Intensive Course: International Law and State Responsibility for Violence Against Women

Note: The add/drop date for this course is Monday, January 4 at 10:00 PM.

Course Location: Please see the "Intensive Course Schedule" under Schedules and Timetables (http://www.law.utoronto.ca/academic-programs/schedules).

Note: Attendance at intensive courses is mandatory for the duration of the course.

As acknowledged by academics and practitioners, violence against women remains one of the most widespread and pervasive human rights violations in the world today. At the international level, there remains a legal normative gap due to the absence of a specific binding instrument or provisions in other instruments, regarding state obligations to respond to, prevent, protect against and ultimately eliminate violence against women.

This course introduces students to the developments and discussions regarding the historical aspects of international soft law normative standards on violence against women. In addition, the course highlights current discussions on the need to close the protection gap in international human rights law, through a new Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), specifically on this issue. To address issues of impunity, lack of accountability and state responsibility failures, requires reflections on processes in international treatymaking efforts, and also the substantive aspects of a new CEDAW Optional Protocol on violence against women. Students will be encouraged to engage on the necessity of further specific human rights legislation as well the possible challenges to such normative developments, especially in the current context of backlash against the human rights of women.