Annotation:
Adopted in 2011 and signed by thirty-seven
states as of 2014, this regional
Convention endeavors to protect women
against all forms of violence and to
promote substantive equality between men
and women. The Convention conceptualizes
violence against women - especially
domestic violence - as a form of
discrimination. This implies that states
can be held liable if they do not take
sufficient measures to prevent such forms
of discrimination. The Convention notes
that, to achieve equality between men and
women, freedom from violence is
imperative. It mandates states to adopt
preventative and remedial measures to
combat violence against women and requires
them to criminalize certain offences. It
also establishes a group of experts to
monitor parties' implementation of the
Convention. It is important to note that
the Convention does not dichotomize
"gender" between male and female, but is
bases "gender" on socially constructed
roles.