GENEVA – The UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, Reem Alsalem, starts an official visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Monday 9 December. During her visit, which will conclude on 19 December, she will examine national legal and practical frameworks aimed at combating and preventing violence against all women and girls residing in the UAE, including nationals and migrants. The Special Rapporteur will focus on a range of issues that are relevant to her mandate, which include domestic violence, sexual harassment and violence, exploitation, as well as access to sexual and reproductive rights. She will also assess the kind of assistance and support provided to survivors of violence. The Special Rapporteur starts her visit in Abu Dhabi, before travelling to several other Emirates. She will meet with Government officials, civil society representatives, international organizations, academics and survivors. Alsalem will hold a press conference to share preliminary findings on Thursday 19 December at 16:00 (UAE local time) at the St. Regis Hotel in Abu Dhabi. Access will be limited to accredited journalists. The Special Rapporteur will present her report on the visit to the 59th session of the Human Rights Council in June 2025. Ms. Reem Alsalem is the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences. The Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity. UN Human Rights, country page – United Arab Emirates For inquiries and media requests, please contact the mandate’s Secretariat: hrc-sr-vaw@un.org and copy yasmine.ashraf@un.org. For media inquiries related to other UN independent experts please contact Dharisha Indraguptha (dharisha.indraguptha@un.org), or Seif Magango (seif.magango@un.org) Follow news related to the UN’s independent human rights experts on Twitter: @UN_SPExperts