Violence against women and girls
Violence against women and girls is a pervasive issue worldwide giving rise to extreme violations of human rights that cause physical, psychological, sexual, social and economic harm. Such violence is deeply rooted in social and cultural norms, structures and practices. Many of the laws across our target region are inadequate to provide protection to women and girl victims of gender-based violence, and law enforcement responses and practices demonstrate direct and indirect discrimination.
Together with partner lawyers in Russia, Georgia and Ukraine, we are challenging these failures of protection and obstacles to justice, litigating cases concerning femicide, domestic and sexual violence, honour crime, self-defence and trafficking before the European Court of Human Rights and UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women. We have won the first international cases on gender-based violence against Georgia addressing domestic and sexual violence and femicide. We also bring regional experts together to strategise complex issues such as litigating sexual violence and self-defence in domestic violence.
