Using shadow reports for advocacy

Shadow reports (often called ‘alternative reports’) are submitted to treaty monitoring bodies at the United Nations and other international institutions as an alternative to a government’s official report regarding the human rights situation in its respective country.
This online dialogue provided a space for practitioners and scholars to share experiences, challenges, successes, resources and tool for the effective use of shadow reports to expose the reality of the human rights situation in their countries. It explored the various tactics in using shadow reports for supporting democracy and promoting government accountability in human rights. In the beginning of the dialogue, participants defined what constitutes a shadow/alternative report and identified the pros and cons of its use. After establishing a common understanding of shadow reports, the participants transitioned into discussing some of the deeper topics and challenges: issues of credibility, effective process of writing a report, using reports for advocacy, and addressing non-state actor torture by shadow reports.
link