Male Violence Against Women: Law, Ethics, and Policy

This book provides an overview of male violence against women and the failure of the legal system.

Male violence against women is pervasive. From the bedroom to the boardroom; from the home to the hospital; from the court to the care home, women are subject to male violence. The legal response to this is weak. The violence is either invisible or downplayed. This book explains why and how the law can do better.

It explores how violence in different settings reinforces and magnifies the abuse in others. Too often violence against women is considered in silos (sexual assault; domestic abuse; street harassment, etc.). The book argues that they must be seen on a continuum. It brings out the common themes, but also the subtle differences in context between the scenes of violence. In doing so it argues that we cannot understand an incident of male violence against women without understanding the broader context within which that takes place. The book claims that the legal response to male violence against women downplays the severity of the harm or even fails to recognise it.

This is a must-read for those interested in criminal law, gender politics, and feminist approaches to law. It is only when the true nature of the problem is grasped that the law can start to provide an effective response to it. This book shows how a better and more effective law can be found.