A Perspective on Women and International Human Rights After the Vienna Declaration: The Inside/Outside Construct

The authors employ an inside/outside construct in their analysis of the Vienna Declaration of the 1993 World Conference on Human Rights. The authors discuss how the issue of domestic violence is addressed in the Vienna Declaration. They assert that the "outsider" view of human rights is found in mainstream theory and discussion about women and human rights by those who have not actually experienced the oppression. They argue that an "inside" approach would lend a voice to the actual women who have had first-hand experience of gender-based violence and would also promote comprehensive discussion on its origin and the context in which it takes place. The authors conclude that an "insider" approach with the broadest range of voices will lead to more integrative measures to address the complete range of women's human rights concerns.