PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Henry Herrera
Telephone: +1-301-801-0608
Email: davia@endtodv.org
A/HRC/59/47: A Grave Violation of the Human Rights of Men
June 26, 2025 – Twenty years ago Secretary-General Kofi Annan sharply criticized the UN Commission on Human Rights, saying, “We have reached a point at which the Commission’s declining credibility has cast a shadow on the reputation of the United Nations system as a whole, and where piecemeal reforms will not be enough.” (1)
As a result of its politicization, selective enforcement, and lack of credibility, the Commission was dissolved in 2006, and replaced by UN Human Rights Council.
Two decades later, the Human Rights Council is facing similar criticisms (2).
For example, men are lagging behind women in 12 major areas, according to reports from the WHO, International Labor Organization, World Bank, and other authoritative organizations (3). The Universal Declaration of Human Rights upholds the principle of equal rights for both men and women: “Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, [and] sex.”
But the “Sex-Based Violence Against Women and Girls: New Frontiers and Emerging Issues” report (A/HRC/59/47) (4), currently under consideration by the Human Rights Council, directly violates the UDHR by ignoring the fact that men are equally likely as women to be victims of domestic violence.
According to a recent report by Canadian researcher Don Dutton, “incidence studies of domestic violence find that about 50% of domestic violence is bilateral, and that of the remaining unilateral DV, 35% is perpetrated by women, 15% by men.” (5)
The false representation of A/HRC/59/47 that women are the primary victims of domestic violence violates the rights of male victims of abuse who are unable to obtain services. The false claim also infringes on the due process rights of men who have been falsely accused.
In response, numerous individuals and groups around the world have recently submitted letters calling for the rejection of A/HRC/59/47. Following is a partial listing:
- Association Against Parental Alienation, Lithuania
- Susan S. Chuang, Canada
- Child Watch, Bermuda
- Dads Matter, United Kingdom
- Fathers for Justice, Israel
- International Council for Men and Boys, United States
- Men Helpline, India
- Lynn Steinberg, Canada
- Mark J. Sullivan, United States
- Varones Unidos por una Masculinidad Positiva, Uruguay
The Domestic Abuse and Violence International Alliance calls on the Human Rights Council to affirmatively reject A/HRC/59/47, “Sex-Based Violence Against Women and Girls: New Frontiers and Emerging Issues.”
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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