UN Human Rights Council Should Reject Deeply Flawed Report on Domestic Violence

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Contact: Henry Herrera

Telephone: +1-301-801-0608

UN Human Rights Council Should Reject Deeply Flawed Report on Domestic Violence

June 17, 2025 – Amy Pugh was found guilty last week for the murder of her husband, Kyle, in 2022. A postmortem exam showed the UK man had suffered severe neck compression injuries. Detective Inspector Jo Delahay commented, “This is a tragic case, which has caused tremendous upset to Kyle’s family over the last three years.” Amy Pugh is scheduled to be sentenced on September 5. (1)

The conviction of Amy Pugh confirms the findings of hundreds of domestic violence studies conducted around the world, revealing that domestic violence is an equal opportunity problem. Based on his review of 343 scholarly investigations in over 40 countries, researcher Martin Fiebert concluded, “women are as physically aggressive as men (or more) in their relationships with their spouses or opposite-sex partners.” (2)

But a report submitted to the UN Human Rights Council flatly ignores this body of research. “Sex-Based Violence Against Women and Girls: New Frontiers and Emerging Issues” (3) is scheduled to be considered by the UN Human Rights Council during its 59^th session, which opened on Monday in Geneva. The report, authored by Reem Alsalem, makes one-sided claims, without scientific support, such as “Violence against women and girls is a form of severe gender-based violence that takes place because of social and cultural norms pertaining to sex.”

Similar claims are made numerous times in the 22-page report. For example, the document asserts that “Technology-facilitated violence against females is an increasing concern.” This claim is contradicted by a Pew Research study that showed American men are more likely than women to experience online harassment: 43% of men vs. 38% for women (4).

This is not the first time that UN Special Rapporteur Reem Alsalem has made brazen assertions. Two years ago Alsalem submitted the report, “Custody, Violence Against Women and Violence against Children” (5). Her document characterized parental alienation, which is a severe form of child abuse, as an “unscientific pseudo-concept.” In response, over 5,700 persons signed a petition opposing her report (6).

As a result, the Human Rights Council refused to approve the document (7).

Following a 2024 visit to the United Kingdom, Alsalem issued this inflammatory declaration: “Entrenched patriarchy at almost every level of society, combined with a rise in misogyny that permeates the physical and online world, is denying thousands of women and girls across the UK the right to live in safety, free from fear and violence” – bolding in the original (8). Alsalem did not provide any evidence to support such an extreme position.

There is a growing belief that feminists utilize the domestic violence issue as a wedge to stereotype and vilify men (9). The UN Human Rights Council should reject Alsalem’s baseless claims.

The Domestic Abuse and Violence International Alliance – DAVIA — consists of 189 member organizations from 39 countries in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America, and North America. DAVIA seeks to ensure that domestic violence and abuse polices are science-based, family-affirming, and gender-inclusive. https://endtodv.org/davia/

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