ABSTRACT
Violence against women and girls had become a priority issue within the feminist movements of developed countries by the end of the 1970s and women's organizations around the world embraced this issue during the United Nations Decade for Women. Violence against women is embedded in social norms so that it becomes an accepted part of life. Male superiority, natural leadership, and the male right to control female behavior, including and perhaps most importantly her sexual behavior, are deeply entrenched in the psyche of the society. The legal reforms do not automatically bring about effective implementation. The stakeholders for policy reform are different from the ones involved in implementation. While the efforts of the women's groups at policy advocacy were quite successful in bringing about legal reforms, implementation still remains limited as government commitment remains low. The social norms that condone violence do not disappear quickly.
