13th مايو 2026

Submission Update to the Universal Periodic Review – United States of America 53rd Session of the UPR Working Group of the Human Rights Council

This update supplements the stakeholder shadow report submitted by Equality Now, the US End FGM/C Network, Unchained At Last, the Alliance of Universal Digital Rights, and The ERA Coalition, for the 50th Session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group on the United States of America. It outlines key developments since March 2025 concerning the United States’ obligations under international human rights law, following the States’ failure to participate in its scheduled November 2025 review. Since the original submission, protections for women, girls, and other marginalized communities have continued to deteriorate through legislative, judicial, and policy measures at the federal and state levels, while the United States has continued to distance itself from international accountability mechanisms. This update focuses on constitutional sex equality, child marriage, female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), online sexual exploitation and abuse (OSEA), and the ratification of international and regional human rights instruments, highlighting ongoing gaps in legal protections and accountability ahead of the upcoming rescheduled UPR review.

What’s included in the update?

  • Developments on constitutional sex equality and the absence of explicit protections against sex-based discrimination
  • Analysis of recent legal rulings and their impact on gender equality protections
  • Updates on child marriage laws, including recent state-level reforms and remaining legal gaps
  • Examination of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) laws, including problematic policy developments and ongoing federal implementation gaps
  • Assessment of online sexual exploitation and abuse (OSEA) protections, including recent legislation, enforcement challenges, and survivor experiences
  • Overview of the United States’ engagement with international and regional human rights instruments and accountability mechanisms
  • Summary of key trends indicating a broader rollback of protections for women, girls, and marginalized communities

Who’s it for?

  • The United Nations Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group
  • UN member states participating in the review
  • Treaty bodies and international human rights mechanisms
  • Civil society organisations 
  • Legal and policy experts
  • Gender equality, child protection, and digital rights advocates 

Download your file

Missing gravity form id.

Key takeaways and recommendations

  • Take every step necessary to universally recognize and fully implement the ERA as the 28th Amendment to the US Constitution.
  • Amend all federal laws that encourage, condone, or incentivize marriage before the age of 18.
  • Effectively implement the federal law on FGM/C.
  • Maintain medically accurate and human rights-based distinctions between FGM/C and gender-affirming care across law and policy. 
  • Enact laws that address the root causes of Online Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (OSEA), in particular gender and sex-based discrimination, intersecting inequalities, and the proliferation of misogyny and abuse of power online and through the use of digital technologies.
  • Require digital platforms and service providers to adopt human rights-based approaches, prioritize safety-by-design in the development and use of algorithms, and encourage them to collaborate with the US government.
  • Sign and ratify the UN Convention Against Cybercrime, ensuring its provisions are incorporated into domestic law and enforcement practices.
  • Ratify core human rights treaties, including CEDAW and the CRC, and implement their provisions into domestic law and policy.

Explore more resources

1

2

The state of gender equality in the US: A Universal Periodic Review shadow report

This shadow report outlines how the U.S. is failing to meet international human rights obligations on sex equality, child marriage, FGM/C, and online sexual abuse, urging action ahead of its 2025 Universal Periodic Review.

Submission to the UN Human Rights Committee over the USA’s failure to uphold the rights of women and girls in all their diversity

Equality Now and partners submitted evidence to the UN Human Rights Committee in 2023, highlighting the US’s ongoing violations of women’s and girls’ rights under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Newsletter Sign-up

Make a donation

I want to donate