Women's Rights

We work to promote the human rights of women in the U.S. and around the world. We analyze and help draft laws that promote the safety of women and girls. We monitor governments' response to violence against women and publish reports documenting how laws are implemented and making recommendations based on an international human rights framework. Through our local court monitoring project, WATCH, we train volunteers as court observers in Hennepin, Ramsey, and Washington county courts, and collect data on how cases of sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse are handled. We also conduct trainings based on best practice standards in responding to violence against women. For instance, we train police officers, prosecutors, lawyers, and judges to implement both new and existing laws on domestic and sexual violence. We also build the capacity of civil society on human rights monitoring and documentation, international advocacy, international human rights standards on violence against women, and effective messaging and fundraising strategies. We produce comprehensive resources with information on violence against women. 

Our Stop Violence Against Women website serves as a forum for information, advocacy, and change. On the site, we detail women's human rights news from around the world. By working with the UN, we developed the Legislation and Justice sections of the site's Virtual Knowledge Center to End Violence Against Women.