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

WOMEN’S ACCESS TO JUSTICE FOR GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. Introduction 1
A public health problem of epic proportions 1
International recognition of human rights
implications 1
What does “access to justice for gender-based
violence” mean? 3
BOX: Victim or survivor? 3
BOX: Women and girls 4
BOX: Are women “vulnerable” or are they
targeted because of their identity as women? 4
The importance and limitations of a legal
approach to violence against women 5
Women seeking justice: a catalyst for reform 6
Methodology and key authorities for this
Practitioners Guide 9
II. Legal advocacy using applicable international
human rights law – Guiding principles 11
Types of legal advocacy for which this Guide is
designed 11
Building cultures of rule of law and equality
across all State agencies 14
BOX: Initiatives relating to gender-based
violence in the Middle East and Asian regions 17
Human rights law requires women’s
empowerment to address discrimination,
including gender-based violence 18
BOX: What is gender? 20
A rights-based understanding of the illegality of
gender-based violence against women 20