This special collection brings together selected documents that focus on international policies, programs, and approaches to prevent and intervene in violence against women (VAW). The goal is to facilitate learning about different polices, programs, and approaches that have been developed, adopted, and adapted internationally to address VAW in diverse cultural and socio-economic situations. The review of documents included in this special collection suggests the following: First, there are limited multi-country studies on VAW. Second, human rights declarations and conventions set international legal standards for policy and program responses to VAW. Third, international initiatives have focused on VAW prevention by addressing gender inequalities in several development sectors, particularly justice, health, and education. Fourth, many approaches to prevent and intervene in VAW use social-ecological framework and engage community members, including men. Fifth, little is known about programs that have proven effective in ending VAW across countries because there is limited rigorous evaluation of programs that address VAW.
The special collection is organized into six sections, and the documents included cover multi-country projects, policies, and studies. Important to note here is that this special collection is not a comprehensive listing of all documents available; rather, it includes selected documents that are available online free of charge. Studies on VAW in the U.S. are not included in this special collection, but can be found elsewhere on VAWnet.
This collection was developed by Sheetal Rana of the Minnesota Center Against Violence and Abuse.