Violence Against Women: A Global Perspective

Abstract

 Violence against women is rampant in all corners of the world and devastates the lives 
of millions of women. It is rooted in a global culture of discrimination which denies women 
equal rights with men, legitimizing the appropriation of women’s bodies for individual grati
f
 ication or political ends.1 It feeds off discrimination and serves to reinforce it. This is com
pounded by discrimination on the grounds of race, ethnicity, sexual identity, social status, class, 
and age. Such forms of discrimination restrict women’s choices, increase their vulnerability to 
violence and deprive them of justice.