INTRODUCTION Anyone may bring an alleged violation of human rights to the attention of the United Nations and thousands of people around the world do so every year. This Fact Sheet explains the procedures open to individuals who claim to be victims of violations of rights contained in international human rights treaties. It is through individual complaints that human rights are given concrete meaning. In the adjudication of individual cases, international norms that may otherwise seem general and abstract are put into practical effect. When applied to a person’s real-life situation, the standards contained in international human rights treaties find their most direct application. The resulting body of decisions may guide States, civil society and individuals in interpreting the contemporary meaning of these treaties. Individuals have increasingly acquired the means to vindicate their rights at the international level. This Fact Sheet looks at complaints that are brought under international human rights treaties. Since the early 1970s international complaint mechanisms have developed apace, and individuals can now bring claims to the United Nations concerning violations of their rights contained in the nine so-called “core” human rights treaties:1 • The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights • The Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment • The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination • The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women • The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities • The International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance • The International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families • The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights • The Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocols. The complaint mechanisms are designed to be accessible to the layperson. It is not necessary to be a lawyer or even to be familiar with legal and technical terms to bring a complaint under these treaties. 1 At the time of writing, not all treaty body-based complaint mechanisms had entered into force. 1