Jonathan Herring has written a new book: Domestic Abuse and Human Rights, published by Intersentia.  The book explores how human rights can and should be used to tackled domestic abuse.

In the conclusion it is said: “Our relationships are what give meaning to our lives. They are meant to be sources of love, support and comfort. They are meant to build us up, to keep us going when times are tough, to give us meaning beyond ourselves. Yet in domestic abuse, relationships are used to tear people down, to destroy their sense of self-worth and to coerce them. The trust that is essential for there to be love is turned back on the victim as a weapon of abuse. The home, which should be a place of security and comfort, is turned into a prison. The shared history that should be source of joy becomes a tool of terror. Domestic abuse is a fearful and dreadful thing.

Society has ignored domestic abuse for too long, but worse than that, it is enabled, perpetuated and nourished it. In domestic abuse, the patriarchal forces prevalent throughout society are laid open for all to see in a microcosm. Women must obey men. Women should be servants of men. Women are there for men’s enjoyment and to meet their needs. If women dare to depart from these roles, they will be punished and put back in their place. Patriarchy bears its ugliest face….

The language of human rights is the most effective legal tool on which to build a response to domestic abuse.”

You can order the book here.