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Women’s Human Rights Around the World
The Advocates is committed to the promotion and protection of women’s human rights around the world. Using research, education and advocacy, the Women’s Program of The Advocates has developed effective programming to improve conditions for women in the countries where we work.

 The Advocates employs traditional human rights fact-finding methods to document violations of women's human rights, including domestic violence, rape, employment discrimination, sexual harassment in the workplace and trafficking in women and girls. Staff and volunteers conduct in-country research through close collaboration with local women's non-governmental organizations. The organization has published 17 reports on violence against women as a human rights issue. The Advocates’ reports include an analysis of each country's legislation related to women's rights and of the local law enforcement system, as well as recommendations on bringing laws and practice into conformity with international human rights obligations.
 
The Advocates also works with its partner organizations to design specialized training programs on a broad range of organizational development and women’s human rights issues, including all aspects of violence against women. The Advocates has trained judges, prosecutors, police, attorneys, advocates, journalists and other professionals about international human rights standards and how to incorporate protection of women’s human rights into their work. The organization provides extensive training materials related to violence against women that can be adapted to individual country situations on its Stop Violence Against Women website: www.stopvaw.org.
 
The Advocates women’s human rights programming includes a particular focus on law reform. The organization has provided training and technical assistance on drafting legislation, legislative advocacy and monitoring new laws on violence against women.
 
The Advocates' Cheryl Thomas, Director of Women's Human Rights, recently talked with P. Imrana Jalal about the model framework for legislation to address violence against women developed by the participants at the 2008 Expert Group Meeting in Vienna. Ms. Jalal was the Chairperson and Ms. Thomas was the Rapporteur for the Expert Group Meeting.
 

Leymah Gbowee, Founder and Executive Director of Women Peace and Security Network - Africa and a key figure in ending Liberia's civil war, recently talked at a house party for The Advocates. Listen to her below talk about security sector reform and violence against women: