Advocacy Packet - Violence Against Women

This advocacy packet on violence against women provides a guide, centered on women’s human rights, for improving legislation and policies and recommending steps for their implementation. The guide is the result of a collaboration led by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) with its partner United Nations agencies and with regional nongovernmental organizations including: the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM/OAS), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Latin American Committee for Women’s Rights (CLADEM), Ipas, Isis International, the Inter-American Parliamentary Group, and the Center for Reproductive Health.

The information presented here is based on the results of expert meetings and the subsequent publication “Model for Laws and Other Policies on Intra-Family Violence against Women,” which was developed between 2003 and 2006 and validated in Brazil, Costa Rica, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic. It was also widely disseminated and presented in various national and international fora with the participation of parliamentary and judicial sectors, in some cases leading to legislative changes, new research, local policies, and proposals to monitor policies on the issue.