Handbook on Effective Police Responses to Violence Against Women

Violence against women is a violation of dignity, safety and human rights. The problem is immense, particularly domestic violence, but also violence against women in conflict situations and against victims of human trafficking. Yet it is often seen as a private matter, something that goes on behind closed doors. It is not: it is a crime. And the state has a responsibility to protect the victims.

Some countries lack laws that criminalize violence against women. Others have the laws, but fail to implement them. There is no excuse for this. The United Nations has produced Model Strategies and Practical Measures on the Elimination of Violence Against Women in the Field of Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. These should be applied by all Member States.

Now the United Nations goes one step further with the publication of this Handbook on Effective Responses to Violence against Women. Designed for first-responders such as the police, it explains the issue, provides an overview of relevant norms and standards, and gives guidance on how to intervene. In particular, it focuses on how to investigate acts of violence against women—a process that requires considerable sensitivity.