Explanation:
Gender based violence : name
explain: The phenomenon of gender-based violence is pervasive around the world,
experienced by some one in three women in their lifetimes. The elimination of such
violence has been increasingly recognized as a priority for the international
community.
The Sustainable Development Goals include a specific target to βeliminate all forms
of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres.β
2
A recent
special series of The Lancet on addressing violence against women provides an
excellent overview of the current evidence, and highlights that while growing
international recognition creates opportunities for renewed government
commitment, solutions will not be quick or easy.3
Legislation that criminalises violence against women codifies the rights of women to
live free of violence. Laws can play an important symbolic role, by indicating that such
behavior is socially unacceptable. The associated sanctions may serve a deterrence
function. Either or both levers may work in practice to reduce the incidence of
violence. It is of course difficult to observe which is more effective, though we do
have indirect evidence on both fronts. Legislation can also be responsive to victims,
by providing for protection and access to support services.
This paper investigates the potential and shortcomings of legislative action β and
how international and national laws can interact with norms in ways that can be
conducive to the reduction of the risk of violence. We argue that there has been
major progress in establishing the right of women to live free of violence in both
international and national law, especially over the past decade or so, with civil society
movements at the local and global levels playing a pivotal role. At the same time,
there is some way to go to address the underlying norms and behaviors associated
with violence.
