On the last day of CSW57, four female United States judges presented their perspectives on domestic violence, which they defined as; violence directed against women by their intimate partners is an epidemic of global proportions that has devastating physical, emotional, financial and social effects.
Efforts to combat domestic violence are now moving toward recognition of it as a violation of women’s human rights; considered by some to be a form of torture.
Access to justice varies from country to country. Restraining orders are a common form of protection, and are often issued for: threats of assault, abuse, bodily harm, fear of imminent bodily hard (allows for subjective impression), rape or sexual offense, stalking, abuse of a child, vulnerable adult, and sometimes pets.
- There are 9,000 such filings per year in Prince George’s County, Maryland alone.
- 58% of temporary petitions filed (lasting 1 week) do not pursue permanent restraining orders.
- Only 1 in 20 domestic homicide victims in Philadelphia had a restraining order.
- In the United States, it is estimated that 22% of all women have experienced some form of domestic violence
- There are 4.5 million physical assaults committed against women by intimate partners per year in the US.
- Only 20 US states have passed legislation on teen dating violence.
By Erica Higbie, FAWCO Representative to the United Nations