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SGBV-UPR Project

Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Analysis

Foundational research demonstrating automated UPR analysis at regional scale

GitHub Repository Published Paper

About This Project

The SGBV-UPR project was GRIMdata's foundational research (2019-2022), analyzing Universal Periodic Review (UPR) recommendations related to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in SADC member states. This work:

  • ✅ Validated the methodology for automated human rights document analysis
  • ✅ Published in peer-reviewed literature (Stellenbosch Law Review, 2022)
  • ✅ Demonstrated regional-scale analysis as proof of concept
  • ✅ Informed the development of the expanded LittleRainbowRights project

Precursor to LittleRainbowRights

This regional SGBV analysis (SADC focus) established the core methodology that LittleRainbowRights now applies at global scale (194 countries) for digital rights indicators. The SGBV work proved the concept; LittleRainbowRights expands it.

Separate Repository

SGBV-UPR has its own codebase: HumanRights repository. Documentation lives here but the pipeline is maintained separately.

Project Status

Published Research

Vollmer, SC and Vollmer, DT. (2022). Global perspectives of Africa: Harnessing the universal periodic review to process sexual and gender-based violence in SADC member states. Stellenbosch Law Review, 33(1), 8–41. https://doi.org/10.47348/SLR/2022/i1a1

Update Needed - UPR Cycle Progress

Dataset requires updating:

  • UPR Cycle 3 has now completed (original research based on Cycles 1-3)
  • UPR Cycle 4 is currently in progress with new recommendations
  • New analytical lens available: Pandemic and forced confinement perspectives offer rich opportunities for additional data mining, examining how COVID-19 lockdowns and related policies intersected with SGBV patterns and recommendations

The repository and analysis tools are ready for expansion to incorporate this new data and analytical framework.

Key Features

  • UPR Document Analysis

    Systematic analysis of UPR recommendations across countries

  • SGBV-Specific Tagging

    Identification of SGBV-related recommendations and themes

  • Longitudinal Tracking

    How SGBV recommendations evolve across UPR cycles

  • Global Coverage

    Analysis across all UN member states

Research Questions

This project addresses:

  1. Frequency: How often do UPR recommendations address SGBV?
  2. Patterns: What specific SGBV issues are most commonly raised?
  3. Implementation: How do countries respond to SGBV recommendations?
  4. Gaps: Which countries receive few or no SGBV recommendations despite known issues?
  5. Evolution: How have SGBV recommendations changed over UPR cycles?

Methodology

Data Collection

  • Source: UPR database (OHCHR)
  • Coverage: All UPR cycles (2008-present)
  • Countries: All UN member states
  • Focus: Recommendations explicitly mentioning SGBV themes

Analysis Approach

  1. Text processing - Extract and clean UPR recommendation text
  2. Tagging - Apply SGBV-specific tag rules
  3. Categorization - Group by SGBV sub-themes (domestic violence, trafficking, etc.)
  4. Quantitative analysis - Frequency counts, regional patterns
  5. Qualitative analysis - Content of recommendations, implementation status

Key Findings

Summary

Detailed findings are available in the published journal article.

Key insights include:
- Regional variation in SGBV recommendation frequency
- Common themes across recommendations
- Implementation challenges
- Best practice examples

SGBV Categories Analyzed

  1. Domestic Violence - Intimate partner violence, family violence
  2. Sexual Violence - Rape, sexual assault, harassment
  3. Trafficking - Human trafficking, forced labor, sexual exploitation
  4. Harmful Practices - Female genital mutilation, child marriage, honor crimes
  5. Conflict-Related SGBV - Wartime sexual violence, displacement-related violence
  6. Legal Frameworks - Criminalization, survivor protections, access to justice
  7. Services - Shelters, counseling, medical care for survivors
  8. Prevention - Education, awareness campaigns, perpetrator programs

Emerging Analytical Lens

Pandemic and Forced Confinement Perspectives

The COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdown measures created unique conditions that intersected with SGBV:

  • Increased domestic violence during lockdowns and quarantine measures
  • Reduced access to support services and escape routes for survivors
  • Digital SGBV and online harassment during remote work/schooling
  • Economic stressors and their relationship to SGBV rates
  • State responses to SGBV during emergency measures

This lens offers rich opportunities for analyzing how UPR recommendations addressed (or failed to address) pandemic-era SGBV challenges and how countries adapted their responses during forced confinement periods.

Data & Visualizations

Coming Soon

Interactive visualizations will include:

  • Heatmaps - SGBV recommendation frequency by country
  • Timeline charts - Evolution of recommendations across UPR cycles
  • Category breakdown - Distribution of SGBV sub-themes
  • Regional comparisons - Patterns across geographic regions

Current Access

Data and findings are available through:

Integration with GRIMdata

The SGBV project will be fully integrated into the GRIMdata platform with:

  • Unified interface - Access SGBV data alongside other human rights indicators
  • Cross-project analysis - Compare SGBV patterns with digital rights indicators
  • Shared tools - Use the same pipeline and visualization tools
  • Combined exports - Download integrated datasets

Publications

Published Research

Global perspectives of Africa: Harnessing the universal periodic review to process sexual and gender-based violence in SADC member states

Authors: Vollmer, SC and Vollmer, DT

Journal: Stellenbosch Law Review, Volume 33, Issue 1, 2022

Pages: 8–41

DOI: 10.47348/SLR/2022/i1a1

Abstract: This research analyzes how the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism processes sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) recommendations in Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states. The study examines patterns across UPR cycles, regional variation in SGBV recommendation frequency, and implementation challenges.

Access full article

How to Use This Data

For Researchers

The SGBV-UPR dataset enables:

  • Systematic reviews - Comprehensive analysis of UPR SGBV recommendations
  • Comparative studies - Cross-country or regional comparisons
  • Policy analysis - Evaluate recommendation implementation
  • Longitudinal research - Track changes over time

For Advocates

Use findings to:

  • Inform advocacy - Evidence-based campaigns for SGBV prevention
  • Hold states accountable - Track implementation of accepted recommendations
  • Identify gaps - Where recommendations are lacking despite need
  • Share best practices - Highlight effective approaches

For Policy Makers

Insights for:

  • UPR engagement - Prepare for UPR review with evidence
  • Policy development - Learn from international recommendations
  • Implementation planning - Prioritize which recommendations to act on first
  • Regional cooperation - Coordinate with neighboring countries

This project builds on and complements:

  • LittleRainbowRights - Digital rights focus with some overlap on vulnerable populations
  • UPR analysis - Broader UPR research community
  • SGBV research - Academic and NGO work on violence against women and girls

Repository & Code

Separate Codebase

The SGBV-UPR project has its own repository with specialized analysis tools.

Repository: github.com/MissCrispenCakes/HumanRights

The codebase includes:

  • UPR-specific scrapers
  • SGBV tagging rules
  • Longitudinal analysis tools
  • Visualization scripts

Future Development

Immediate Updates Needed

  • Update dataset with UPR Cycle 4 data - Incorporate ongoing Cycle 4 recommendations
  • Add pandemic/forced confinement analysis lens - Analyze SGBV recommendations through COVID-19 lockdown and confinement policy perspectives
  • Refresh Cycle 3 complete dataset - Ensure all finalized Cycle 3 recommendations are included
  • Expand SGBV categories - Add pandemic-specific SGBV themes (domestic violence during lockdowns, digital SGBV, etc.)

Long-term Enhancements

  • Interactive data explorer on GRIMdata.org
  • Real-time UPR recommendation tracking
  • Integration with LittleRainbowRights for intersectional analysis (LGBTQ+ youth + SGBV)
  • Expanded to other treaty body recommendations (CEDAW, CRC, etc.)
  • Machine learning for automatic SGBV recommendation identification

Citing This Work

For the Dataset

@misc{sgbvupr2025,
  title = {SGBV-UPR: Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Universal Periodic Review Recommendations},
  author = {Vollmer, S.C. and Vollmer, D.T.},
  year = {2025},
  howpublished = {\url{https://grimdata.org/projects/sgbv/}},
  note = {Licensed under CC BY 4.0. ORCID: 0000-0002-3359-2810}
}

For the Journal Article

BibTeX:

@article{vollmer2022sgbv,
  title = {Global perspectives of Africa: Harnessing the universal periodic review to process sexual and gender-based violence in SADC member states},
  author = {Vollmer, SC and Vollmer, DT},
  journal = {Stellenbosch Law Review},
  volume = {33},
  number = {1},
  pages = {8--41},
  year = {2022},
  doi = {10.47348/SLR/2022/i1a1},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.47348/SLR/2022/i1a1}
}

APA:

Vollmer, S. C., & Vollmer, D. T. (2022). Global perspectives of Africa: Harnessing the universal periodic review to process sexual and gender-based violence in SADC member states. Stellenbosch Law Review, 33(1), 8–41. https://doi.org/10.47348/SLR/2022/i1a1

MLA:

Vollmer, SC, and DT Vollmer. "Global perspectives of Africa: Harnessing the universal periodic review to process sexual and gender-based violence in SADC member states." Stellenbosch Law Review, vol. 33, no. 1, 2022, pp. 8–41, https://doi.org/10.47348/SLR/2022/i1a1.

Contributing

Interested in contributing to SGBV-UPR research?

  • Data updates - Report changes in UPR recommendations
  • Analysis - Propose new research questions
  • Visualization - Suggest or build data visualizations
  • Documentation - Improve methodology documentation

Contributing Guidelines

Data Governance

Ethical considerations for SGBV research:

  • Sensitivity - Handling sensitive violence-related content
  • Survivor-centered - Research approaches that do no harm
  • Confidentiality - While UPR data is public, we are mindful of implications
  • Responsible reporting - Accurate representation of findings

Full Data Governance Policy

Support & Contact

Acknowledgments

This research benefits from:

  • OHCHR - Universal Periodic Review database
  • UPR Info - Additional UPR tracking and analysis
  • SGBV advocates - Feedback on research direction

SGBV-UPR is part of the GRIMdata (Global Rights Index Monitoring) initiative.

Mission: Support evidence-based approaches to preventing and responding to sexual and gender-based violence worldwide.

Note: This page will be updated as the SGBV project is fully integrated into the GRIMdata platform. Check back for interactive visualizations and data explorer tools.