The Procedure and Practice of the Human Rights Committee Under the First Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

This article does not specifically address women's rights, but presents an overview of the three supervisory mechanisms designed to ensure that State Party behaviour is in conformity with all obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and its First Optional Protocol. The article explores the periodic reporting procedure, the inter-state complaint procedure, and the individual communications procedure under the First Optional Protocol. The article presents some critical analysis of the Optional Protocol procedure and the legitimacy and effectiveness of the international human rights system in general. [Descriptors: Applying Human Rights Law - International, International]