CRIN - Child Rights Information Network - Organisations - UN OHCHR

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Organisation aims and activities: The Committee Against Torture (CAT) is the
body of independent experts that monitors
implementation of the Convention Against
Torture by its State parties.

Further details: All States parties are obliged to submit regular reports to the Committee on how the rights are being implemented. States must report initially one year after acceding to the Convention and then every four years. The Committee examines each report and addresses its concerns and recommendations to the State party in the form of “concluding observations”. In addition to the reporting procedure, the Convention establishes three other mechanisms through which the Committee performs its monitoring functions: the Committee may also, under certain circumstances, consider individual complaints or communications from individuals claiming that their rights under the Convention have been violated, undertake inquiries, and consider inter-state complaints. An Optional Protocol to the Convention will, when it enters into force, create a sub- committee and allow in-country inspections of places of detention to be undertaken in collaboration with national institutions. The Committee meets in Geneva and normally holds two sessions per year consisting of a plenary (of three weeks in May and two weeks in November) and a one-week pre-sessional working group. The Committee also publishes its interpretation of the content of human rights provisions, known as general comments on thematic issues.

Operational level: International

Organisation type: United Nations agency

Other organisations based in Switzerland:

Last updated 31/01/2006 10:51:30

CRIN does not accredit or validate any of the organisations listed in our directory. The views and activities of the listed organisations do not necessarily reflect the views or activities of CRIN's coordination team.

UN OHCHR - Committee against Torture (CAT)