A/HRC/27/55 schools has huge implications for the right to education and gender equality. It also puts the right to privacy and human dignity at risk. These linkages become apparent in the case law dealing with water and sanitation, which frequently relies on the rights to life, to health, to housing, to a healthy environment and to freedom from inhuman and degrading treatment. 7. The present report reflects critical developments in international human rights law and attempts to respond to new opportunities and challenges. The Special Rapporteur expects that the recent entry into force of the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights will lead to a greater commitment to address violations of the rights to water and sanitation, contribute to a better conceptual understanding and promote their justiciability at the national level, leading to greater compliance with these rights. 8. While it primarily focuses on the role of States, the Special Rapporteur hopes that the present report will be useful to quasi-judicial bodies in adjudicating complaints, and that it will assist civil society organizations, national human rights institutions and other advocates to provide strategic support in cases that address any type of violations of the rights to water and sanitation. Lastly, the report acknowledges the important role of nonState actors, both in causing and remedying human rights violations. 9. The identification of human rights violations is not intended as an accusation of those responsible or to undermine collaborative partnerships in addressing violations. On the contrary, the Special Rapporteur considers exposing human rights violations as constructive and invites participatory dialogue about how to better address violations of the rights to water and sanitation. This will involve identifying barriers faced by victims in accessing justice, and assisting courts and other bodies to become more accessible and open to adjudicating cases concerning the rights to water and sanitation. Examples of violations drawn from domestic courts and international or regional human rights mechanisms are not intended to suggest that violations are more serious in certain States. Indeed, States from which more decisions originate are generally those that have provided access to justice, and may provide guidance to others. 10. The report is informed by a broad consultative process with States, international organizations, civil society organizations, national human rights institutions, other stakeholders and human rights experts. The Special Rapporteur received nearly 50 responses to a questionnaire, bringing common patterns of violation to the fore.2 The report is also based on the experience gained during her mandate, in particular from communications received and country missions. While the countries visited were extremely diverse, many challenges faced were remarkably similar: patterns of marginalization and discrimination; failure to take the necessary steps to realize the rights to water and sanitation with the urgency required and to the maximum of available resources; failure to regulate and protect those rights where services were delegated to third parties; and instances of retrogressive measures and lack of sustainability. 11. The report establishes a comprehensive framework for assessing violations of the rights to water and sanitation. It surveys the wide range of violations, establishes corresponding categories and references them to cases. It briefly considers how accountability and remedial measures can most effectively address those violations. The report concludes with recommendations on how to better ensure that violations are identified, prevented and addressed. 2 4 www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/WaterAndSanitation/SRWater/Pages/SubmissionsHRViolations.aspx.