Universal-Womens-accesss-to-justice-Publications-Practitioners-Guide-Series-2016-ENG

28 PRACTITIONERS GUIDE No. 12
Through the establishment of legal duties, a State’s
responsibility to take appropriate measures to respond to
gender-based violence is then understood as a legal
entitlement, rather than a discretionary measure. 43
Ensuring access to adjudication and remediation
States can be held to account using the tools and mechanisms
of human rights frameworks, including treaty bodies,
international criminal tribunals and the African, Europe and
Inter-American human rights systems. 44
Empowerment of victims and survivors, as well as
human rights defenders
Recognizing gender-based violence as a rights violation
empowers women in becoming rights-holders rather than
recipients of benefits. It also engages a wider range of human
rights defenders who then have a stake in preventing violence
against women as part of a wider effort in building respect for
all human rights. 45
Visibility of the experiences of women
The human rights discourse can become more inclusive in
recognizing the particular experiences of women. This
encourages human rights norms to not only encompass a
gender perspective but also a wider variety of factors that
shape men’s and women’s experiences of discrimination and
violence: including race, ethnicity, age, class, sexual
orientation, disability, nationality, religion and culture. 46
A holistic approach, across a variety of professional and
practical dimensions
Addressing gender-based violence as a human rights issue
encourages a holistic and multi-sectoral response that calls for
43
Ibid, paragraph 39.
44
Ibid, paragraph 39.
45
Ibid, paragraph 40.
46
Ibid, paragraph 41.