Universal-Womens-accesss-to-justice-Publications-Practitioners-Guide-Series-2016-ENG

290 PRACTITIONERS GUIDE No. 12
ii) Mechanisms for individual complaints
Universal treaty bodies do not provide for collective
complaints. The general rule is that complaints may be
submitted by individuals who claim to be victims of a violation
by the State Party of any of the rights set forth in human rights
treaty for which the treaty body has competence. 718 If the
violation concerns a group of people, they can submit as a
group. 719 The complaint may be submitted by the individual
718
See, Article 1, Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights (OP-ICCPR); Article 2 Optional Protocol to the
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,
adopted by General Assembly resolution No. 63/117, UN Doc.
A/RES/63/117, 10 December 2008 (OP-ICESCR); Article 2, Optional
Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women (OP-CEDAW); Rule 113(a), Rules of
Procedure of the Committee against Torture, UN Doc. CAT/C/3/Rev.6,
13 August 2013 (CAT Rules of Procedure); Rule 91(b), Rules of
Procedure of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
(CERD Rules of Procedure). See also, Rule 68.1, Rules and Procedures
of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women,
UN Doc. A/56/38 (SUPP), as amended by A/62/38 (SUPP, Chapter V)
(CEDAW Rules of Procedure); Article 5, Optional Protocol to the
Convention on the Rights of the Child on a Communications Procedure,
(OP-CRC-CP); Rule 13, Rules of Procedure under the Optional Protocol
to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a Communications
Procedure, UN Doc. CRC/C/62/3, 16 April 2013 (CRC Rules of
Procedure); Rule 4, Provisional Rules of Procedure under the Optional
Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights, UN Doc. E/C.12/49/3, 15 January 2013 (CESCR
Provisional Rules of Procedure); Article 1, Optional Protocol to the
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (OP-CRPD); Rule
69, Rules of Procedure of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities, UN Doc. CRPD/C/4/2, 13 August 2010 (CRPD Rules of
Procedure); Rule 68, Rules of Procedure of the Committee on Enforced
Disappearances, UN Doc. CED/C/1, 22 June 2012 (CED Rules of
Procedure).
719
This requirement, valid for all treaty bodies, is made explicit in
Article 2 OP-ICESCR and Article 2 OP-CEDAW. See also, Rule 68.1,
CEDAW Rules of Procedure; Article 5, Optional Protocol to the
Convention on the Rights of the Child on a Communications Procedure,