Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, its Causes and Consequences

The Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, its Causes and Consequences is one of the thematic special procedures overseen by the United Nations Human Rights Council. It addresses the issue of violence against women – whether caused or condoned by the State or by private actors – and its causes and consequences. The Special Rapporteur adopts a “comprehensive and universal” approach to the elimination of violence, including identifying causes of violence that relate to the civil, cultural, economic, political, and social spheres of life, gathers information on violence against women from governments, treaty bodies, specialized agencies, other special rapporteurs, and intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations, and makes recommendations to eliminate all forms of violence against women at all levels of government.

The Special Rapporteur must apply a gender perspective throughout the work of his or her mandate and also works with all special procedures, treaty bodies, and Human Rights Council mechanisms to support the integration of a gender perspective into their work. The Special Rapporteur reports annually to the Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly on all of its activities relating to its mandate. These reports are available on the Special Rapporteur’s Annual Reports webpage.