ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the context of international political initiatives, channelled primarily through the United Nations and the Council of Europe. These initiatives recognise violence against women, and domestic violence in particular, as human rights violations. Responses to domestic violence are explored, from two rights-based dimensions the right to support and the right to protection and justice. As EU-funded projects and Council of Europe policies demonstrate, the support requirements of domestic violence victims encompass protection, psycho-social support, legal advice and economic assistance. The Victim Support Law (VSL) came into force in 1993, seeking to strengthen the position of victims in legal procedures. It forms the basis of a comprehensive policy for providing support (medical, social, material), protection and legal advocacy to ensure that victims can exercise their rights in criminal procedures, including claims for compensation. As in other countries, specialist women's support services in Switzerland were developed by committed women linked to the women's movement.
