The letter is concerning the Gender Bias and Discrimination Against Men in UN Report A/HRC/59/47.
Date: 24 June 2025
From: Men Helpline Org
Men Helpline has issued an open letter to the United Nations Human Rights Council, raising strong concerns about the biased report A/HRC/59/47 by Special Rapporteur Reem Alsalem. The report unfairly portrays men only as perpetrators and women only as victims — ignoring the reality of male victims of domestic violence, false accusations, legal harassment, and suicides.
We, the Men Helpline Organization — supporting men who are facing domestic violence, false accusations, gender-biased laws, and mental health crises — strongly object to the biased approach taken in the recent United Nations report titled:
“Sex-based violence against women and girls: new frontiers and emerging issues” (A/HRC/59/47) submitted by Special Rapporteur Reem Alsalem.
Such gender bias in international reports promotes discrimination, fuels one-sided laws, and denies justice to men and boys.
Our Concerns: (stereotypes version of report)
Biased Narrative
The report presents men only as perpetrators and women only as victims. It ignores the lived reality that men and boys also face violence, harassment, false cases, and discrimination under current gender-biased systems.
Denial of Harassment with Men
Nowhere does the report acknowledge male victims of domestic violence, sexual abuse of boys, or men driven to suicide by false allegations and harassment — all well documented across many countries.
Promotion of Legal Discrimination with Men
By asking States to make laws even more sex-specific (female-only protections), the report promotes policies that violate the basic human right of equality before law. Men would continue to be denied protections even when facing violence or false charges.
Ignoring the Issue of False Accusations
False cases under laws like IPC 498A (anti-dowry), false rape or molestation accusations are a growing epidemic in countries like India. Innocent men face arrest, loss of career, family breakdown, social stigma, and even suicide — yet this reality is completely missing in the report.
Silence on Male Suicide Crisis
According to the National Crime Records Bureau of India, over 70% of suicides are by men — often due to legal harassment, family breakdown, and gender bias. The UN report ignores this massive human rights crisis.
Report Discards the Reality
Yet — the report completely ignores the reality of harassment with men and instead promotes a narrative that:
🔸 Only women and girls are victims of “sex-based violence”
🔸 Men are the presumed perpetrators of all violence
🔸 There is no mention of the misuse of gender laws, false accusations, or the suicide crisis among men
Our Appeal to the United Nations:
- Recognize that men and boys also face gender-based violence and discrimination.
- Future reports must include male victims and be written in a gender-neutral, objective way — not using one-sided narratives.
- Promote gender-neutral laws that protect all citizens equally, regardless of sex.
- Address the growing global concern of false accusations and the legal system’s bias against men.
- Include male suicide linked to gender-based discrimination as a key human rights issue.
- Discard the Reem Alsalem’s biased report.
The United Nations must not allow its human rights mechanisms to become tools of gender bias. Equality before law, fairness, and neutrality are fundamental values. No human — whether male or female — should be treated as guilty by assumption or denied protection from violence and injustice.
We urge the Human Rights Council to take immediate steps to correct this imbalance and stand for human rights for all.
Refer the attached report for reference.
