We express grave concerns over the series of harmful statements made and actions 1 taken by the current UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences, Reem Alsalem.
To our dismay, the Special Rapporteur has persistently advocated for additional obstacles and conditions to legal gender recognition that undermine the rights protections of trans people, rather than calling for bodily autonomy for all. Instead of strengthening protections of marginalized groups and contributing to progressive legacies of previous Special Rapporteur and feminist movements that untiringly advocated for the creation of the office, we witness that the current Special Rapporteur is misusing her position and power to advocate for discriminatory policies against trans people and misapplying established human rights principles and frameworks.
We reject the co-optation of the human rights framework, particularly the notion put forward by the Special Rapporteur that the fulfillment of the rights of trans women and cis women is or can be conflicting and incompatible 7. Moreover, they have attempted to raise concerns directly with her about the potential dangers of such a statement These attempts were made in good faith, with the purpose of providing constructive feedback so that she will, at minimum, preserve gains made by the existing mandate that has historically been invaluable to the work of feminist movements worldwide.
Based on recent statements and actions, the Special Rapporteur has indicated no intention of reconsidering her position. Special Rapporteurs hold a central role in the UN system as independent experts mandated to protect the rights of the marginalized and ensure implementation to remedy and prevent harm based on international human rights principles.
Among the mandates of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls is to adopt a comprehensive and universal approach to the elimination of violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences, including causes of violence against women relating to the civil, cultural, economic, political and social spheres. We believe that the harmful position taken by the Special Rapporteur undermines the integrity, independence, and credibility of the Special Procedures mechanism as a whole.
