Work of the Human Rights Council (2006 – present) and the Commission on Human Rights (until 2006)

In this section:

Human Rights Council (2006 - present)

Commission on Human Rights (until 2006)

Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (until 2006)

 Human Rights Council

Overview

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 adopted a resolution on the elimination of violence against women.

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, its causes and consequences, and the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children.

Resolutions

Resolution 14/12 (2010) Accelerating efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women: ensuring due diligence in prevention
English | French | Spanish | Arabic | Chinese | Russian

Resolution 15/23 (2010) Elimination of discrimination against women
English | French | Spanish | Arabic | Chinese | Russian

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

Resolution 11/2 Accelerating efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women, of 17 June 2009

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

Resolution 14/2 (2010) Trafficking in persons, especially women and children: regional and subregional cooperation in promoting a human
rights-based approach to combating trafficking in persons
English | French | Spanish | Arabic | Chinese | Russian

Resolution 11/3 (2009) Trafficking in persons, especially women and children of 17 June 2009

Reports of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

Report on the seminar: “A human rights approach to combating human trafficking: challenges and opportunities. Implementing the Recommended Principles and Guidelines on Human Rights and Human Trafficking” (Geneva, 27 and 28 May 2010)
English | Russian

Addendum. Views on the Recommended Principles and Guidelines on Human Rights and Human Trafficking.
English | Chinese

Thematic study of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on discrimination against women, in law and practice, and how the issue is addressed throughout the United Nations human rights system
English

Systematic rape, sexual slavery and slavery-like practices during armed conflicts - Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (July 2006)
English | French | Spanish | Arabic | Chinese | Russian

Universal Periodic Review (UPR)
Overview

The UPR was created by through UN General Assembly on 15 March 2006 by resolution 60/251, which established the Human Rights Council itself. The UPR is one of the key elements of the new Council which reminds States of their responsibility to fully respect and implement all human rights and fundamental freedoms. It is a unique process which involves a review of the human rights records of all 192 UN Member States once every four years; by 2011, it will have reviewed the human rights records of every country. The UPR is a State driven process, under the auspices of the Human Rights Council, designed to ensure equal treatment for every country when their human rights situations are assessed.

Under the UPR procedure, the issue of violence against women has been addressed regularly during the consideration of States' efforts to ensure the enjoyment of all human rights, including women's human rights.

http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/UPR/Pages/UPRMain.aspx

Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences

Reparations to women who have been subjected to violence (2010)
English | Chinese

Political economy of women’s human rights (2009)
English | French | Spanish | Arabic | Chinese | Russian

15 years of the United Nations SR on violence against women, its causes and consequences (1994-2009): A critical review (2009)
English

Indicators on violence against women and State response (2008)
English | French | Spanish | Arabic | Chinese | Russian

Intersections between culture and violence against women (2007)
English | French | Spanish | Arabic | Chinese | Russian

Standard of due diligence (2006)
English | French | Spanish | Arabic | Chinese | Russian

Intersections of violence against women and HIV/AIDS (2005)
English | French | Spanish | Arabic | Chinese | Russian

For further reports, please see http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/women/rapporteur/annual.htm

Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons , especially in women and children

Report of the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, Joy Ngozi Ezeilo (2010)
English

Report of the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, Joy Ngozi Ezeilo (2009)
English | French | Spanish | Arabic | Chinese | Russian

Report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights aspects of the victims of trafficking in persons, especially women and children, Sigma Huda (2007)
English | French | Spanish | Arabic | Chinese | Russian

Report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights aspects of the victims of trafficking in persons, especially women and children, Sigma Huda (2006)
English | French | Spanish | Arabic | Chinese | Russian

Report of the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children (2005)
English | French | Spanish | Arabic | Chinese | Russian

Please also see http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/trafficking/annual.htm

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:

1. The elimination of violence against women
2. Trafficking in women and girls
3. Violence against women migrant workers
4. Integrating the human rights of women in the work of the United Nations
5. 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

Resolutions

Resolution 2005/41 Elimination of violence against women
English | French | Spanish

Resolution 2004/46 Elimination of violence against women
English | French | Spanish

Resolution 2003/45 Elimination of violence against women
English | French | Spanish

Resolution 2002/52 Elimination of violence against women
English | French | Spanish

Resolution 2001/49 Elimination of violence against women
English | French | Spanish

Resolution 2000/45 Elimination of violence against women
English | French | Spanish

Resolution 1999/42 Elimination of violence against women
English | French | Spanish

Resolution 1998/52 The elimination of violence against women
English | French | Spanish

Resolution 1997/44 The elimination of violence against women
English | French | Spanish

Resolution 1996/49 The elimination of violence against women
English | French | Spanish

Resolution 1995/85 The elimination of violence against women
English | French | Spanish

 Trafficking in women and girls

Resolutions

Resolution 2004/45 Trafficking in women and girls
English | French | Spanish

Resolution 2002/51 Traffic in women and girls
English | French | Spanish

Resolution 2001/48 Traffic in women and girls
English | French | Spanish

Resolution 2000/44 Traffic in women and girls
English | French | Spanish

Resolution 1999/40 Traffic in women and girls
English | French | Spanish

Resolution 1998/30 Traffic in women and girls
English | French | Spanish

Resolution 1997/19 Traffic in women and girls
English | French | Spanish

 Violence against women migrant workers

Resolutions

Resolution 2002/58 Violence against women migrant workers
English | French | Spanish

Resolution 2000/54 Violence against women migrant workers
English | French | Spanish

Resolution 1998/17 Violence against women migrant workers
English | French | Spanish

Resolution 1996/17 Violence against women migrant workers
English | French | Spanish

Resolution 1995/20 Violence against women migrant workers
English | French | Spanish

 Integrating human rights and the elimination of violence against women

Resolution 2002/50 Integrating the human rights of women throughout the United Nations system
English | French | Spanish

Resolution 1994/45 Question of integrating the rights of women into the human rights mechanisms of the United Nations and the elimination of violence against women
English | French | Spanish

 Country-specific situations

Resolution 2001/20 Situation of human rights in Sierra Leone
English | French | Spanish

Resolution 2001/19 Situation of human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
English | French | Spanish

Resolution 1999/56 Situation of human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
English | French | Spanish

Resolution 1999/9 Situation of human rights in Afghanistan
English | French | Spanish

Resolution 1994/85 Situation of human rights in Myanmar
English | French | Spanish

Resolution 1994/84 Situation of human rights in Afghanistan
English | French | Spanish

Resolution 1994/77 Rape and abuse of women in the territory of the former Yugoslavia
English | French | Spanish

Resolution 1993/8 Rape and abuse of women in the territory of the former Yugoslavia
English

Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (until 2006)

The Commission on Human Rights’ Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights addressed violence against women in resolutions on the following topics:

1. Sexual violence
2. Systematic rape, sexual slavery and slavery-like practices
3. Harmful and traditional practices affecting the health of women and the girl-child
4. Country-specific situations

 Sexual violence

Resolution 2005/3 The difficulty of establishing responsibility or guilt with regard to sexual violence
English | French | Spanish

 Systematic rape, sexual slavery and slavery-like practices

Resolutions

Resolution 2005/27 Systematic rape, sexual slavery and slavery-like practices during armed conflicts
English | French | Spanish

Resolution 2003/26 Systematic rape, sexual slavery and slavery-like practices
English | French | Spanish

Resolution 1999/16 Systematic rape, sexual slavery and slavery like practices
English | French | Spanish

Resolution 1998/18 Systematic rape, sexual slavery and slavery-like practices during armed conflict, including internal armed conflict
English | French | Spanish

Resolution 1996/11 Systematic rape and sexual slavery during periods of armed conflict
English | French | Spanish

Reports of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

Systematic rape, sexual slavery and slavery-like practices during armed conflicts - Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (E/CN.4/Sub.2/2005/33, July 2005)
English | French | Spanish | Arabic | Chinese | Russian

Systematic rape, sexual slavery and slavery-like practices during armed conflicts - Report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (E/CN.4/Sub.2/2004/35)
English | French | Spanish | Arabic | Chinese | Russian

Systematic rape, sexual slavery and slavery-like practices during armed conflicts - Report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (E/CN.4/Sub.2/2003/27)
English | French | Spanish | Arabic | Chinese | Russian

Systematic rape, sexual slavery and slavery-like practices during armed conflicts - Report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (E/CN.4/Sub.2/2002/28)
English | French | Spanish | Arabic | Chinese | Russian

Systematic rape, sexual slavery and slavery-like practices during armed conflicts - Report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (E/CN.4/Sub.2/2001/29)
English | French | Spanish | Arabic | Chinese | Russian

Systematic rape, sexual slavery and slavery-like practices during armed conflicts - Report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (E/CN.4/Sub.2/2000/20)
English | French | Spanish | Arabic | Chinese | Russian

 Harmful and traditional practices affecting the health of women and the girl-child

Resolutions

Resolution 2005/28 Harmful traditional practices affecting the health of women and the girl child
English | French | Spanish

Resolution 2003/28 Harmful traditional practices affecting the health of women and the girl child
English | French | Spanish

Resolution 2002/26 Traditional practices affecting the health of women and the girl child
English | French | Spanish

Resolution 1999/13 Traditional practices affecting the health of women and the girl child
English | French | Spanish

Resolution 1994/30 Traditional practices affecting the health of women and children
English | French | Spanish

 Country-specific situations

Resolutions

Resolution 2001/15 Situation of women and girls in the territories controlled by Afghan armed groups
English | French | Spanish

Resolution 1999/14 The situation of women and girls in Afghanistan
English | French | Spanish