Reconceiving Responses to Private Violence and State Accountability: Using An International Human Rights Framework in the United States

This article begins from the premise that recent developments in international human rights law regarding government obligations to provide protection from violence can contribute to the current debate within the United States about state responses to hate crimes and domestic violence. "In order to present U.S. activists with guidance in exploring these questions, Part I presents a brief summary of the basic framework of international human rights. This section also examines some of the conceptual limitations of international human rights standards which have operated as obstacles to their fullest use by some individuals and groups, including women who are targeted for domestic violence as a result of the gender, or persons facing abuse due to their sexual identity. Part II of this article describes the current status of international human rights law in the United States. Obstacles to practical implementation of international human rights standards are discussed in Part III. Part IV then analyzes how activists can rely upon these new international developments in their work in the United States, both in evaluating existing U.S. practices and in promoting strategies that eradicate domestic violence and hate crimes."