Legislation

Throughout this knowledge module, reference to certain provisions or sections of a piece of legislation, part of a legal judgment, or aspect of a practice does not imply that the legislation, judgment, or practice is considered in its entirety to be a good example or a promising practice.

Some of the laws cited herein may contain provisions which authorize the death penalty. In light of the United Nations General Assembly resolutions 62/14963/16865/206, and 67/176 calling for a moratorium on and ultimate abolition of capital punishment, the death penalty should not be included in sentencing provisions for crimes of violence against women and girls.

Other Provisions Related to Domestic Violence LawsResources for Developing Legislation on Domestic Violence
Sexual Harassment in Sport Tools for Drafting Sexual Harassment Laws and Policies
Immigration Provisions Resources for developing legislation on sex trafficking of women and girls
Child Protection Provisions Resources on Forced and Child Marriage
Other provisions related to dowry-related and domestic violence laws
Related Tools

Special investigative & other procedures

Last edited: October 30, 2010

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Police documentation of criminal violence against women sets the stage for the way that many other actors in agencies and the community react to a woman seeking assistance. Accordingly, clear protocols must be mandated by law or developed as mandatory policy in order to ensure that police documentation facilitates the appropriate implementation of laws system-wide.

CASE STUDY – Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA

The U.S. city of Saint Paul received legislative funding to create a “blueprint” (a highly detailed, foundational document) for how to build an effective criminal justice response to domestic violence. The resulting Blueprint for Safety focuses on criminal justice agencies only and includes specific guidance for every agency, including what victims need to be safe, what workers understand to be their responsibility to the victim and to all other interveners, and what is required by each worker and agency to hold an offender accountable. Chapter 3 of the Blueprint lays out detailed policies and protocols for police who respond to calls about family violence. The Blueprint includes clear direction for what to do in a variety of situations, including interacting with victims, incidents involving police employees, incidents involving public officials, incidents when children are present or when an offender is gone by the time police arrive, as well as specific guidance for incidents involving stalking or strangulation. The Blueprint also contains checklists for patrol reports about family violence incidents. The Blueprint goes on to present protocols for further investigation of domestic violence cases and also has specific guidance for supervising officers. See: Praxis International, Blueprint for Safety.