A number of international human rights instruments contain provisions relating to violence against women.

Because all human rights apply equally to women and men, the general provisions against violence contained in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/instree/b3ccpr.htm apply to women:

Article 6 affirms the right to life.
Article 7 provides that no one should be subjected to cruel inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Article 9 deals with the right to liberty and security of person.
Article 10 deals with treatment in custody.
Article 19 deals with the freedom of opinion and expression.
Article 23 provides that no marriage shall be entered into without the full and free consent of both spouses. Article 26 holds that all persons are entitled to equal protection of the law.

The Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment http://www.hrweb.org/legal/cat.html also applies equally to women and men, and it deals specifically with certain forms of violence.

The Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/ and its Optional Protocol http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/protocol/adopted.htm relate specifically to women's rights. The first article of the Convention defines discrimination against women, and gender based violence is acknowledged as a form of discrimination against women. Article 6 relates specifically to gender based violence by requiring States Parties to take all appropriate measures, including legislation, to suppress all forms of traffic in women and exploitation of prostitution of women.

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women is the body that monitors the compliance of States that have ratified the Convention with the provisions of the Convention. As well as making recommendations to particular governments after examining their periodical reports on the implementation of CEDAW, the Committee may make General Recommendations. The Committee addressed violence against women in General Recommendation 19 http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/recomm.htm This General Recommendation spells out how a number of the articles of the Convention can be applied to causes and consequences of gender based violence.

Because it is not a Convention or Covenant, the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/instree/e4devw.htm is not legally binding on those States that have signed it. It is however an important statement of international aspirations and carries significant moral force.

Idea for Action: Using the International Instruments