International Science Community Association International Research Journal of Social Sciences 2319 - 3565 2 9 2013 September 14 Domestic Violence and Human Rights 7 10 EN AvdijaAvdi S. 1 Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Indiana State University, USA Bharani N. 1 Department of Political Science, Bangalore University, Bangalore, INDIA > Research Article 2013 8 4 2013 September 14 Domestic violence is a global problem. It undermines the value of a women as an individual and denies her the dignity of a human being. It, therefore, is a serious human rights violation. Domestic violence is a series of repeated abusive behavior which affects women's participation in public and private spheres. It also harms a woman's physical, mental, psychological and sexual well being. Taking serious note of it, countries worldwide, irrespective of their social, economic and political status are formulating legislative solutions to curb the menace. Though domestic violence and human rights are independent topics, they are closely related and impact one another in a very serious manner. Domestic violence, until few years back, was a limited area of study and was seen purely in the light of marital discord between husband and wife in a household. However, with international agencies like UN and State agencies coming into picture, the perception of domestic violence has undergone a change and now it is being widely considered as a serious gender and human rights issue. Sincere effort is needed to build sensitivity and create awareness among individuals and agencies about it. Along with formulating legislations and policies in this regard, nations should pay equal attention towards effective implementation. The paper is based on theoretical research and begins by introducing the concepts of human rights, domestic violence and important players involved in it. The paper mainly focuses on various facets of domestic violence, human rights instruments made available by United Nations and on legislative measures developed by select countries to counter domestic violence. The paper concludes by discussing briefly the contribution and role played by civil society groups in India towards the issue. Copyright@ International Science Community Association