Interim measures

What are the steps the CEDAW Committee can take to avoid irreparable damage or harm to the victim(s) or author(s) of the communication while it is being reviewed?

At any stage of the Communication Procedure, the CEDAW Committee, working group or rapporteur may request that the State party concerned “take such interim measures as the Committee considers necessary to avoid irreparable damage to the victim or victims of the alleged violation” [Rule 63].

This rule is for situations where the victim(s) may be at risk of imminent harm (e.g. torture or execution), and cannot wait for the potentially timely resolution of the Communication Procedure before receiving protection. In such cases, the CEDAW Committee may ask the State party to provide the victim with interim measures. Interim measures simply mean taking whatever action is necessary to ensure the protection of the victim(s), such as offering the victim(s) police protection or relocating her/them to a safe environment. Interim measures are meant to be immediate and temporary in nature, to safeguard the victim(s) only until such time that the Communications Procedure is complete.

The CEDAW Committee takes special care to note that such a request is not indicative of its views on whether the State party has breached its obligations: it is not a determination of the merits of the case. Neither does such a request prejudice any future submissions made by the State party on the admissibility or merits of the communication.