ABSTRACT
If the world can be remade anew and equality, justice and dignity for all are not utopian ideals but attainable and indispensable human rights, the moment to act is now and the need for women’s leadership is dire. However, many scholars and activists have come to believe that human rights are an inadequate framework to help us build alternative worlds or futures. Violence against women emerged as the most strategic issue to mobilize around because of its ubiquitous presence in the lives of women in every corner of the globe. Despite differing class, racial/ethnic and cultural manifestations like female infanticide, sexual and emotional abuse, dowry-related murder, honor killings, domestic violence or rape during times of war and conflict, violence against women was a clear pandemic. What happened to women in private spaces did not fall under the domain of typical human rights violations, but global women’s movement transformed violence against women into public issue and brought non-state actors into play.
