Committee against Torture

Description

The Committee against Torture is a United Nations human rights treaty body.

It is made up of 10 independent experts who monitor how states implement the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. It works to hold states accountable for torture, investigating reports systematically to stop and prevent the crime. It was established in 1988.

States parties must report regularly on how they carry out the Convention, and the Committee reviews these reports and issues concluding observations. It considers individual complaints from people who say they have suffered torture, when a state has accepted that procedure. It can open an inquiry into reliable reports of grave or systematic violations, and it examines allegations of reprisals against people who cooperate with it. The Committee also publishes general comments interpreting the Convention.

It reviews every state that has ratified the Convention, so its work covers much of the world. It is serviced by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, based in Geneva. It works alongside related UN bodies such as the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and the UN Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture.