The Politics of Combatting Violence Against Women

Gender based violence is one of the main social forces producing and reproducing gender inequality. Brought to international and national policy agendas by feminist movements it has lately become a core policy issue discussed not just in the framework of gender equality but related to policies on human rights, crime prevention, child protection, health, development, cross border migration and trafficking and conflict and post conflict intervention. This course aims to look at policies on gender based violence and politics around it through understanding the main challenges of framing it as a policy issue. The course will aim to understand policy contestation of meanings of gender based violence, alternative approaches to it and examine currently existing state responses and international norms and standards set by different international human rights bodies. The course will pay particular attention to some specific forms of gender based violence such as domestic violence, rape, harmful traditional practices, trafficking, sexual harassment, cyber violence and violence in conflict and post conflict situations.