Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book discusses the possible reasons for this oversight and provides an overview of some of the main arguments in favour of filling the existing normative gap in international law resulting from there being no specific instrument dealing with the elimination of Violence against women (VAW) at the UN level. It argues that valuable lessons could be drawn from the jurisprudence of the regional courts and commissions. The book highlights the advantages and disadvantages associated with the available legal instruments, along with the work of the monitoring systems and their resultant findings and jurisprudence. It examines the provisions of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence and the case law of the European Court of Human Rights as it relates to VAW and domestic violence and the well-developed positive obligations on the State.