Consultations with civil society

Consultations with civil society have become an integral part of the work of the Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, its causes and consequences. Some non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) have been facilitating consultations with the Special Rapporteur since the inception of the mandate in 1994.

Regional and national consultations provide important input into the work of the Special Rapporteur by highlighting regional and national specificities, and provide an opportunity for women’s groups from a specific region/country to inform the Special Rapporteur of the violations of women’s rights occurring in their region/country .

In addition, some consultations have focused on discussions around the elected topic of the Special Rapporteur’s annual report to the UN Human Rights Council (and previously to the Commission on Human Rights) or to the General Assembly.

Consultations with civil society also allow NGOs to become familiarized with opportunities the Special Rapporteur’s mandate offers in advancing their national and regional initiatives. The Special Rapporteur encourages NGOs to make use of such consultations and is grateful to those NGOs taking the lead in organizing them.