The International Legal Framework on Gender-Based Violence

Gender-based violence is a global problem that has gained political attention in the last decades. Despite numerous efforts, gender-based violence remains a social problem that affects primarily women. Several international, regional, and national laws aim at protecting the rights of women. This chapter explores legal frameworks under the assumption that laws reflect social values. As a result, it describes how gender-based violence is defined in the international legal framework. The case of Argentina is provided as an example to understand how international law has been adopted by national laws. The chapter concludes that international law addresses the right of women to a life free of violence to be a policy problem and considers it as a manifestation of a discriminatory act. Moreover, international law defines the right of women to a life free of violence as a manifestation of a discriminatory act and placed nations as the main actors able to reduce this global problem. Hence, gender-based violence can only be reduced when nations design and implement policies to facilitate access to justice for victims and invest in creating awareness of the right of women to a life free of discrimination and violence.