UPR Sexual Rights Database

Search & Filters

Select one or more parameters to begin your search. You may also search by keyword at any time.

UN Member State that is reviewed on its human rights record as part of the UPR process.

Categories of the types of information used during reviews

Show advanced filters
Source of Reference

Recommending State

UN Member State or Permanent Observer making sexual rights related recommendations, comments or asking questions to the State under Review.

Review Documentation

Sources of information used as the basis for a State’s review.  Includes the State’s National Report, UN Compilation Report and a Stakeholder Summary.

UN Regional Group to which State under Review belongs.

UN Regional Group to which Recommending State belongs.

This will only match recommendations where the Source of Review is a State.

Implementation notes

State responses to recommendations and issues raised in the UN Compilation and Stakeholder summary.

Displaying 45501 - 45525 of 58126 recommendations found
  • State Under Review:

    Singapore

    Singapore
    Regional group
    Asia-Pacific Group
    Political group
    ASEAN
    Commonwealth
    Source Of Reference:

    UN Compilation

    Issue:
    • Gender equality
    • Women's and / or girls' rights
    Type:
    Review Documentation
    Session:
    24th session, January 2016
    Status:
    Neglected
    Contents:
    The CEDAW noted with concern that Singapore had no plans to adopt temporary special measures to accelerate the achievement of substantive equality between women and men. It reiterated its previous recommendation and called upon Singapore to apply temporary special measures in areas in which women are underrepresented or disadvantaged and allocate additional resources where needed. [Para 36]
  • State Under Review:

    Singapore

    Singapore
    Regional group
    Asia-Pacific Group
    Political group
    ASEAN
    Commonwealth
    Source Of Reference:

    Slovakia

    Slovakia
    Regional group
    EEG
    Political group
    EU
    Issue:
    • International human rights instruments
    Type:
    Recommendation
    Session:
    38th Session, May 2021
    Status:
    Accepted
    Contents:
    Consider ratifying the ICESCR.
    Explanation
    Singapore takes our treaty obligations seriously and we have a process under our IMC-HR to actively review our ability to ratify additional human rights treaties.
  • State Under Review:

    Singapore

    Singapore
    Regional group
    Asia-Pacific Group
    Political group
    ASEAN
    Commonwealth
    Source Of Reference:

    Poland

    Poland
    Regional group
    EEG
    Political group
    EU
    Issue:
    • International human rights instruments
    Type:
    Recommendation
    Session:
    11th session, May 2011
    Status:
    Partially Accepted
    Contents:
    Consider ratifying remaining core human rights treaties, namely: ICESCR, ICCPR, ICERD and CAT.
    Implementation
    Stakeholder Summary:
    Para 1) AI noted that Singapore was yet to ratify the ICCPR and its OPs ... as recommended in the previous UPR.
  • State Under Review:

    Singapore

    Singapore
    Regional group
    Asia-Pacific Group
    Political group
    ASEAN
    Commonwealth
    Source Of Reference:

    Greece

    Greece
    Regional group
    WEOG
    Political group
    EU
    OIF
    Issue:
    • Sexual harassment
    Type:
    Recommendation
    Session:
    38th Session, May 2021
    Status:
    Accepted
    Contents:
    Ensure that victims of sexual harassment in the workplace have access to effective complaints procedures, protection measures and recourse to remedies.
  • State Under Review:

    Singapore

    Singapore
    Regional group
    Asia-Pacific Group
    Political group
    ASEAN
    Commonwealth
    Source Of Reference:

    Botswana

    Botswana
    Regional group
    Africa Group
    Political group
    AU
    Commonwealth
    Issue:
    • Sexual exploitation / slavery
    Type:
    Recommendation
    Session:
    38th Session, May 2021
    Status:
    Accepted
    Contents:
    Strengthen measures against trafficking, including investigating and identifying child victims of sexual exploitation and trafficking, and ensuring that perpetrators are brought to justice.
    Explanation
    Singapore enacted the Prevention of Human Trafficking Act (PHTA) in 2015 to specifically combat trafficking in persons (TIP). The definition of TIP in the Act is aligned to that under the UN TIP Protocol.
  • State Under Review:

    Singapore

    Singapore
    Regional group
    Asia-Pacific Group
    Political group
    ASEAN
    Commonwealth
    Source Of Reference:

    Georgia

    Georgia
    Regional group
    EEG
    Issue:
    • Gender equality
    Type:
    Recommendation
    Session:
    38th Session, May 2021
    Status:
    Accepted
    Contents:
    Take further measures in advancing women’s protection, interests, and development.
    Explanation
    Singapore’s approach to gender equality is founded on the principle of meritocracy where women in Singapore participate fully and equally in all spheres of life and at all levels. In 2017, Singapore’s first female President, Halimah Yacob, was elected into office.
  • State Under Review:

    Singapore

    Singapore
    Regional group
    Asia-Pacific Group
    Political group
    ASEAN
    Commonwealth
    Source Of Reference:

    Argentina

    Argentina
    Regional group
    GRULAC
    Political group
    OAS
    OEI
    Issue:
    • Sexual violence
    Type:
    Recommendation
    Session:
    38th Session, May 2021
    Status:
    Accepted
    Contents:
    Adopt measures to criminalize all forms of sexual violence against women.
    Explanation
    Singapore’s approach to gender equality is founded on the principle of meritocracy where women in Singapore participate fully and equally in all spheres of life and at all levels. In 2017, Singapore’s first female President, Halimah Yacob, was elected into office.
  • State Under Review:

    Singapore

    Singapore
    Regional group
    Asia-Pacific Group
    Political group
    ASEAN
    Commonwealth
    Source Of Reference:

    Czechia

    Czechia
    Regional group
    EEG
    Political group
    EU
    Issue:
    • Discrimination based on sexual orientation
    • Discrimination based on gender identity
    • Criminal laws on same-sex sexual practices
    Type:
    Recommendation
    Session:
    38th Session, May 2021
    Status:
    Unclear Response
    Contents:
    Eliminate all forms of discrimination, including those based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and repeal legal provisions that criminalize homosexuality.
    Explanation
    Noted. Although Section 377A of the Penal Code remains in our statute books, it is not enforced. All Singapore citizens, regardless of their sexual orientation, are free to pursue their activities in their private space. We firmly oppose discrimination and harassment and have laws to protect all our citizens from such conduct. We will continue to manage the issue of LGBT rights in a sensitive and pragmatic way, so as to protect the vulnerable, uphold the family and preserve the common space for the diverse communities in Singapore.

  • State Under Review:

    Singapore

    Singapore
    Regional group
    Asia-Pacific Group
    Political group
    ASEAN
    Commonwealth
    Source Of Reference:

    UN Compilation

    Issue:
    • Gender equality
    Type:
    Review Documentation
    Session:
    11th session, May 2011
    Status:
    Neglected
    Contents:
    Elevate the status of the national machinery for the advancement of women, to strengthen its mandate and to provide the necessary human and financial resources to enable it to develop gender equality policies and monitor their implementation, and to act as catalyst for the effective use of the gender mainstreaming strategy across all ministries. [Para 11; CEDAW]
  • State Under Review:

    Singapore

    Singapore
    Regional group
    Asia-Pacific Group
    Political group
    ASEAN
    Commonwealth
    Source Of Reference:

    Swaziland

    Swaziland
    Regional group
    Africa Group
    Political group
    AU
    Commonwealth
    Issue:
    • International human rights instruments
    Type:
    Recommendation
    Session:
    11th session, May 2011
    Status:
    Accepted
    Contents:
    Consider acceding to ... CRPD
    Implementation
    National Report:
    Para 69) We ratified the CRPD in July 2013 ...
  • State Under Review:

    Singapore

    Singapore
    Regional group
    Asia-Pacific Group
    Political group
    ASEAN
    Commonwealth
    Source Of Reference:

    UN Compilation

    Issue:
    • Intersex persons' rights
    • Women's and / or girls' rights
    • Rights of same-sex desiring persons
    • Transgender persons' rights
    Type:
    Review Documentation
    Session:
    38th Session, May 2021
    Status:
    Not Followed up with a Recommendation
    Contents:
    CRC recommended that the State adopt a proactive and comprehensive strategy containing specific and well-targeted actions, including affirmative social actions, to eliminate discrimination against children in marginalized or vulnerable situations, including children without Singaporean citizenship, girls, children with disabilities, children of ethnic minorities, children of unmarried couples, children of same-sex couples and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex children. [Para 24]
  • State Under Review:

    Singapore

    Singapore
    Regional group
    Asia-Pacific Group
    Political group
    ASEAN
    Commonwealth
    Source Of Reference:

    Stakeholder Summary

    Issue:
    • Rights of same-sex desiring persons
    • Transgender persons' rights
    Type:
    Review Documentation
    Session:
    38th Session, May 2021
    Status:
    Not Followed up with a Recommendation
    Contents:
    JS4 recommended that the Government develop campaigns to increase public awareness and acceptance of LGBTQ persons. [Para 15]
  • State Under Review:

    Singapore

    Singapore
    Regional group
    Asia-Pacific Group
    Political group
    ASEAN
    Commonwealth
    Source Of Reference:

    Stakeholder Summary

    Issue:
    • Training for state personnel on sexual rights issues
    • Domestic violence
    • Rights of same-sex desiring persons
    • Transgender persons' rights
    Type:
    Review Documentation
    Session:
    38th Session, May 2021
    Status:
    Reference Addressed
    Contents:
    JS4 recommended that the Government raise awareness and strengthen capacity among State and non-State actors to conduct LGBTQ-affirmative sensitivity training for teachers, law enforcement officers, family violence service providers, and all agencies in the National Family Violence Networking System to adequately assist, counsel, and support LGBTQ children victim-survivors of violence. [Para 112]
  • State Under Review:

    Singapore

    Singapore
    Regional group
    Asia-Pacific Group
    Political group
    ASEAN
    Commonwealth
    Source Of Reference:

    UN Compilation

    Issue:
    • Women's and / or girls' rights
    Type:
    Review Documentation
    Session:
    38th Session, May 2021
    Status:
    Reference Addressed
    Contents:
    CEDAW reiterated its previous recommendations that the State incorporate into its Constitution or other appropriate legislation a definition of discrimination against women and provisions to prohibit all forms of discrimination against women, encompassing direct and indirect discrimination in the private and public spheres as well as intersecting forms of discrimination against women, in line with article 1 of the CEDAW. [Para 22]
  • State Under Review:

    Singapore

    Singapore
    Regional group
    Asia-Pacific Group
    Political group
    ASEAN
    Commonwealth
    Source Of Reference:

    France

    France
    Regional group
    WEOG
    Political group
    EU
    OIF
    Issue:
    • International human rights instruments
    Type:
    Recommendation
    Session:
    24th session, January 2016
    Status:
    Unclear Response
    Contents:
    Fulfil its international obligations by ratifying as a matter of priority the ICCPR and ICESCR.
    Explanation
    Noted. About a quarter of the recommendations that we noted relate to the ratification of international human rights treaties. Singapore takes our treaty obligations seriously and engages actively with the relevant treaty bodies. We also have a process under our Inter-Ministerial Committee on Human Rights to actively review Singapore's ability to ratify additional human rights treaties. Since we cannot prejudge the outcome of the review process, we are unable to commit ourselves to ratifying any of these specific treaties at this time, apart from the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) and the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography (OP-CRC-SC), for which a review has already been completed. While Singapore may not be party to a particular human rights treaty yet, it does not mean that our outcomes are not already fully or largely in compliance with its objectives.
  • State Under Review:

    Singapore

    Singapore
    Regional group
    Asia-Pacific Group
    Political group
    ASEAN
    Commonwealth
    Source Of Reference:

    Australia

    Australia
    Regional group
    WEOG
    Political group
    PIF
    Commonwealth
    Issue:
    • Sexual exploitation / slavery
    • International human rights instruments
    Type:
    Recommendation
    Session:
    24th session, January 2016
    Status:
    Accepted
    Contents:
    Ratify the OP-CRC-SC.
  • State Under Review:

    Singapore

    Singapore
    Regional group
    Asia-Pacific Group
    Political group
    ASEAN
    Commonwealth
    Source Of Reference:

    Spain

    Spain
    Regional group
    WEOG
    Political group
    EU
    OEI
    Issue:
    • Criminal laws on same-sex sexual practices
    Type:
    Recommendation
    Session:
    24th session, January 2016
    Status:
    Unclear Response
    Contents:
    Decriminalize consensual homosexual relations between adults.
    Explanation
    Noted. Section 377 A of the Penal Code on sodomy, which was inherited during the colonial history of Singapore, was not proactively enforced. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons were free to lead their lives. Parliament decided after an intense debate in 2007 to retain this law. The Prime Minister noted at that time that it was better to accept the legal untidiness and ambiguity of leaving the law as it was, and it would not be wise to force this issue by settling it one way or the other. Singapore firmly opposed discrimination and harassment, and did not discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex applicants to the civil service. The approach was "to live and let live", preserve the common space for all communities, and let society evolve gradually and decide collectively.
    Implementation
    Stakeholder Summary:
    Para 12) JS3 stated that although section 377A of the Penal Code, criminalising consensual sexual behaviour between adult males, had not been enforced since the last universal periodic review of Singapore in 2016, its continued existence permitted the institutionalisation of discriminatory policies against not just gay men, but the whole lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT+) community.
    Para 40) JS4 stated that the stigma of being LGBTQ, associated with Penal Code Section 377A and media censorship, was a contributing factor in the failure to report or seek help when abused.
  • State Under Review:

    Singapore

    Singapore
    Regional group
    Asia-Pacific Group
    Political group
    ASEAN
    Commonwealth
    Source Of Reference:

    Canada

    Canada
    Regional group
    WEOG
    Political group
    OAS
    OIF
    Commonwealth
    Issue:
    • Marital rape
    • Violence against women / gender-based violence
    • Sexual violence
    • Domestic violence
    Type:
    Recommendation
    Session:
    24th session, January 2016
    Status:
    Partially Accepted
    Contents:
    Introduce legislation to make marital rape illegal in all circumstances.
    Explanation
    There is a robust legislative framework that criminalises acts of domestic violence and acts of violence against women, under the Women's Charter, the Children and Young Persons Act and the Penal Code. We are also actively working towards repealing marital rape immunity.
    Implementation
    National Report:
    Para 20) Enhancing protection against violence. Singapore has robust legislation criminalising violence under the Women’s Charter, the CYPA, the Protection from Harassment Act (POHA), and the Penal Code. With effect from January 2020, we fully repealed marital immunity for rape and expanded the definition of rape to cover nonconsensual oral and anal penetration by the penis. We also enhanced penalties for a range of offences committed against persons vulnerable to harm, including children, domestic helpers, persons in intimate relationships with offenders, and persons with disabilities whose mental or physical disabilities render them substantially unable to protect themselves from abuse.
    Para 25) The Penal Code was amended in 2019 to double the maximum punishment for persons convicted of causing …, sexual offences, … against FDWs [Foreign Domestic Workers].
  • State Under Review:

    Singapore

    Singapore
    Regional group
    Asia-Pacific Group
    Political group
    ASEAN
    Commonwealth
    Source Of Reference:

    Trinidad & Tobago

    Trinidad & Tobago
    Regional group
    GRULAC
    Political group
    OAS
    ACS
    Commonwealth
    Issue:
    • Gender equality
    Type:
    Recommendation
    Session:
    24th session, January 2016
    Status:
    Accepted
    Contents:
    Strengthen its awareness-raising programmes to more effectively address gender disparities and discrimination against women.
    Implementation
    Stakeholder Summary:
    Para 104) JS6 stated that public understanding of what constituted domestic violence, apart from physical violence, was poor.
  • State Under Review:

    Singapore

    Singapore
    Regional group
    Asia-Pacific Group
    Political group
    ASEAN
    Commonwealth
    Source Of Reference:

    Holy See

    Holy See
    Regional group
    Observer
    Issue:
    • Trafficking in women and / or girls
    Type:
    Recommendation
    Session:
    24th session, January 2016
    Status:
    Accepted
    Contents:
    Continue its efforts to guarantee the protection and rehabilitation of the viictims of trafficking in persons, especially for women and children.
    Implementation
    UN Compilation:
    Para 45) CEDAW remained concerned that the State continued to be a destination and transit country for trafficking in women and girls for purposes of sexual and labour exploitation.
  • State Under Review:

    Singapore

    Singapore
    Regional group
    Asia-Pacific Group
    Political group
    ASEAN
    Commonwealth
    Source Of Reference:

    UN Compilation

    Issue:
    • International human rights instruments
    Type:
    Review Documentation
    Session:
    11th session, May 2011
    Status:
    Reference Addressed
    Contents:
    "Therefore, CEDAW encouraged Singapore to consider ratifying the treaties to which it was not yet a party, namely the ICESCR, the ICCPR … [Para 1]"
  • State Under Review:

    Singapore

    Singapore
    Regional group
    Asia-Pacific Group
    Political group
    ASEAN
    Commonwealth
    Source Of Reference:

    United Kingdom

    United Kingdom
    Regional group
    WEOG
    Political group
    EU
    Commonwealth
    Issue:
    • Harmful practices based on cultural / traditional values
    • Female genital mutilation / cutting
    Type:
    Question
    Session:
    24th session, January 2016
    Status:
    Not Followed up with a Recommendation
    Contents:
    Does the government of Singapore intend to regulate the practice labelled 'female circumcision to clearly prohibit harmful procedures and prevent Female Genital Mutilation tourism?
  • State Under Review:

    Singapore

    Singapore
    Regional group
    Asia-Pacific Group
    Political group
    ASEAN
    Commonwealth
    Source Of Reference:

    UN Compilation

    Issue:
    • Gender equality
    • Women's and / or girls' rights
    Type:
    Review Documentation
    Session:
    11th session, May 2011
    Status:
    Reference Addressed
    Contents:
    "CEDAW urged Singapore to withdraw its reservation to article 11, paragraph 1, and to adopt effective measures to
    eliminate occupational segregation. CEDAW requested Singapore to ensure that women in managerial and executive positions who were not covered by the Employment Act were guaranteed the full legal maternity leave protection, both in the public and private sectors."
  • State Under Review:

    Singapore

    Singapore
    Regional group
    Asia-Pacific Group
    Political group
    ASEAN
    Commonwealth
    Source Of Reference:

    Stakeholder Summary

    Issue:
    • Intersex persons' rights
    • Rights of same-sex desiring persons
    • Transgender persons' rights
    Type:
    Review Documentation
    Session:
    24th session, January 2016
    Status:
    Reference Addressed
    Contents:
    JS1 stated that no LGBTI organization had been able to register as a legal society. The Singapore Societies Act gives the registrar of Societies absolute discretion to refuse the registration of a society if the Registrar is merely satisfied that it would be contrary to the national interest for the society to be registered. JS5 stated that the Registrar of Societies had used the broad scope to deny registration of associations as a basis for rejecting applications by LGBTI associations. [Para 50]
  • State Under Review:

    Singapore

    Singapore
    Regional group
    Asia-Pacific Group
    Political group
    ASEAN
    Commonwealth
    Source Of Reference:

    Argentina

    Argentina
    Regional group
    GRULAC
    Political group
    OAS
    OEI
    Issue:
    • International human rights instruments
    Type:
    Recommendation
    Session:
    38th Session, May 2021
    Status:
    Unclear Response
    Contents:
    Ratify the ICCPR.
    Explanation
    Noted. We are unable to commit to ratifying any further treaties at this point. While Singapore may not be party to a particular human rights treaty yet, our outcomes are already fully or largely in compliance with its objectives.