Under this thematic area CAHRV will review and integrate research into the extent of human rights violations in interpersonal relationships. Data collection on the prevalence of gender-based violence has expanded considerably over the past decade but existing research is rarely, if ever, comparable across national borders, and even within countries research is fragmented. CAHRV aims to contribute to the development of standards for data collection and of conceptual frameworks for comparative data analysis.

Fairly well documented are violations of women by male partners or known men, and the abuse of children in families, whereas elder abuse has received less scientific attention. The study of gender-based victimizations of men needs more careful attention and must develop its own theoretical and methodological frameworks. Although terms such as "gender-based violence" are widely used, the gendered dimensions of violence towards children, men, and the elderly are less clearly understood than the gendered dimensions of violence against women.

The growing specialization within research on victimization has left significant gaps in both knowledge and policy, in particular with regard to how we understand and address multiple, direct and indirect violations. One example is the relationship between violence against women and the victimization of children. Relatively few studies look at the effects of violence against mothers on their children and mother's ability to provide care.

Call for participation

All members of subnetwork 1 are working on the preparation of the first report corresponding to Workpackage 5 ("Overview of prevalence and health
impact research") due in April 2005. Those researchers involved in prevalence or health impact studies of interpersonal violence in Europe are invited to communicate with us! For more information, please contact: Manuela Martinez, University of Valencia, Spain