Book Review of Violence against Women under International Human Rights Law by Alice Edwards

This article discusses whether international human rights law addresses violence against women. Specifically, it discusses Alice Edwards’ book which elaborates on: (1) focus on jurisprudence of UN human rights treaty bodies, a challenging but valuable cataloguing effort, (2) she defines violence against women broadly, extending far beyond domestic violence, and (3) finally, offers a deeply critical perspective on the ability of international human rights law to address violence against women. Throughout the book, Edwards struggles with the question of whether international human rights law "is able to accommodate the diversity of women and women's lives without compromising its strength that lies in its appeal to universality and the promotion of gender equality".  As a result, her thoughtful and original proposals to reform the UNhuman rights treaty body system might begin to ameliorate the lives of women throughout the world.