States that have [ratified] [link to country pages] the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights are required to submit period reports documenting compliance with the provisions of the treaty.  The Committee holds a dialog with the State representatives to obtain specific information about whether State laws and practices are in conformity with the Covenant.  The UN has made clear that the review process is not adversarial, and the role of the Committee is not to pass judgment, but rather to facilitate the process of bringing State parities in line with the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.  The Committee prepares concluding observations, which may include recommendations for specific measures to be taken.

The first Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights allows individuals, who are from countries that have ratified these two documents, to bring complaints of human rights violations.

By ratifying the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, State parties undertake to ensure that women and men enjoy all civil and political rights equally.  Additionally, article 26 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights guarantees that all people are equal before the law and are therefore entitled to equal protection of the law without discrimination.  Thus, national laws must guarantee equal and effective protection against discrimination.  The Human Rights Committee has held that article 26 "prohibits discrimination in law or in fact in any field regulated by public authorities and that the scope of article 26 is not limited to civil and political rights."  Women have, therefore, used article 26 to challenge discriminatory laws that do not necessarily relate to civil and political rights, such as discriminatory distribution of social security.

In cases of violence against women, it may be possible to base a claim of unequal access to the legal system under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.  The Division for the Advancement of Women has created a webpage that lists sample Cases Where Women Have Used the First Optional Protocol to the ICCPR to challenge sex discrimination.