Reframing Violence Against Women as a Human Rights Violation: Evan Stark's Coercive Control

• NCJ Number: 228987
• Journal: Violence Against Women Volume: 15 Issue: 12 Dated: December 2009 Pages: 1477-1489
• Author(s): Kathryn Libal; Serena Parekh
• Date Published: December 2009
• Length: 13 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Theoretical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: For related articles in this special issue see NCJ-228984-86 and NCJ-228988-89.

Annotation

This article examines Evan Stark's theoretical innovation regarding forms of violence against women to shift the paradigm used to describe, explain, and remedy the harms of coercive control from misdemeanor assault to human rights violation.

Abstract

Evan Stark (2007) challenges domestic violence advocates in the United States to increase its efforts to eliminate violence against women by tackling structural inequality against women. He calls to action the recognition of violence against women as a human rights violation. Stark's strategic link among coercive control, structural gender discrimination and inequality, and human rights is seen as compelling. However, this paradigm shift that Stark advocates will not materialize without widespread mobilization of interest and understanding of human rights among domestic violence advocates and the society in general. This article concludes that employing a human rights framework holds potential in the United States, but the paradigm shift Stark advocates will not occur without widespread mobilization of interest in and understanding of human rights among domestic violence advocates and the society in general. Notes and references