Although gender-based violence is not specific to women and girls, they comprise the majority of victims of this crime, perpetrated mostly by men. Women and girls around the world are threatened, beaten, tortured, persecuted, mutilated, raped, and killed on a daily basis. Although international standards have established women's human right to be free from violence, violence against women is too often condoned with impunity and silence.
Materials in this section explore a range of issues including the many forms of violence against women, impunity of perpetrators, potential and limitations of current strategies to eliminate gender-based violence and states' obligations and failures to adequately protect women from violence.