Shadow reports

The purpose of Shadow Reports is to supplement, or "shadow", the report of the government of a particular nation, either to the Treaty Body Committees or to the UPR as “additional information”. When access exists to the government report that is to be sent, for example to the CEDAW Committee in gender issues, NGOs can critique it. Such critique can be directed at either the entire report from the government – this would often be the result of a collective and coordinated undertaking by many civil society organisations – or it can be directed at just one specific right of article. The Shadow Reports can emphasize the prevalence and magnitude of the critical issues faced by the women/girls in that country which the government has downplayed or failed to highlight. The Committee would read all reports sent and use them for validation during the sessions with respective governments.

Here are some example shadow reports:

Shadow report to CEDAW

http://www.fwld.org.np/sumsr.html

Amnesty International Report 2008

http://thereport.amnesty.org/eng/Regions/Middle-East-and-North-Africa/Yemen

Amnesty International USA

http://www.amnestyusa.org/document.php?lang=e&id=ENGACT770102007

Women UN report network

http://www.wunrn.com/news/2007/09_07/09_03_07/09_03_07.htm

Shadow report for CEDAW 2007

http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cedaw/docs/ngos/womenreform40.pdf

Report on women’s human rights in the United States under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights