English
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7146/torture.v32i1-2.132081Palabras clave:
violence against women, UN convention against torture, torture, state responsibility, history of torture, torture journalResumen
In this article, we will examine how the official treaty monitoring body, the Committee against Torture, demonstrated that violence
against women was indeed a serious human rights problem that fell squarely within the preview of the Convention against Torture.
Because States parties to the Convention are required to report about their compliance with the Convention routinely, the Committee developed a substantial database on national practices and policies. In the course of examining these periodic reports of States parties, and then consolidating findings and conclusions
into two general comments, the UN Committee Against Torture integrated violence against women in its jurisprudence on
torture and ill-treatment by showing that existing provisions could and did incorporate the obligation to protect against and provide
redress for torture and ill-treatment directed against women. Initiatives to raise these issues show how the Committee “placed the range of gender violence—from public to private – squarely within the frame of the Torture Convention” (Copelon, 2008, 242). The article will recall how the adoption of two general comments
to the Convention firmly integrated gender-based violence as a subject of concern under the Convention: General comment no
2 (2008) addressed Article 2 on the State obligation to prevent torture and ill-treatment and General comment no 3 (2012) focused
on Article 14 which concerns the obligation to provide redress to victims of torture. Both authors have been members of the Committee during these important years, and it is our aim to provide an overview of the significant processes and decisions taken by the CAT that resulted in the strengthening of the Committee’s inclusiveness and comprehensiveness in the struggle to prevent torture. Finally, we will reflect on some future challenges
faced by main anti-torture body/ies as part of global efforts to fight violence against women.
Citas
Annan, K. (1999). Violence against women ‘Most
shameful pervasive human rights violation”
Secretary-General on International Women’s
day Meetings Coverage and Press Releases
(un.org). Available at www.un.org/press/
en/1999/19990308.sgsm6919.html
Byrnes, A. (1992). The Committee against Torture.”
In P. Alston (ed.), The United Nations and Human
Rights: A Critical Appraisal (Oxford University
Press, 1st ed., 1992), 519-520.
Copelon, R. (1994). Recognizing the egregious in
the everyday: domestic violence as torture, 25
Columbia Human Rights Law Review 291.
Copelon, R, (2008). Gender Violence as Torture, 11
NYC Law Review, pp. 229-263 and 243
Edwards, A. (2006). The “Feminizing” of Torture
under International Human Rights Law. Leiden
Journal of International Law, 19, 349-391.
Edwards, A. (2011). Violence Against Women under
International Human Rights Law, Cambridge,
UK: Cambridge University Press.
Gaer, F. (2021). Engendering torture: The
Experience of the Committee against Torture.
Australian Journal of Human Rights https://doi.org
/10.1080/1323238X.2021.2020462
Gaer, F. (2013) The Treatment of Torture Victims:
What are a government’s obligations? Chatham
House, 21 January 2013. Available at https://
www.chathamhouse.org/sites/default/files/public/
Research/International%20Law/210113summary.
Gaer, F. (2008). Opening remarks: General
Comment No. 2. New York City Law Review, 11,
, 187-201.
Gaer, F. (1998). And Never the Twain Shall Meet?
The Struggle to Establish Women’s Rights as
International Human Rights. In C. Lockwood,
D. Magraw, M. Spring, and S. Strong (eds.) The
International Human Rights of Women: Instruments
of Change, American Bar Association, 1-98.
Hall, R. J. (2014). Feminist Strategies to End
Violence Against Women. In R. Baksh &
W. Harcourt (eds). The Oxford Handbook of
Transnational Feminist Movements, 1-25. Online
Publication Date: Apr 2014 DOI: 10.1093/
oxfordhb/9780199943494.013.005. Feminist
Strategies to End Violence Against Women -
Oxford Handbooks (gbvaor.net)
Human Rights Library (2003). UN Committee
ägainst Torture. Available at hrlibrary.umn.edu/
svaw/law/un/enforcement/comtorture.htm
International League for Human Rights (ILHR)
(1993). Combatting Violence against Women: A
report of a conference sponsored in collaboration with
International Women’s Rights Action Watch, New
York, 118 pp.
Joachim, J. (2003). Framing Issues and Seizing
Opportunities: The UN, NGOs, and Women’s
Rights. International Studies Quarterly (2003) 47,
–274
Manjoo, R. (2004). The South African Truth and
Reconciliation Commission – A Model for Gender
Justice? available at https://www.unrisd.org/80256
B3C005BCCF9%2F(httpAuxPages)%2FF2177
FF8C83E0BB4C125723400591907%2F%24file
%2FManjoo.pdf
Mendez, J.E. & Nicolescu, A. (2017). Evolving
Standards of Torture and other Ill-treatment.
In M. Basoglu (ed). Torture and its Definitions in
International Law. An Interdisciplinary Approach,
pp. 215- 246. New York: Oxford University Press
Prinn, J. (2021). The International Criminal Court’s
treatment of wartime sexual violence. Available at
The International Criminal Court’s treatment
of wartime sexual violence - Institut du Genre
en Géopolitique (igg-geo.org) https://igg-geo.
org/?p=2801&lang=en
OHCHR (2020). Convention Against Torture and
other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or
Punishment. Available at https://www.ohchr.
org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/
convention-against-torture-and-other-cruelinhuman-
or-degrading
OHCHR (1993). Vienna Declaration and Program
of Action. Available lat https://www.ohchr.org/
Documents/ProfessionalInterest/vienna.pdf
Sifris, R. (2014). Reproductive Freedom, Torture and
International Human Rights: Challenging the
Masculinization of Torture. ISBN 9781138665460.
Published March 3, 2016 by Routledge.
Sveaass, N., Gaer, F. & Grossman, C. (2020).
Rehabilitation in Article 14 of the Convention
against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or
Degrading Treatment or Punishment. In Sir
M. D. Evans and J. Modvig (eds.), Research
Handbook on Torture. Legal and Medical
Perspectives on Prohibition and Prevention. Research
Handbooks in Human Rights series.
Sveaass, N. (2017). The UN Convention Against
Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading
Treatment or Punishment: the absolute
prohibition and the obligation to prevent. In
M. Bașoğlu (Ed.). Torture and Its Definition in
International Law: An Interdisciplinary Approach,
(pp. 247-271). New York: Oxford University
Press
UN Committee against Torture (2012). General
comment no. 3, Implementation of article 14 by
States parties. http://www2.ohchr.org/english/
bodies/cat/GC3.htm
UN Committee against Torture (2008). General
comment no. 2, Implementation of article 2
by States parties. UN Doc. CAT/C/GC/2, 24
January 2008
UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel,
inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
(2008). Promotion and Protection of all Human
Rights, Civil. Political, Economic, Social, and
Cultural Rights, including the Rights to Development.
Manfred Nowak. Report to Human Rights
Council. UN Doc. A/HRC/7/3, 15 January 2008
UN Trust Fund (2021). UN Trust Fund to End
Violence against Women. Strategic Plan,
- 2025. Available at www.unwomen.
org/sites/default/files/Field%20Office%20
UNTF/Images/2021/Strategic%20Plan%202021/2021strategic%20planfinal%20
compressed.pdf
UN (2019a). Committee against Torture, Concluding
observations, Niger. UN Doc. CAT/C/NER/
CO/1
UN (2019 b). Committee against Torture,
Concluding observations, Poland. UN Doc.
CAT/C/POL/CO/7
UN (2019 c). Committee against Torture,
Concluding observations, Portugal, UN Doc
CAT/C/PRT/CO/7
UN (2016). Committee against Torture, Concluding
observations, China, UN Doc. CAT/C/CHN/
CO/5
UN (2015). Committee against Torture, Concluding
observations, Slovakia, UN Doc. CAT/C/
SVK/C/3
UN (2014). Background note. Sexual Violence: A
Tool of War. Available at https://www.un.org/
en/preventgenocide/rwanda/assets/pdf/
Backgrounder%20Sexual%20Violence%202014.
UN (2013a). Committee against Torture, Concluding
observations, Peru, UN Doc. CAT/C/PER/
CO/5-6
UN (2013b). Committee against Torture, Concluding
observations, Poland, UN Doc. CAT/C/PER/
CO/5-6
UN (2011). Committee against Torture, Concluding
observations, Paraguay, UN Doc. CAT/C/PRY/
CO/4-6
UN (2009 a). Committee against Torture,
Concluding observations, Chile, UN Doc.
CAT/C/CHL/CO/5
UN (2009b) Committee against Torture, Concluding
observations, Nicaragua, UN Doc.
UN (2001) Committee against Torture, Annual
Report UN Doc. A/56/44
UN (2000) Committee against Torture, Annual
Report UN Doc. A/55/44
UN (1999) Committee against Torture, Annual
Report UN Doc. A/54/44
UN (1998a). Sexual Violence and Armed Conflict:
United Nations Response. Published to Promote
the Goals of the Beijing Declaration and the
Platform for Action, April 1998, United Nations,
Division for the Advancement of Women.
Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
Women2000. Available at https://www.un.org/
womenwatch/daw/public/cover.htm
UN (1998b). Integrating the gender perspective into the
work of United Nations human rights treaty bodies.
International Human Rights Instruments. UN
Doc. HRI/MC/1998/6, Report by the Secretary-
General,” 3 September 1998. Available at https://
www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/news/integrating.
htm
UN (1993a). Interim Report of the Commission of
Experts Established Pursuant to Security Council
Resolution 780, (1992), Un Doc. S/25274, 10
February 1993, para. 66(c). See also paras. 58-
UN (1993b). Rape and Abuse of Women in the
Territory of the Former Yugoslavia, Report of the
Secretary- General, UN Doc. E/CN.4/1994/5, 30
June 1993, para. 8.
UN (1993c). Vienna Declaration and Programme
of Action, adopted 25 June 1993. Available
at https://www.ohchr.org/en/instrumentsmechanisms/
instruments/vienna-declaration-andprogramme-
action
UN (1992). General recommendation No. 19: Violence
against women (CEDAW). Available at https://
tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CEDAW/
Shared%20Documents/1_Global/INT_CEDAW_
GEC_3731_E.pdf
UN (1989). General Comment no. 12: Violence against
women, Committee on the Elimination of all forms of
Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Available
at https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/
treatybodyexternal/Download.aspx?symbolno=IN
T%2fCEDAW%2fGEC%2f5831&Lang=en
UN (1984). Convention against torture and other
cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or
punishment. Available at https://www.ohchr.
org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/
convention-against-torture-and-other-cruelinhuman-
or-degrading
Van Boven, T. (2008) Remarks on the Convention
against Torture’s General Comment No. 2. New
York City Law Review, 11, 2, 217-221
World Organization against Torture (OMCT) (2018).
Concept Note: Thematic briefing: Protecting women
from violence through the UN Convention Against
Torture. Available at https://www.omct.org/
files/2018/11/25161/concept_note__thematic_
briefing_vaw.pdf
World Organization against Torture (OMCT),
Amnesty International, Global Justice Center,
Women’s Link Worldwide (2019). Thematic
Briefing: Protecting women from violence through
the UN Convention Against Torture- Available
at https://www.omct.org/files/2019/06/25377/
briefing_report__protecting_women_from_
violence_through_the_un_convention_against_
torture.pdf
Descargas
Publicado
Cómo citar
Número
Sección
Licencia
Derechos de autor 2022 Torture Journal
Esta obra está bajo una licencia internacional Creative Commons Atribución-NoComercial-SinDerivadas 4.0.
We accept that some authors (e.g. government employees in some countries) are unable to transfer copyright. The Creative Commons Licence Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) covers both the Torture Journal and the IRCT web site. The publisher will not put any limitation on the personal freedom of the author to use material contained in the paper in other works which may be published, provided that acknowledgement is made to the original place of publication.
