Who can make a complaint to a treaty body?

Complaints about individual breaches of human rights be made to a UN treaty body by a person or another member country.

Complaints by a person can be made by:

• The victim of a human rights breach by the government; or
• Someone acting on behalf of the victim of a human rights breach.

Can I have legal representation?

You can have a lawyer represent you in your complaint if you want, but you don’t have to. Having a lawyer can help with writing your submissions and making sure your complaint has all the information it needs.

The UN won’t pay for a lawyer to help someone with a complaint.

Who can make a complaint on my behalf?

Someone else (other than a lawyer) can submit a complaint on your behalf, so long as they have your written consent.

Someone can submit a complaint on your behalf without your written consent if:

• You cannot give written consent (for example, because they can’t get the form into the prison for you to sign); and
• They are a family member or someone else with a legitimate interest in your case.