The Advocates for Human Rights is committed to the impartial promotion and protection of international human rights standards and the rule of law. We hold special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council and special observer status with the African Union.
The Advocates participates in the work of international human rights monitoring by providing written and oral submissions to the UN Human Rights Council and other UN and regional human rights mechanisms. Among these submissions are the UN Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review of states' human rights obligations. (For information on the UPR and the submission process, visit the United Nations' web page about Universal Periodic Reviews)
The research and findings in these reports serve to inform human rights monitoring bodies about human rights violations happening on the ground in countries around the world.
View 22 new reports, in addition to our other submissions, below:
Afghanistan Convention on the Rights of the Child—Death Penalty—July 2019 For background information, click here.
Albania Human Rights Council—Domestic Violence—October 2018 For background information, click here.
Angola Universal Periodic Review—Death Penalty—March 2019 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Committee—Death Penalty—February 2019 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Committee (List of Issues)—Death Penalty—April 2018 For background information, click here.
Armenia *NEW* Human Rights Committee—Domestic Violence (List of Issues)—June 2020 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Council—Gender-based Violence—July 2019 For background information, click here.
Azerbaijan Human Rights Council — Domestic Violence — October 2017 For background information, click here.
Bahrain Human Rights Committee — Death Penalty — June 2018 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Council — Death Penalty — September 2016 For background information, click here.
Bahamas Human Rights Council — Death Penalty — June 2017 For background information, click here.
Barbados Human Rights Council — Death Penalty — June 2017 For background information, click here.
Belarus Universal Periodic Review - Domestic Violence - October 2019 For background information, click here.
Bosnia and Herzegovina Human Rights Council — Domestic Violence — March 2019 For background information, click here.
Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women — Domestic Violence — January 2019 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Committee — Civil and Political Rights — March 2017 For background information, click here.
Brunei Human Rights Council — October 2018 For background information, click here.
Bulgaria *NEW* Committee Against Torture - Domestic Violence (List of Issues) - June 2020 For background information, click here.
*NEW* Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women—Domestic Violence—January 2020 For background information, click here.
Universal Periodic Review - Domestic Violence - October 2019 For background information, click here.
Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women — Violence Against Women — September 2017 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Council — Domestic Violence — September 2014 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Committee — Women's Human Rights — July 2011 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Council — Women's Human Rights — April 2010 For background information, click here.
Burundi *NEW* Human Rights Committee—Civil and Political Rights (List of Issues)—June 2020 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Council — Civil and Political Rights — July 2017 For background information, click here.
Cambodia Human Rights Council — Civil and Political Rights — July 2018 For background information, click here.
Cameroon *NEW* Committee Against Torture - Anglophone Crisis (List of Issues) - June 2020 For background information, click here.
*NEW* Committee Against Torture - LGBTI Rights (List of Issues) - June 2020 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Council — Death Penalty — October 2017 (French) For background information, click here.
Human Rights Council — CAMFAIDS — LGBTI Rights — October 2017
For background information, click here.
Human Rights Council — Alternatives Cameroun — LGBTI Rights — October 2017
Committee Against Torture — LGBTI Rights & Gender-based Violence — October 2017 For background information, click here.
Convention on the Rights of the Child — Rights of LGBTI Children & Violence Against Girls — July 2016 For background information, click here.
Convention on the Rights of the Child — Children in Conflict with the Law & Protection & Care of Children — July 2016 For background information, click here. Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women — Violence Against Women — January 2014 For background information, click here.
Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women — Political Participation of Women — January 2014 For background information, click here.
Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women — Women's Education in Cameroon — January 2014 For background information, click here.
African Commission — Women's Rights — August 2013 For background information, click here.
African Commission — Death Penalty and Detention Conditions — August 2013 For background information, click here.
African Commission — LGBTI Rights — August 2013 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Council — Death Penalty — September 2012 For background information, click here.
Central African Republic Human Rights Council — Death Penalty — April 2013 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Council — Death Penalty — March 2013 For background information, click here.
Colombia Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women — Domestic Violence — January 2019 — English Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women — Domestic Violence — January 2019 — Spanish For background information, click here.
Human Rights Council -— Violence Against Women — October 2017 — English Human Rights Council — Violence Against Women — October 2017 — Spanish For background infromation, click here.
Côte d'Ivoire Human Rights Council — Draft Report — May 2019 For background information, click here.
Croatia Universal Periodic Review - Radical Right - October 2019 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Committee (List of Issues Prior to Reporting)—Violence Against Women—August 2019 For background information, click here.
Committee Against Torture (List of Issues Prior to Reporting) — Violence Against Women — October 2016 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Committee (follow-up report) — Violence Against Women — October 2016 For background information, click here.
Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women — Domestic Violence — June 2015 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Committee — Domestic Violence — February 2015 For background information, click here. Committee Against Torture — Domestic Violence — October 2014 For background information, click here.
Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women — Domestic Violence — October 2014 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Committee (List of Issues) — Violence Against Women — July 2012 For background information, click here.
Cuba Human Rights Council — Death Penalty — October 2017 For background information, click here.
Democratic Republic of the Congo Convention Against Torture — Detention Conditions — March 2019 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Council — Civil and Political Rights — October 2018 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Council — Death Penalty — October 2018 (French) For background information, click here.
Dominica *NEW* Human Rights Committee—Death Penalty—February 2020 For background information, click here.
Egypt Universal Periodic Review — Death Penalty — March 2019 For background information, click here. African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights — Death Penalty — March 2019 For background information, click here.
El Salvador Human Rights Council — Violence Against Women and LGBTI Individuals — March 2019 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Committee — Gender-based Violence, Gang Violence, Trafficking, and Police Corruption — March 2018 For background information, click here.
Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (List of Issues) — Violence Against Women — July 2016 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Committee (List of Issues Prior to Reporting) — Violence Against Women — April 2015 For background information, click here.
Eritrea Human Rights Committee — Torture, Arbitrary Arrest, Freedom of Movement and Assembly — February 2019 For background information, click here.
Ethiopia *NEW* Human Rights Committee (List of Issues) - Death Penalty - August 2020 For background information, click here.
*NEW* Human Rights Committee (List of Issues) - Civil and Political Rights - August 2020 For background information, click here.
Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women — Gender-based Violence — January 2019 For background information, click here.
Universal Periodic Review — Civil and Political Rights — October 2018 For background information, click here.
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities — July 2016 For background information, click here.
African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights — Ethnic Discrimination — September 2014 For background information, click here.
Committee on the Rights of the Child — Ethnic Discrimination — July 2014 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Council — Ethnic Discrimination — September 2013 For background information, click here.
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights— Ethnic Diversity — March 2012 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Council — Violations of Human Rights of Minorities — July 2011 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Council — Human Rights Violations Against Minorities — 2009 For background information, click here. Gambia African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights — Death Penalty — March 2019 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Council — Death Penalty — March 2019 For background information, click here. Georgia Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (follow-up report) — Violence Against Women — August 2016 For background information, click here.
Committee on the Rights of the Child — Violence Against Women (List of Issues) — March 2016 For background information, click here.
Ghana Human Rights Council — Rights of Non-Citizens — April 2012 For background information, click here.
African Commission — Liberian Refugees — 2009 For background information, click here.
Guatemala Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women — Violence Against Women — August 2017 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Council — Violence Against Women — March 2017 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Council — Death Penalty — March 2017 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Committee (List of Issues Prior to Reporting) — Violence Against Women — August 2015 For background information, click here.
Honduras Universal Periodic Review - Violence Against Women - October 2019 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Committee (List of Issues) — Violence Against Women — July 2016 For background information, click here.
Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (List of Issues) — Violence Against Women — January 2016 For background information, click here.
Convention Against Torture — Violence Against Women — July 2016 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Council — Violence Against Women — September 2014 For background information, click here.
Hungary Human Rights Committee — Gender-based violence — February 2018 For background information, click here.
India Human Rights Council — Rights of Religious Minorities — September 2016 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Council — Human Rights Violations of Minorities — September 2011 For background information, click here.
Indonesia
*NEW* Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women — Death Penalty — June 2020
Iran
*NEW* Human Rights Committee—Death Penalty (List of Issues Prior to Reporting)—June 2020 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Council — Death Penalty — March 2019 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Council — Death Penalty — April 2018 For background information, click here.
Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities — Death Penalty — February 2017 For background information, click here.
Committee on the Rights of the Child — Death Penalty — June 2015 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Council — Death Penalty — November 2014 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Committee — Death Penalty — September 2011 For background information, click here.
Iraq *NEW* Committee Against Torture - Death Penalty (List of Issues) - June 2020 For background information, click here.
*NEW* Human Rights Committee—Death Penalty (List of Issues)—June 2020 For background information, click here.
Jamaica Human Rights Committee (List of Issues) — Death Penalty — January 2016 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Committee — Death Penalty — 2011 For background information, click here.
Japan Human Rights Council — Death Penalty — March 2017 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Committee — Prison Conditions and Death Penalty —June 2014 For background information, click here. Human Rights Council — Death Penalty — April 2012 For background information, click here.
Jordan Universal Periodic Review — Death Penalty — July 2018 For background information, click here.
Kenya *NEW* Human Rights Committee—LGBTI Rights (List of Issues)—January 2020 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Council—LGBTI Rights—July 2019 For background information, click here.
African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights — Enforced Disappearances and Extrajudicial Executions — November 2015 For background information, click here.
Kuwait *NEW* Committee on the Rights of the Child — Rights of Children of parents who are sentenced to death or executed — March 2020 For background information, click here.
Lebanon *NEW* Human Rights Council — Death Penalty— July 2020
Committee Against Torture — Death Penalty — March 2017 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Council — Death Penalty — March 2015 For background information, click here.
Liberia Universal Periodic Review - Accountability - October 2019 For background information, click here.
Universal Periodic Review - Harmful Practices - October 2019 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Committee -- Accountability - June 2018 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Committee — Pretrial Detention — February 2018 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Council — Harmful Practices and Violence Against Women — February 2018 For background information, click here.
Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women — Violence Against Women — October 2015 For background information, click here.
Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women — Discrimination Against Women — List of Issues — January 2015 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Council — Pretrial Detention — September 2014 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Council — Accountability — 2010 For background information, click here. Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women — Domestic Violence — July 2009 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Committee — Women's Rights — September 2016 For background information, click here.
Poland Convention Against Torture—Domestic Violence—June 2019 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Council — Domestic Violence — March 2017 For background information, click here.
Qatar Human Rights Council — Death Penalty — October 2018 For background information, click here.
Russian Federation
*NEW* Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women — Domestic Violence — LGBTI Rights — June 2020 For background information, click here. (Domestic Violence)
For background information, click here. (LGBTI Rights)
*NEW* Human Rights Committee (List of Issues)—Domestic Violence—LGBTI RIghts—Discrimination Based on Religion and Political Opinion—June 2020 For background information, click here. (Domestic Violence)
For background information, click here. (Discrimination Based on Religion and Political Opinion)
Human Rights Council — Domestic Violence — October 2017 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Council — Foreign Agent Law — October 2017 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Committee — Death Penalty — February 2015 For background information, click here. Human Rights Council — Violence Against Women — April 2013 For background information, click here.
Committee Against Torture — Violence Against Women — November 2012 For background information, click here.
Rwanda
*NEW* Human Rights Council — Civil and Political Rights — July 2020
Saint Kitts and Nevis *NEW* Human Rights Council — Death Penalty — July 2020
Saint Lucia *NEW* Human Rights Council — Death Penalty — July 2020
Sierra Leone *NEW* Universal Periodic Review — Death Penalty — October 2020 For background information, click here.
Singapore *NEW* Univeral Periodic Review — Death Penalty — October 2020 For background information, click here.
Somalia *NEW* Universal Periodic Review — Death Penalty — October 2020 For background information, click here.
South Africa Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights — Racial Discrimination and Equality — August 2017 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Council — Equality and Non-Discrimination — September 2016 For background information, click here.
South Korea Convention on the Rights of the Child—Rights of Children of Parents Sentenced to Death—August 2019 For background information, click here.
South Sudan *NEW* Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women — Death Penalty — June 2020
Human Rights Council — Death Penalty — March 2016 For background information, click here.
Sri Lanka
Syrian Arab Republic
*NEW* Human Rights Committee (List of Issues Prior to Reporting) — Death Penalty — August 2020
Tunisia *NEW* Human Rights Committee—Violence Against Women—February 2020
*NEW* Human Rights Committee—Death Penalty—February 2020 For background information, click here.
Convention on the Rights of the Child—Protection of the Rights of Children of Parents Sentenced to Death or Executed—July 2019 For background information. click here.
Human Rights Council — Women's Rights — September 2016 For background information, click here.
Committee Against Torture — Violence Against Women — April 2016 For background information, click here.
Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights — Violence Against Women — January 2016 For background information, click here. Turkey Human Rights Council—Civil and Political Rights—July 2019 For background information. click here.
Human Rights Council—Death Penalty—July 2019 For background information. click here.
Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities — February 2019 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Council — Violence Against Women — March 2012 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Committee — Gender-based Violence — February 2012 For background information, click here.
Uganda Human Rights Council — Death Penalty — March 2016 For background information, click here.
Ukraine *NEW* Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women—Domestic Violence—February 2020
Human Rights Committee — Domestic Violence — August 2019 For background information, click here.
United States Universal Periodic Review - Trafficking and Labor Exploitation - October 2019 For background information, click here.
Universal Periodic Review - Death Penalty - October 2019 For background information, click here.
Universal Periodic Review - Immigration, Asylum, and Detention - October 2019 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Committee — Death Penalty — January 2019 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Committee — Immigration, Trafficking, and Detention — January 2019 For background information, click here.
Special Rapporteur — Social Inclusion for Victims of Human Trafficking in Minnesota — November 2018 For background information, click here. Committee Against Torture — Immigrants — December 2016 For background information, click here.
Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination — Rights of Migrants (follow-up report) — November 2015 For background information, click here.
Committee Against Torture — Rights of Non-Citizens — October 2014 For background information, click here.
Committee Against Torture — Death Penalty — October 2014 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Council — Rights of Non-Citizens — September 2014 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Council — Migrant Detention — September 2014 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Council — Death Penalty — September 2014 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Council — Human Rights Education — September 2014 For background information, click here.
Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination — Death Penalty — July 2014 For background information, click here.
Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination — Rights of Non-Citizens — July 2014 For background information, click here.
UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention — January 2014 For background information, click here. Inter-America Commission on Human Rights — Right to Family Unity For background information, click here.
Human Rights Committee — Death Penalty — October 2013 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Committee (List of Issues) — Violence Against Women / Immigration and Asylum / Death Penalty — October 2013 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Committee — Rights of Non-Citizens — September 2013 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Committee — Violence Against Women — September 2013 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Committee — Rights of Non-Citizens –— October 2012; Update to report For background information, click here.
Special Rapporteur — Detention of Migrants — January 2012 For background information, click here.
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights — Immigrant Detention — May 2010 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Council — Cluster Report on Migrants, Refugees, and Asylum Seekers — 2010 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Council — December 2010 For background information, click here.
Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination — Rights of Immigrants and Migrants — July 2007 For background information, click here.
Human Rights Committee — Rights of Non-Citizens — May 2006 For background information, click here.
Vietnam *NEW* Committee on the Rights of the Child — Rights of Children Whose Parents are Sentenced to Death or Executed — March 2020
Human Rights Committee — Rights of Indigenous Peoples — February 2019 For background information, click here.
Yemen
Zambia
*NEW* Human Rights Committee (List of Issues) — Death Penalty — August 2020
Zimbabwe