15th septiembre 2023

The United States of America – Submission to the Human Rights Committee at the 139th Session, September 2023

Equality Now, the ERA Coalition, Unchained at Last, the US End FGM/C Network and the Alliance for Universal Digital Rights (AUDRi) present the following submission in advance of the 139th session of the Human Rights Committee (‘the Committee’) taking place between October 9 and November 3, 2023, where it will consider the United States’ Fifth Periodic Report.

Key recommendations

This submission focuses on four specific areas: 1) the longstanding failure by the State party to enshrine an explicit right to equality on the basis of sex in the US Constitution; 2) the continuing legality of child marriage in the majority of US states;  3) the lack of comprehensive protections against female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C);  4) the prevalence of discrimination, harassment and gender-based violence in the digital space, and lack of protection or effective remedy for online sexual exploitation and abuse (OSEA).

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Submission to the OAS Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities

Joint submission to the OAS Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (CEDDIS) by Equality Now, Disability Rights International, Caribe Afirmativo, and Colectivo de Vida Independiente, highlighting barriers to justice for survivors of sexual violence with disabilities in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Equality Now Interventions at the 85th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights

Equality Now calls for full implementation of the Maputo Protocol, protection of reproductive and family rights, justice for survivors, and action on sexual exploitation, trafficking, and FGM across Africa.

Advancing digital rights and legal reforms to end technology-facilitated gender-based violence and protect women and girls in Southern Africa

Equality Now and AUDRi, in partnership with the Southern Africa Youth Forum, co-hosted a side event on Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV) at the Southern Africa People’s Summit on 16 August 2025 in Antananarivo, Madagascar. The discussion centred on how advancing digital rights for women, girls, and other marginalised groups through legal reforms can help end TFGBV, with a particular focus on tackling online sexual exploitation and abuse.

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