Allegation by an individual or state that it is entitled to a remedy for an injury caused by an offender (usually the state).

One who brings a claim.

Body formed by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations to address human rights; one of the first and most important international human rights bodies.

Body formed by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations to deal with issues facing women in the Member States.

See Complaint.

In legal terms, the initial document that begins an action; a complaint sets forth a brief summary of what happened and argues why relief should be granted; in a human rights case, the complaint (or Petition, or Communication) alleges that the government, or another individual or institution that must answer to human rights standards (such as a sur [..]

Under complaint- information procedures, the goal is not to redress individual grievances but to identify broad human rights violations affecting a large population; petitions are received only as part of the information before the body considering the matter; authors of petitions have no right to a remedy, and may not even have a right to be infor [..]

Binding agreement between states; used synonymously with Treaty and Covenant; Conventions are stronger than Declarations in that they are legally binding for states that are party to them and governments can be held accountable for violating them; the United Nations General Assembly creates international norms and standards when it adopts conventio [..]

See Domestic violence.

A social construction often contrasted with "sex" which refers to biological differences between males and females; gender refers to socially constructed differences between men and women as well as socially and culturally constructed perceptions of differences between men and women; a broader term than "sex."