This report analyzes the forms of violence Venezuelan women refugees face in Columbia and Peru, especially in public spaces, at home, and at work. Further, the report highlights that Venezuelan women refugees residing in Columbia and Peru are denied access to health and justice services due to stereotypes about their gender, nationality, and gender identity. Thus, they experience new forms of violence and discrimination when attempting to file a justice service or health complaint. The goal of this report is to bring these issues to light and hold Columbian and Peruvian authorities accountable for their failure to support Venezuelan women’s rights to a life free from gender-based violence and discrimination. 

This report outlines Amnesty International’s concerns and suggestions to protect women’s rights during the Covid-19 pandemic. The report addresses that lockdowns due to the pandemic have increased reports of women being subjected to threats or violence at home. The report notes that the lockdown limits both methods by which victims can report for help and services such as shelters due to restricted capacity. Furthermore, the report voices that court extensions for cases of women against violence should be executed in a timely manner in order to provide access to justice for these individuals. The report also stresses that the pandemic may be disproportionally affecting women and their right to reproductive health services including access to contraception and abortion. It states that these services should be considered essential and not restricted during the pandemic under the guise of optional.    

This report outlines Amnesty International’s perspective on the reliance of criminal law in addressing gender-based violence. The report states that while criminal law is an important aspect of addressing gender-based violence, it is not the only avenue of redress that should be taken. The report highlights that while criminal law focuses on punishment of perpetrators it doesn’t focus on solving the deeper issues of social-cultural structures and discrimination that are at the root of gender-based violence. The article notes that justice needs to take into account the survivors. Therefore, the article suggests that there needs to be a more comprehensive implementation of measures that will address gender-based violence such as social and economic support mechanisms, programs to engage men and boys as partners for gender equality, and due diligence standard call for training of various groups like the police.

This report outlines Amnesty International’s concerns regarding Poland's current legislation regarding definitions of violence and rape. Amnesty International voices their concern with the omission of economic violence from the definition of domestic violence in the Polish Criminal Code. In some cases, economic abuse may be classified as psychological abuse; however, by not explicitly including economic abuse, cases may turn on the discretion of the judge. The report states that the wording of Article 197 of the Polish Criminal Code provides too narrow of the scope for the criminalization of rape. Under Polish law, rape must take place without the victim’s consent and also with the use of either force, threat or deceit. Therefore, the focus is not on whether there was consent but whether the victim demonstrated an adequate level of resistance to the rape. The report also notes that there is a lack of restraining orders to protect victims from violence. 

This report outlines the criminalization of rape in the Netherlands. The definition of rape in the Dutch Criminal Code focuses on a forced-based definition rather than on a lack of freely given consent. The definition of rape does not explicitly include marital rape; however, marital rape is covered in the general provisions as a crime. The report stresses that having a force-based definition will exclude relief for victims who did not physically resist unwanted sexual conduct. The report also notes that the prosecution for rape cases are pending for a long time, which may be a burden to victims that need to recount details of their rape at court. Lastly, the report voices their concern that the proposal for new legislation to categorize between severe and lighter categories of rape may cause cases to be decided depending on the strength of the victim’s evidence. Therefore, this may not provide victims with genuine protection and justice. 

This was a 2017 submission to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination reviewing Canada’s 21^st and 23^rd periodic reports at the 93^rd session of the Committee. It identifies certain developments, such as the 2016 National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, as positive. However, it heavily critiques Canada’s treatment of Indigenous peoples, and specifically in section 2.1, Indigenous women and girls. Amnesty International made five recommendations regarding Indigenous women and girls, including the implementation of a National Action Plan on Violence Against Women that sees the cooperation of federal, provincial, and territorial governments, as well as working closer with Indigenous peoples on programming to achieve culturally relevant support and substantive equality for Indigenous women and girls. 

This report puts out a call to action for a national response to the human rights crisis created by the disproportionate scale and severity of violence faced by Indigenous women and girls in Canada. The author argues that a comprehensive and coordinated national response is needed to address current gaps in policies, programs and services to address this problem. The report lays out several elements that would need to be present for a successful National Action Plan. These include standardized police protocols to handle missing persons cases, as well as the collection of gender-disaggregated data on Indigenous persons in Canada that tracks violence rates against Indigenous women and girls. The report also calls for a funded and independent national public inquiry that will expose the nature of this violence and ensure government and police accountability.