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This report by the Center offers an invaluable resource to women's rights advocates by documenting the work of UN treaty monitoring bodies--which monitor governmental compliance with six key international human rights treaties--as they break new ground in translating human rights standards into government responsibility on a broad spectrum of reproductive rights issues. Bringing Rights to Bear: An Analysis of the Work of UN Treaty Monitoring Bodies on Reproductive and Sexual Rights takes a long hard look at the thousands of comments, statements and recommendations produced by UN treaty monitoring bodies, and analyzes their potential for advancing and protecting reproductive rights. The report was produced with the University of Toronto International Programme on Reproductive and Sexual Health Law and features an accompanying advocacy guide, comprised of two briefing papers.

The detailed report charts the collective work of six UN committees as they break new ground in translating human rights standards into state responsibility on a broad spectrum of reproductive rights issues. It clearly documents the key role played by these committees in advancing the recognition, protection and enforcement of reproductive rights.

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Download the entire report by clicking here, or download by chapter below.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgements
Glossary

CHAPTER I: Introduction

CHAPTER II: The United Nations Treaty Monitoring Bodies

CHAPTER III: Rights Relating to Physical Integrity, Security and Autonomy

CHAPTER IV: Rights Relating to Reproductive and Sexual Health, Information and Education

CHAPTER V: Due Respect for Differences: Discrimination Based on Race and Ethnicity, Age, Disability, Sexual Orientation

APPENDIX A: Overview of UN Treaty Monitoring Bodies

APPENDIX B: Mandates of UN Agencies

APPENDIX C: The Work of UN Treaty Monitoring Bodies on Reproductive and Sexual Rights: Charts of Chapters III, IV, and V

Also available: Bringing Rights to Bear: An Advocate’s Guide to the Work of UN Treaty Monitoring Bodies on Reproductive and Sexual Rights (PDF) Also available in Spanish The advocate’s guide: highlights strategies for promoting reproductive rights by influencing the UN committees' recommendations; outlines a five-step strategy to working with UN committees, government, civil society and international organizations to give these standards practical effect and ensure their realization through concrete measures on the national level; and provides practical user-friendly information on each of the committees.