Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls
Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences
Purpose of the mandate
As violence against women continues to impact the lives of women and girls everywhere, the establishment of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences, as the first independent human rights mechanism on the elimination of violence against women, represented an important benchmark within the global women’s rights movement. Not only did it recognize violence against women as a human rights violation, but it also tasked the Special Rapporteur with ensuring that violence against women was integrated into the United Nations human rights framework and its mechanisms.
About the mandate
The United Nations Commission on Human Rights appointed a Special Rapporteur on violence against women, including its causes and consequences, on 4 March 1994 (resolution 1994/45). Since March 2006, the Special Rapporteur reports to the Human Rights Council, as per Human Rights Council’s decision 1/102. The mandate was most recently renewed in 2022 by resolution 50/7.
Current mandate holder
Ms. Reem Alsalem (Jordan) is the United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences, since August 2021. She holds a Masters in International Relations from the American University in Cairo, Egypt (2001) and a Masters in Human Rights Law from the University of Oxford, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (2003). She is an independent consultant on gender issues, the rights of refugees and migrants, transitional justice and humanitarian response.
Calls for Input
Key documents
The EDVAW Platform from 2017 to today
This document provides an overview of the journey toward strengthening cooperation among international and regional mechanisms on women's rights.
25 years in review of the Beijing Platform for Action
This booklet looks at the different contributions to the platform made by the 7 independent expert mechanisms mandated to address discrimination and gender-based violence against women and girls. Together they've creating a unified response to the many challenges that remain for the full enjoyment of women's right to a life free from discrimination and violence.
Latest thematic reports
Contact Information
Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls
OHCHR-UNOG,
8-14 Avenue de la Paix
1211 Geneve 10,
Switzerland
Fax: + 41 22 917 9006
Email: hrc-sr-vaw@un.org
Special Rapporteur on Twitter: @UNSRVAW
Former special rapporteurs
Ms. Dubravka Šimonović (Croatia)
August 2015-July 2021
Ms. Rashida Manjoo (South Africa)
August 2009-July 2015
Dr. Yakin Ertürk (Turkey)
August 2003-July 2009
Ms. Radhika Coomaraswamy (Sri Lanka)
1994-2003
Videos
UNODC High-level Side Event to launch the new statistical framework on gender-related killings,
19 May 2022
Violence against women during COVID-19 lockdowns, what can governments do?
June 1, 2020
Watch on YouTube
SRVAW-UN Women side event: ending violence against women in politics
8 Oct 2018
Watch on UN Web TV
View more videos