conducting country visits or fact-finding missions to countries where it is suspected that torture may involve more than isolated or sporadic incidents; transmitting allegations of torture (allegation letters) and communicating urgent appeals to Governments; and submitting annual reports on his activities to the Commission on Human Rights and the General Assembly. The Special Rapporteur follows up his requests with the Governments concerned in order to secure protection for the individuals in question. It should be noted that the mandate of the Special Rapporteur does not duplicate that of the Committee against Torture, set up under the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. In particular, the Convention applies only to States parties to that instrument, whereas the mandate of the Special Rapporteur is global. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention 75. The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention was established by the Commission on Human Rights in 1991 with the mandate to investigate individual cases of arbitrary detention; to seek and receive information from Governments and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, and receive information from the individuals concerned and their families or representatives; and to present a comprehensive annual report to the Commission. The Working Group adopts views on the merits of individual cases of alleged arbitrary detention and makes recommendations to Governments, determines reparation measures that States should comply with, and publishes opinions in an annex to its annual report to the Commission. In addition to conducting country visits, the Working Group uses urgent action procedures to intervene in cases, among others, where it is alleged that a person has been detained arbitrarily and that person's life or health is in danger due to that detention. Finally, the Working Group has developed some follow-up measures to facilitate the implementation of its views by the States concerned. Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences 76. The Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences was established by the Commission on Human Rights in 1994. The working methods of the Special Rapporteur are similar to those of the Special Rapporteur on torture: transmitting allegations and urgent appeals to Governments, undertaking fact-finding or country visits and submitting annual reports to the Commission on the findings. The Special Rapporteur has focused on specific forms of violence, including military sexual slavery, trafficking and forced prostitution, rape by individuals and domestic violence. (c) Urgent action appeals 77. Fourteen thematic mandates are able to deal with urgent action appeals in response to individual allegations that a serious human rights violation is about to be committed. Such situations include imminent extrajudicial execution, fear that a detained individual may be subjected to torture, or a threat to the life of a human rights defender. In these cases, the particular special rapporteur or chairperson of a working group may address a message to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the State con- 23