EXPLANATORY NOTES The Guidelines on Combating Sexual Violence and Its Consequences in Africa come with explanatory notes. These notes provide references on the sources used, which are the binding and non-binding African regional legal instruments; the jurisprudence of the Commission, its general comments, thematic resolutions and resolutions on specific situations in a given country; and other regional and sub-regional legal and regulatory texts, particularly those adopted by the African Union. The explanatory notes also refer to normative international instruments, such as human rights treaties; specific legislation on the promotion and protection of the rights of women; and the general recommendations of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women; and relevant resolutions of the Security Council and General Assembly of the United Nations. They also refer to texts and tools produced by special human rights protection mechanisms at the international and regional levels, for example the special procedures of the United Nations and the Commission. Finally, these notes draw from the jurisprudence of international courts and other judicial and quasi-judicial mechanisms, and from texts on best practices in combating sexual violence and its consequences at the national, regional and international levels. 10 GUIDELINES ON COMBATING SEXUAL VIOLENCE AND ITS CONSEQUENCES IN AFRICA