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International Criminal Law, Humanitarian Law, and Human Rights Research Guide

A Research Guide for the Students in the International Human Rights Clinic.

Treaty-Based Human Rights Bodies

There are ten human rights treaty bodies that monitor the implementation of the core international human rights treaties listed in the above link.  

The Human Rights Committee monitors the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and its optional protocols.

The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights monitors the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination monitors the implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.  

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women monitors the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and its optional protocol.

The Committee against Torture ("CAT") monitors the implementation of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. The Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture monitors the optional protocol.

The Committee on the Rights of the Child monitors the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its optional protocols.

The Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families monitors the implementation of the Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.

The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities monitors the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its optional protocol.

The Committee on Enforced Disappearances monitors the implementation of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

OHCHR Treaty Body Databases

A database of documents submitted to any of the UN human rights treaty monitoring bodies. You can filter by convention, country, type of document, document symbol, and/or date (but not full-text).  

A searchable database of the full-text of UN treaty body jurisprudence (decisions on cases before those bodies). 

Universal Human Rights Index

The Universal Human Rights Index provides access to country-related documents submitted to any of the UN human rights bodies, including the special procedures.

UN Human Rights Treaties Travaux Préparatoires

A searchable database of drafting histories of the major post-World War II human rights treaties from the University of Virginia School of Law.  

USC Digital Accessibility