, regional and
international levels to eliminate all forms of violence against women and its
causes, and to remedy its consequences;

Work closely with all special procedures and other human rights mechanisms
of the Human Rights Council and with the treaty bodies, taking into account
the request of the Council that they regularly and systematically integrate the
human rights of women and a gender perspective into their work, and
cooperate closely with the Commission on the Status of Women in the
discharge of its functions;

Continue to adopt a comprehensive and universal approach to the elimination

of violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences, including
causes of violence against women relating to the civil, cultural, economic,
political and social spheres.

The Special Rapporteur also does the following to carry out the mandate:

Transmits urgent appeals and communications to States regarding alleged

cases of violence against women and girls. See Communications

Undertakes country visits

Submits annual thematic reports

Consultations with civil society have become an integral part of the work of
the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and
consequences. Some non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have been
 facilitating consultations with the Special Rapporteur since the inception of
the mandate in 1994.

Regional and national consultations provide important input into the work of
the Special Rapporteur by highlighting regional and national specificities, and
provide an opportunity for women’s groups from a specific region/country to
inform the Special Rapporteur of the violations of women’s rights occurring in
their region/country.

In addition, some consultations have focused on discussions around the

elected topic of the Special Rapporteur’s annual report to the UN Human
Rights Council (and previously to the Commission on Human Rights) or to the
General Assembly.

Consultations with civil society also allow NGOs to become familiarized with
opportunities the Special Rapporteur’s mandate offers in advancing their
national and regional initiatives. The Special Rapporteur encourages NGOs to
make use of such consultations and is grateful to those NGOs taking the lead
in organizing them.

Resolutions
Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 60/251 of 15 March 2006, all mandates,
mechanisms, functions and responsibilities of the Commission on Human Rights,
including the Sub-Commission, were assumed, as of 19 June 2006, by the Human
Rights Council.

Since its creation, the Council has considered reports of the High Commissioner
for Human Rights related to violence against women and girls, and adopted a
resolution on the elimination of violence against women and girls.

The Council also considers reports related to violence against women prepared by
special procedure mandate holders, in particular the Special Rapporteur on
violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences.

Human Rights Council resolutions

 Resolution 14/12 (2010) Accelerating efforts to eliminate all forms of
violence against women: ensuring due diligence in prevention

Resolution 15/23 (2010) Elimination of discrimination against women

Resolution 12/17 (2009) Elimination of discrimination against women

Resolution 11/2 Accelerating efforts to eliminate all forms of violence

against women and girls, of 17 June 2009

Resolution 7/24 (2008) Elimination of violence against women

Commission on Human Rights (until 2006)

Overview

Dating from the 1990s to its dissolution in 2006, the Commission on Human
Rights addressed the issue of violence against women in resolutions on:

The elimination of violence against women

Trafficking in women and girls

Violence against women migrant workers

Integrating the human rights of women in the work of the United Nations

Country-specific situations

Violence against women was addressed by the Commission on Human Rights’

Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights

Elimination of violence against women

Resolution 2005/41 Elimination of violence against women

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Resolution 2004/46 Elimination of violence against women

English | Français | Español
 Resolution 2003/45 Elimination of violene against women
English | Français | Español

Resolution 2002/52 Elimination of violence against women

English | Français | Español

Resolution 2001/49 Elimination of violence against women

English | Français | Español

Resolution 2000/45 Elimination of violence against women

English | Français | Español

Resolution 1999/42 Elimination of violence against women

English | Français | Español

Resolution 1998/52 The elimination of violence against women

English | Français | Español

Resolution 1997/44 The elimination of violence against women

English | Français | Español

Resolution 1996/49 The elimination of violence against women

English | Français | Español

Resolution 1995/85 The elimination of violence against women

English | Français | Español

V I E W T H I S PA G E I N :

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