Integrated Criminal Policy Approaches to Preventing Violence Against Women and Children
Keywords:
Violence Against Women; Violence Against Children; Criminal Policy; Prevention; Victim-Centered Justice; Human Rights; Integrated GovernanceAbstract
Violence against women and children is a multidimensional phenomenon shaped by legal rules, institutional practices, social norms, economic inequality, and trauma-related health consequences. Evidence from global prevalence studies indicates that violence is widespread and persistent, requiring prevention strategies that extend beyond punishment alone (World Health Organization [WHO], 2021). International standards increasingly frame violence against women and children as a human-rights violation and a state due-diligence obligation, emphasizing survivor safety, non-discrimination, and access to justice (United Nations General Assembly, 1993; UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women [CEDAW], 2017). This paper proposes an integrated criminal policy model that combines (1) effective legal frameworks and enforcement; (2) victim-centered justice and protection; (3) evidence-informed offender management and rehabilitation; and (4) long-term social prevention aligned with public-health and human-rights frameworks. Drawing on the Istanbul Convention’s “4Ps” logic—prevention, protection, prosecution, and coordinated policies—this paper argues that integrated policy is most effective when criminal justice systems are linked to health, social services, education, and community-based interventions (Council of Europe, 2011). The paper concludes with actionable recommendations: strengthen risk-based protection, improve prosecution quality, scale evidence-based prevention packages (INSPIRE and RESPECT), and institutionalize coordinated multi-agency governance with measurable outcomes (WHO, 2016; WHO, 2019).
References
CEDAW. (2017). General recommendation No. 35 (2017) on gender-based violence against women, updating general recommendation No. 19 (CEDAW/C/GC/35). Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Council of Europe. (2011). Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention) (CETS No. 210). Council of Europe.
Garland, D. (2001). The culture of control: Crime and social order in contemporary society. University of Chicago Press.
Hajnasiri, H., Ghanei Gheshlagh, R., Sayehmiri, K., Moafi, F., & Farajzadeh, M. (2016). Domestic violence among Iranian women: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal, 18(6), e34971.
Heise, L. L., & Kotsadam, A. (2015). Cross-national and multilevel correlates of partner violence: An analysis of data from population-based surveys. The Lancet Global Health, 3(6), e332–e340. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(15)00013-3
Hoppe, S. J. (2020). Mandatory arrest for domestic violence and repeat offending: A meta-analysis. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 55, 101517.
Lajevardi, M. M. (2015). Advancement and development of women’s rights in Iran. Journal of Middle East Women’s Studies (article PDF).
Sherman, L. W. (2013). The rise of evidence-based policing: Targeting, testing, and tracking. Crime and Justice, 42(1), 377–451.
Sherman, L. W. (2017). Policing domestic violence 1967–2017. Cambridge Journal of Evidence-Based Policing (working paper).
Sherman, L. W., Strang, H., & O’Connor, D. (2017). Introduction—Key facts about domestic abuse: Lessons from eight studies. Cambridge Journal of Evidence-Based Policing, 1, 59–63.
UNICEF. (2025). Ending violence against children in Europe and Central Asia. UNICEF.
United Nations. (2010). Handbook for legislation on violence against women. United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women / UN WomenWatch.
United Nations General Assembly. (1993). Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women (A/RES/48/104). United Nations.
UNODC. (2024). Femicide brief 2024. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
UN Women, & UNODC. (2024). Femicides in 2023: Global estimates of intimate partner/family member femicides. UN Women & United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
Walby, S. (2013). Violence and society: Introduction to an emerging field of sociology. Current Sociology, 61(2), 95–111.
World Health Organization. (2016). INSPIRE: Seven strategies for ending violence against children. WHO.
World Health Organization. (2019). RESPECT women: Preventing violence against women (WHO/RHR/18.19). WHO.
World Health Organization. (2020). Global status report on preventing violence against children 2020. WHO.
World Health Organization. (2021). Violence against women prevalence estimates, 2018: Global, regional and national prevalence estimates for intimate partner violence against women and global and regional prevalence estimates for non-partner sexual violence against women (Publication date: 9 March 2021). WHO.
World Health Organization. (2025). RESPECT women: Preventing violence against women (2nd ed.). WHO.
