Guide: Using the UN CEDAW Committee and Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women

Violence against women is a particularly prevalent form of discrimination against women, and has become an increasingly important area of focus globally. The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (the Committee) and the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences (SRVAW) are two of the leading international bodies focused on addressing this issue. They enforce the right of women and girls to be free from violence, as incorporated in the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (the Convention). This guide sets out the key rights, obligations, and principles designed to prevent and remedy violence against women in the Convention framework; and looks at how these principles have been applied by the Committee and informed the work of the SRVAW. The guide also provides an overview of the procedural requirements for using the individual communications procedure of the Committee (in accordance with, inter alia, the Optional Protocol to the Convention (CEDAW-OP), and engaging with the SRVAW on urgent appeals in individual cases and reporting developments at the national level.

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This guide was originally developed in 2018 and has subsequently been updated in December 2022 and April 2023.