The human rights approach and the importance of multi-agency work to combat violence

Addressing violence against women is a fundamental goal in achieving other gender related goals and represents a core issue in the human rights discourse. A key assumption today among those working to contrast violence and to protect the victims is that the multi-agency approach is the most effective instrument to prevent violence against women and provides the most comprehensive protection for survivors. Multi-sector backgrounds can produce useful results, both for people working in law enforcement and in the judiciary field to enhance the strategies to combat violence, as well as for those individuals that intervene in the different phases of assisting the victims of violence. In Italy the adoption of the National Action Plan against Gender Violence and Stalking confirms at an institutional level the value of a holistic system when fighting against gender violence using a human rights oriented approach.