Abstract

Laws and legislation significantly influence actions in societies to control rates of gender-based violence (GBV). Most domestic laws are developed from international declarations and conventions. This paper reviews declarations, policies, and laws enacted at international levels and ratified at national levels to mitigate GBV from a neutral perspective. Most countries ratify declarations and conventions to control GBV at domestic levels. However, the majority of these laws are directed towards women as compared to men. There is also a need to follow up ratification actions at domestic levels to ensure full application of these laws in the society as well as in conflict-stricken communities. In Cameroon, for example, there is still a need to enforce the reality of ratified laws against GBV. Establishing an oversight committee to conduct periodic monitoring and evaluation on the level of ratification of international laws could improve operational rates at domestic levels.

Keywords: Gender, violence, laws, declarations, legislations.