Closing the Gap : Improving Laws Protecting Women from Violence
Women, business and the law examines where economies provide legal protection for women and girls in areas such as child marriage, domestic violence, and marital rape. It also collects data on remedies, such as the existence and scope of protection...
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English en_US |
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World Bank, Washington, DC
2017
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/180811501135102564/Closing-the-gap-improving-laws-protecting-women-from-violence http://hdl.handle.net/10986/28416 |
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okr-10986-284162021-04-23T14:04:47Z Closing the Gap : Improving Laws Protecting Women from Violence Sakhonchik, Alena Santagostino Recavarren, Isabel Tavares, Paula VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN GENDER LAW CHILD MARRIAGE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE LEGAL PROTECTION Women, business and the law examines where economies provide legal protection for women and girls in areas such as child marriage, domestic violence, and marital rape. It also collects data on remedies, such as the existence and scope of protection orders for victims of domestic violence. Violence thwarts women’s economic empowerment by limiting their ability to exercise agency and make choices. Violence against women and girls both reflects and reinforces inequalities between women and men. Where a girl can be legally married before she turns 18, she has less opportunity to make choices about her future. Where a woman suffers abuse from her husband, her health and psychological well-being are threatened and her capacity to work and function socially are impaired. If she is not able to work, she is forced into a subordinate position, both psychologically and economically, and the cycle of violence persists. Legal protection is crucial to reduce impunity and open avenues for redress. Yet Women, Business and the Law finds persisting gaps in laws protecting women from violence. Countries are increasingly protecting girls and women from violence. For example, between 2013 and 2015, Kenya, Luxembourg, Nicaragua, and Uruguay all raised the age of marriage for girls. Tonga’s 2013 Family Protection Act explicitly criminalizes marital rape. Georgia has amended its criminal code to expand the grounds of liability for domestic crimes, including rape, to spouses and other family members. Moreover, it reformed the Law on the Elimination of Domestic Violence to provide for removal of the perpetrator from the home. In its new penal code, Mozambique has amended Article 400, which had been in place since 1886 and allowed charges to be dropped if a rapist married his victim. And Belarus, Lebanon, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga adopted new laws on domestic violence that provide for protection orders. While there has clearly been progress, major gaps still need to be addressed. That Malawi and 8 other economies have raised the marital age shows movement in a positive direction. The adoption in the past 2 years of new domestic violence laws in some economies and more comprehensive provisions in others worldwide is also a telling indication of progress. But more is needed. Among the priorities of the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are ‘eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls in the public and private spheres’ and ‘eliminating all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage,’ which recognize the need for enhanced legal protection for girls and women worldwide. International and regional commitments and instruments pave the way for change. And while the existence of more and better laws is a critical first step, better enforcement of the law is necessary to ensure protection for women. Only when women and girls are fully protected from violence will they be able to enjoy the same autonomy, freedom, and opportunities as men. 2017-09-27T18:03:58Z 2017-09-27T18:03:58Z 2015-04 Working Paper http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/180811501135102564/Closing-the-gap-improving-laws-protecting-women-from-violence http://hdl.handle.net/10986/28416 English en_US Women, Business and the Law; CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo World Bank World Bank, Washington, DC Publications & Research Publications & Research :: Working Paper |
| repository_type |
Digital Repository |
| institution_category |
Foreign Institution |
| institution |
Digital Repositories |
| building |
World Bank Open Knowledge Repository |
| collection |
World Bank |
| language |
English en_US |
| topic |
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN GENDER LAW CHILD MARRIAGE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE LEGAL PROTECTION |
| spellingShingle |
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN GENDER LAW CHILD MARRIAGE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE LEGAL PROTECTION Sakhonchik, Alena Santagostino Recavarren, Isabel Tavares, Paula Closing the Gap : Improving Laws Protecting Women from Violence |
| relation |
Women, Business and the Law; |
| description |
Women, business and the law examines
where economies provide legal protection for women and girls
in areas such as child marriage, domestic violence, and
marital rape. It also collects data on remedies, such as the
existence and scope of protection orders for victims of
domestic violence. Violence thwarts women’s economic
empowerment by limiting their ability to exercise agency and
make choices. Violence against women and girls both reflects
and reinforces inequalities between women and men. Where a
girl can be legally married before she turns 18, she has
less opportunity to make choices about her future. Where a
woman suffers abuse from her husband, her health and
psychological well-being are threatened and her capacity to
work and function socially are impaired. If she is not able
to work, she is forced into a subordinate position, both
psychologically and economically, and the cycle of violence
persists. Legal protection is crucial to reduce impunity and
open avenues for redress. Yet Women, Business and the Law
finds persisting gaps in laws protecting women from
violence. Countries are increasingly protecting girls and
women from violence. For example, between 2013 and 2015,
Kenya, Luxembourg, Nicaragua, and Uruguay all raised the age
of marriage for girls. Tonga’s 2013 Family Protection Act
explicitly criminalizes marital rape. Georgia has amended
its criminal code to expand the grounds of liability for
domestic crimes, including rape, to spouses and other family
members. Moreover, it reformed the Law on the Elimination of
Domestic Violence to provide for removal of the perpetrator
from the home. In its new penal code, Mozambique has amended
Article 400, which had been in place since 1886 and allowed
charges to be dropped if a rapist married his victim. And
Belarus, Lebanon, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga adopted new
laws on domestic violence that provide for protection
orders. While there has clearly been progress, major gaps
still need to be addressed. That Malawi and 8 other
economies have raised the marital age shows movement in a
positive direction. The adoption in the past 2 years of new
domestic violence laws in some economies and more
comprehensive provisions in others worldwide is also a
telling indication of progress. But more is needed. Among
the priorities of the new Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs) are ‘eliminating all forms of violence against women
and girls in the public and private spheres’ and
‘eliminating all harmful practices, such as child, early and
forced marriage,’ which recognize the need for enhanced
legal protection for girls and women worldwide.
International and regional commitments and instruments pave
the way for change. And while the existence of more and
better laws is a critical first step, better enforcement of
the law is necessary to ensure protection for women. Only
when women and girls are fully protected from violence will
they be able to enjoy the same autonomy, freedom, and
opportunities as men. |
| format |
Working Paper |
| author |
Sakhonchik, Alena Santagostino Recavarren, Isabel Tavares, Paula |
| author_facet |
Sakhonchik, Alena Santagostino Recavarren, Isabel Tavares, Paula |
| author_sort |
Sakhonchik, Alena |
| title |
Closing the Gap : Improving Laws Protecting Women from Violence |
| title_short |
Closing the Gap : Improving Laws Protecting Women from Violence |
| title_full |
Closing the Gap : Improving Laws Protecting Women from Violence |
| title_fullStr |
Closing the Gap : Improving Laws Protecting Women from Violence |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Closing the Gap : Improving Laws Protecting Women from Violence |
| title_sort |
closing the gap : improving laws protecting women from violence |
| publisher |
World Bank, Washington, DC |
| publishDate |
2017 |
| url |
http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/180811501135102564/Closing-the-gap-improving-laws-protecting-women-from-violence http://hdl.handle.net/10986/28416 |
| _version_ |
1764466522775879680 |