“Violence against Women, Cultural/Religious Traditions and the International Standard of Due Diligence”

Judith Wyttenbach provides an overview of areas of conflict between women’s rights, cultural traditions and state interventions and examines the question of whether freedom of religion and minority rights, protect by international and regional human rights treaties, can challenge the universality of women’s rights. She examines in particular the question of whether considerations of freedom of religion or cultural minority rights can legitimise violence against women. She lists numerous legal obligations that a state has to implement in order to fulfil its due diligence obligations in combating violence against women legitimised with arguments of culture. She also discusses the achievements and the various challenges for the future at both the state and international levels in preventing and addressing religiously/culturally motivated violence.