Blog 3: Have International Laws Failed Women?

Have International Law Ultimately Failed Global Women?

This article focuses on international laws and policy designed to protect women, and how they have ultimately failed to do so. Despite the time and effort that has gone into establishing formal legal courts in developing countries, informal legal courts resolve approximately 80% of cases. In both informal and formal courts, women either lack knowledge of their rights within the justice system, or lack the agency to properly navigate through it. In order to normalize gender equality, developing countries need to first legalize it, and also enforce these laws. However, there are variable that attribute to the lack of enforcement. Women often fear violence at the hands of men, and the pervasiveness of gender inequality often lead women to believe that have no legal voice. 



It is important to remember that gender inequality cannot be solved simply through public policy. In order to positively affect women, and for these laws to be properly enforced, the culture must change as well. International law has long arms, but little grasp. It is up the the government of developing countries to enforce laws that protect women against rape, violence, and the rights to own properly. But if the gender imbalance remains, the law enforcement will often turn a blind eye, or women remain uneducated about their legal rights. Furthermore, justice in developing countries is more often than not a privilege, as opposed to a human right. An attempt of justice for a women and her family might inevitably bring death. 

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http://womennewsnetwork.net/2013/02/13/international-laws-failed-women/