Annotation:
This article discusses how human rights mechanisms can be utilized to combat violence against women. Local movements must be linked to the growing global womens movement, and women must be encouraged to recognize themselves as subjects with rights and the capacity to confront oppressive judicial institutions. The demand for human rights must be linked with alternative ethical visions against the patriarchal structure of the geopolitical system. However, the human rights framework can only be effective as a legal mechanism of advancing social change in conjunction with the strengthening of feminist social welfare states and the building of a movement that positions itself as a political actor in a position to negotiate and make agreements with other legitimate actors. Translating international advances into legal norms and government policies requires a holistic and inclusive development model under the feminist principles of equality, empowerment, solidarity, and cooperation.