NCJ Number
188241
Date Published
March 2001
Length
74 pages
Annotation
This report explores the circumstances in which violence against women, whether in custody or at home, constitutes torture.
Abstract
International human rights treaties not only regulate the conduct of states and set limits on the exercise of state power, they also require states to take action to prevent abuses of human rights. International law requires states to take positive measures to prohibit and prevent torture and to respond to instances of torture, regardless of where it occurs and whether the perpetrator is an agent of the state or a private individual. The report recommends that governments, political parties, religious groups, all elements of civil society, and individuals: (1) condemn all acts of violence against women; (2) prohibit acts of violence against women and establish adequate legal protection against such acts; (3) investigate all allegations of violence against women; (4) prosecute and punish; (5) provide adequate remedies and ensure reparation; (6) [ensure] protection against torture in custody; (7) [ensure] prevention of torture of women in armed conflicts; (8) [recognize and support] human rights defenders; and (9) [ensure] the gender-sensitivity of the work of intergovernmental bodies addressing the torture issue. Figures, notes