A/HRC/15/40 discrimination against women and the resulting protection gaps.24 It was launched at an event on 4 April 2008 to which all Member States were invited. A. Special procedures 29. The Commission on Human Rights and the Human Rights Council have taken up discrimination against women within a focused and explicit human rights framework and sought to give sex equality a higher priority by the establishment of mechanisms that focus on sex-specific or gendered violations of human rights, as well as by calling for integration of sex-specific violations and gendered dimensions of rights in all procedures and mechanisms. The first major example of this was the establishment of a dedicated Special Rapporteur on violence against women, but the Commission on Human Rights was concerned to strive for integration of violations of women’s rights throughout its work. In 1994, the Commission called upon “all special rapporteurs, experts, working groups, treaty bodies, and other mechanisms of the Commission and the Sub-Commission, in the discharge of their mandates, regularly and systematically to include in their reports available information on human rights violations against women”.25 The Commission subsequently repeated this injunction26 and included in the mandates of individual mechanisms a request that the position of women in relation to violations that fall within that mandate be taken into account. The Council, in renewing or establishing special procedures mandates, has included a standard request that the mandate holders integrate a gender perspective or give appropriate attention to the position of women and girls.27 30. It is relevant to assess the extent to which special procedures have identified laws and practices that discriminate against women within the scope of their mandates, whether they have been able to undertake sustained examination of these instances, and whether that has led to action to address those problems. The following non-exhaustive examination exemplifies instances in which special rapporteurs have examined laws and practices that discriminate against women and the extent to which they have been able to follow through on these issues. 31. The Special Rapporteur on violence against women has drawn attention on a regular basis to the role that discriminatory laws play in perpetuating violence against women or standing in the way of some form of redress for women affected by violence, and the need for sound laws that are effectively enforced. She has also drawn attention to the impact of laws outside the areas of criminal law or domestic violence laws, that place women in situations in which they may be more exposed to violence, and has made a number of recommendations as to the content of legislation that States should enact in order to prevent and punish violence against women. 32. A number of other special procedures have also addressed the position of women and girls. In his 2007 report to the Council the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment examined the application of the prohibition against torture as it related to women, as part of an effort “to ensure that the torture protection framework is applied in a gender-inclusive manner with a view to strengthening the protection of women from torture”.28 Included in that examination was consideration of intimate partner violence and the role of law in perpetuating and 24 25 26 27 28 Available at: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/women/documentation.htm. Commission on Human Rights resolution 1994/45, para 18. See, for example, Commission on Human Rights resolution 2002/50, para 17. See, for example, resolutions 7/22, para 2(d) and 6/30. A/HRC/7/3, para 26 9