International Center University of Florida

The International Violence Against Women survey estimates that between 35-60% of women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence. Many more experiences of victimisation go unreported to anyone. Despite a range of national legislation, human rights instruments aimed at eliminating violence against women (VAW), and transnational alliances between governments and NGOs, it is an enduring ‘global injustice’, more recently described as a ‘global pandemic’. Since the 1970s, an extensive scholarship has developed on VAW. There is a vibrant research community developing state of the art methodologies to extend the empirical evidence base, and engagement with the issue from a wide range of academic disciplines. Drawing on feminist sociology, criminology, psychology and philosophy, this course will introduce students to key concepts, evidence and debates about all forms of VAW.