15th September 2023

The United States of America – Submission to the Human Rights Committee – 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.

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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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Kenya Joint Shadow Report on the implementation of the Maputo Protocol

Submitted by Equality Now on behalf of 13 joint stakeholders, this shadow report assesses Kenya’s implementation of the Maputo Protocol and highlights urgent gaps in law, policy, and practice affecting women and girls. It calls on Kenya to strengthen protections against gender-based violence, advance reproductive rights, end discriminatory family law practices, improve access to justice, and protect marginalised women, including refugees, widows, older women, and women with disabilities.

Mauritius Joint CSO Shadow Report on the implementation of the Maputo Protocol

The Mauritius Joint CSO Shadow Report on the Implementation of the Maputo Protocol highlights the urgent need to strengthen protections for the rights of women and girls in Mauritius. The report documents persistent challenges, including gender-based violence, discrimination, barriers to justice and healthcare, and economic inequality, while calling for comprehensive legal and policy reforms aligned with the Maputo Protocol.

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 examines recent legal and political developments impacting women’s and girls’ rights in the United States, including the continued failure to guarantee constitutional sex equality, ongoing gaps in protections against child marriage and female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), growing concerns surrounding online sexual exploitation and abuse (OSEA), and the United States’ increasing disengagement from international human rights systems. It also highlights emerging legislative trends, survivor experiences, and the broader implications of weakened accountability and protection…

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