Tactics and tools for the protection
of Human Rights Defenders

20 December 2010

United Nations
General Assembly

A/HRC/16/44

Distr.: General
20 December 2010
Original: English


Human Rights Council
Sixteenth session
Agenda item 3
Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil,
political, economic, social and cultural rights,
including the right to development
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human
rights defenders, Margaret Sekaggya

The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Margaret Sekaggya, presents her third report to the Human Rights Council, submitted pursuant to Council resolution 7/8.
In chapter II of the report, the Special Rapporteur provides an account of her activities during the reporting year. She draws the attention of Member States to the 246 communications sent under the mandate during the past year. More detailed information on these communications is contained in addendum 1 to the present report.
In chapter III, the Special Rapporteur focuses on the situation of women human rights defenders and those working on women’s rights or gender issues, the risks and violations that they face and the perpetrators involved. After a section on the legal framework and the approach of the mandate to the challenges faced by these defenders, the Special Rapporteur analyses the risks and violations reported to the mandate. She further provides an overview of the gender-sensitivity of the protection mechanisms in place as well as on the strategies that these defenders use to keep themselves safe.
In chapter III, the Special Rapporteur outlines her conclusions and recommendations to member States, national human rights institutions, regional protection mechanisms and national and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodie...