Thematic Advocacy

Submissions, written statements and oral statements

Tabel of Contents

Accountability

Joint submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Consultation on thematic report on accountability, May 2021

In this joint submission the authors address the perennial question of accountability. Addressing the mandate’s questionnaire, the submission at hand is centred and structured in two important respects: experiences (practice and its challenges); and, recommendations (for future directions).

Detention

Submission to the UN Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women and girls for their report on women deprived of liberty to the Human Rights Council’s 41st session in June 2019

This report analyses the causes of deprivation of liberty of women from a gender perspective. It provides an understanding of the ways in which women are uniquely and disproportionately affected by deprivation of liberty, owing to structural discrimination throughout their lives. While deprivation of women’s liberty manifests differently in different contexts, there is a common underlying cause: the persistence of patriarchal systems. Patriarchy shapes gender stereotypes and forms of discrimination that normalize them.

Joint Submission to the United Nations Human Rights Committee

The content of this submission aims to reflect on the structure of the draft General Comment.  Read the full submission below:

Refugees and migrants

Joint Observations to the UN Committee on Migrant Workers regarding Draft General Comment No. 5 (2020) on migrants’ right to liberty and freedom from arbitrary detention, November 2020

The Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT), DIGNITY – Danish Institute Against Torture (‘DIGNITY’) and the Redress Trust (REDRESS) provide these comments to the Committee on the draft General Comment No. 5 (2020) on migrants’ rights to liberty and freedom from arbitrary detention (CMW/C/32/R.2). Read the submission below.

Gender

Submission to the UN Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women and girls for their report on women deprived of liberty to the Human Rights Council’s 41st session in June 2019

The present report analyses the causes of deprivation of liberty of women from a gender perspective. It provides an understanding of the ways in which women are uniquely and disproportionately affected by deprivation of liberty, owing to structural discrimination throughout their lives. While deprivation of women’s liberty manifests differently in different contexts, there is a common underlying cause: the persistence of patriarchal systems. Patriarchy shapes gender stereotypes and forms of discrimination that normalize them. Read the full report below.

Women in the Criminal Justice System and the Bangkok Rules’ (pp 217-38) in ‘Gender Perspectives on Torture: Law and Practice

This publication is a follow-up to the report presented to the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) in March 2016 (A/HRC/31/57). The report examined how the prohibition of torture and other ill-treatment in international law must take into account the unique experiences of women, girls, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) persons. Read the full publication below.

Report to the Human Rights Council

In his 2016 report to the Human Rights Council, the Special Rapporteur examined the gender perspectives of torture and the applicability of the prohibition of torture to the experiences of women, girls and LGBTI persons. DIGNITY contributed to this report via participation in an expert consultation (November 2015) and presentation on Gender Perspectives on Torture: An Overview of the Major Challenges in Law and Practice. Read the full presentation below.

Police

Extra-custodial use of force: Submission on Torture and Extra-custodial use of Force to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture for his thematic report to the HRC (2017)

In this submission, DIGNITY and University of Edinburgh, has responded to the Special Rapporteur on Torture’s questionnaire on the use of Extra-Custodial Force. We have mainly focused our responses onthe first question in the questionnaire: In what circumstances, if any, does the extra-custodial use of force by State agents amount to torture or CIDTP?

Torture

Submission for the HRC37 resolution on the negative impact of corruption on the right to be free from torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (adopted by HRC, March 2018)

The proposed text is based on the recognition that torture/ill-treatment and corruption are inextricably linked; where there are higher levels of corruption, more instances of torture and ill-treatment are usually found. Corruption prevails in non-custodial settings and in the context of deprivation of liberty, as documented in scientific literature and by international monitoring bodies, such as the CPT and SPT. Read the full submission below.

Extra-custodial use of force: Submission on Torture and Extra-custodial use of Force to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture for his thematic report to the HRC (2017).

In this submission, DIGNITY and University of Edinburgh, has responded to the Special Rapporteur on Torture’s questionnaire on the use of Extra-Custodial Force. We have mainly focused our responses onthe first question in the questionnaire: In what circumstances, if any, does the extra-custodial use of force by State agents amount to torture or CIDTP?

Report to the Human Rights Council

In his 2016 report to the Human Rights Council, the Special Rapporteur examined the gender perspectives of torture and the applicability of the prohibition of torture to the experiences of women, girls and LGBTI persons. DIGNITY contributed to this report via participation in an expert consultation (November 2015) and presentation on Gender Perspectives on Torture: An Overview of the Major Challenges in Law and Practice. Read the full presentation below.

Torture and health professionals: Submission for HRC 10 resolution on Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment: The role and responsibility of medical and other health personnel (A/HRC/10/L.32, adopted by HRC, March 2010)

In this submission DIGNITY has commented and proposed some changes to the HRC’s draft resolution about the role and responsibility of medical and other health personnel, when it comes to torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Articles about torture