Shades of Grey - Domestic and Sexual Violence Against Women : Law Reform and Society

Shades of Grey - Domestic and Sexual Violence Against Women investigates the ‘hidden gender’ of so-called neutral or objective legal principles that structure the law addressing violence against women. Drawing upon a range of material - from Australia and England/Wales but also from the US, Canada and European countries - the book contextualizes and critiques relevant legislation, case law, and secondary studies. It also compares policy responses; making recommendationsfor best practice models of policy-making and law reform. Aiming to help improve government, community and legal responses to women who experience violence, Shades of Grey - Domestsic and |Sexual Violence Against Women will assist law-makers, academics, policy-makers and a wider audience in understanding the complexities of violence against women, as well as the potential and the limits of law in this area.

Arguing that law must be looked at holistically, this book investigates the ‘hidden gender’ of the so-called neutral or objective legal principles that structure the law addressing violence against women. Adopting an explicitly feminist perspective, it investigates how legal responses to violence against women presuppose, maintain and perpetuate a certain context that may not in fact reflect women’s experiences.

Carline and Easteal draw upon relevant legislation, case law and secondary studies from a range of territories, including Australia, England and Wales, the United States, Canada and Europe, to contextualize and critique different policy responses. They go on to examine the potential and limits of law, making recommendations for best practice models of policymaking and law reform.

Aiming to help improve government, community and legal responses to women who experience violence, Shades of Grey – Domestic and Sexual Violence Against Women: Law Reform and Society will assist law-makers, academics, policymakers and a wider audience in understanding the complexities of violence against women.