How do I file a human rights violation complaint with the United Nations?

The UN handles human rights complaints only after all other options in your country have been tried. It’s best to get help from a local lawyer or human rights group before reaching out to the UN. You may want to contact a non-governmental organizations (NGO) in your country. You can search for one NGO in the database of organizations in Consultative Status with ECOSOC and other accreditations.

The website of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has several resources for people who want to communicate human rights concerns to the United Nations.

Some human rights conventions allow people to file complaints, but not all do. Decisions on these cases are usually in restricted documents unless the human rights body decides to make them available. You can find case names and details in the session(s) reports where the case was discussed. This information is often called ‘jurisprudence’ of the treaty bodies.