Report No. 273

(v) Enforcement

2.10 The prohibition on torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment is implemented in the U.N. system through the human rights treaty bodies, including the Human Rights Committee, the Committee Against Torture and the Sub-committee on the Prevention of Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. The Committee against Torture (Committee) is a body of human rights experts that monitors implementation of the Convention by State parties.

The Committee is one of eight UN-linked human rights treaty bodies. All State parties are obliged under the Convention to submit regular reports to the Committee on how rights are being implemented. The Committee against Torture has also set up a working group for the examination of individual communications received under Article 22 of the CAT. The working group examines the admissibility and merits of the communications and makes recommendations to the Committee.22

2.11 In addition, the UN Human Rights Council by special procedures may investigate and report on allegations of torture. For example, the Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, is authorised to examine questions related to torture in all United Nations Member States. It may be through urgent appeals, country visits, and reporting.

2.12 Enforcement can be ensured through individual complaints' mechanisms to regional human rights tribunals, including the European Court of Human Rights, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, and the African Court of Human and Peoples' Rights.