The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women ended its 57th Session on 15 March 2013 with an outcome document affirming the importance of eliminating violence against women (VAW). The Commission was unable, however, to reach consensus on a global action plan. The negative reaction of some UN member states to an action plan is a worrying reminder of ongoing resistance to reform. These persistent challenges highlight the ongoing struggle to gain a serious global commitment to address VAW and recognise it as a breach of women’s fundamental human rights.

This Report proposes an approach that engages with the specificities of the problem – paying attention to context, and the concrete political-economy dynamics of the drivers of VAW – and that takes account of the real options that women face in navigating the available security and justice chains to seek protection, redress and justice.

Lisa Denney and Pilar Domingo