Violence Against Women (Delivered at the 59th Session of the Commission on Human Rights)

This report reviews developments in the international community's approach to violence against women between 1994 and 2002, noting specific events that took place in that time period that lead to women's rights being recognized as human rights and women being afforded an international venue to claim remedies when all domestic judicial mechanisms were exhausted. The report also notes there have been significant developments with regards to the States obligations under the due diligence standard and governments are expected to actively intervene even if rights violations are perpetrated by a private individual. Although there has been progress, States have generally failed in their international obligations to effectively prevent, investigate and prosecute violence against women.