David L. Richards is Associate Professor of Political Science and Human Rights at the University of Connecticut. Jillienne Haglund is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Political Science at Washington University in St. Louis and will join the Department of Political Science at the University of Kentucky as an Assistant Professor in Fall 2015.

“This is an impressive and far-reaching study of the role of law in eradicating violence against women in a global context. The authors use robust empirical data to examine whether the law actually makes a difference in the lives of women from 196 countries in the world. The authors expertly unravel the complexities of law’s influence and impact on gender-based inequality and violence, underscoring the need for cross-national data that track adoption and enforcement of domestic and international laws over time.” —Nicola Henry, La Trobe University–Australia “What differences are there in laws against rape, sexual harassment, and domestic violence around the world? What factors influence the adoption and strength of gender-violence laws? David Richards and Jillienne Haglund’s book provides the most comprehensive and careful analysis of violence against women laws out there. Violence Against Women and the Law will be an invaluable resource for students and scholars of international human rights, comparative law, comparative public policy, and women and politics for years to come.” —Alice Kang, University of Nebraska–Lincoln “The authors, using a cross-national data set, provide a much-needed critical analysis of the link between international human rights law, domestic violence against women law, and outcomes for women’s human rights, all the while revealing the impact of various indicators of women’s status on law and enforcement. This book contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the role of law in the struggle to combat violence against women and enriches the debate and research on the subject.” —Yakin Ertürk, former UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women (2003–2009)

• Chapter 1 Forms of Violence against Women Chapter 2 Political, Economic, and Social Determinants of Domestic Gender-Based-Violence Policy Chapter 3 Legal Frameworks Chapter 4 Creating Indicators of Legal GuaranteesChapter 5 Discoveries from Our Data Conclusion