A/HRC/31/57 I. Introduction 1. The present report has been prepared pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 25/13. In an addendum (A/HRC/31/57/Add.1), the Special Rapporteur makes observations on cases sent to Governments between 1 December 2014 and 30 November 2015, as reflected in the communications reports of special procedures mandate holders (A/HRC/29/50, A/HRC/30/27 and A/HRC/31/79). During the period under review, the Special Rapporteur visited Georgia (A/HRC/31/57/Add.3) and Brazil (A/HRC/31/57/Add.4) and conducted a follow-up visit to Ghana (A/HRC/31/57/Add.2) with the support of the Anti-Torture Initiative. II. Activities relating to the mandate 2. On 2 October 2015, the Special Rapporteur delivered a keynote address at a conference in London on the case against backsliding on the torture ban. 3. On 5 and 6 November 2015, the Special Rapporteur held expert consultations in Washington, D.C. on gender and torture, the focus of the present report. 4. From 29 to 30 October and 13 to 15 December 2015, the Special Rapporteur attended regional meetings of the Convention against Torture Initiative held in San José and Marrakech, Morocco. III. Gender perspectives on torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment 5. In the present report, the Special Rapporteur assesses the applicability of the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment in international law to the unique experiences of women, girls, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and intersex persons. Historically, the torture and ill-treatment framework evolved largely in response to practices and situations that disproportionately affected men. The analysis has thus largely failed to have a gendered and intersectional lens, or to account adequately for the impact of entrenched discrimination, patriarchal, heteronormative and discriminatory power structures and socialized gender stereotypes. He highlights in the report how the torture and ill-treatment framework can be more effectively applied to qualify human rights violations committed against persons who transgress sexual and gender norms; identify gaps in prevention, protection, access to justice and remedies; and provide guidance to States on their obligations to respect, protect and fulfil the rights of all persons to be free from torture and ill-treatment. A. Legal framework 6. The Special Rapporteur recalls the need to apply the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment in a gender-inclusive manner (A/55/290). Full integration of a gender perspective into any analysis of torture and illtreatment is critical to ensuring that violations rooted in discriminatory social norms around gender and sexuality are fully recognized, addressed and remedied. 7. Gender-based violence, endemic even in peacetime and often amplified during conflict, can be committed against any persons because of their sex and socially constructed 3