title: Worldwide violence against women legislation: an equity approach.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the recommendations and interventions addressing violence against women (VAW) in vulnerable women (disabled, pregnant, ethnic minority, immigrant and older women) in key documents and laws enacted in different countries.
  
  
  METHODS
  Content analysis of key documents for the development of VAW policies and laws: The United Nations Handbook for Legislation on Violence Against Women Advance Version, the Model of Laws and Policies on Intrafamiliar Violence Against Women of the Pan-American Health Organization and Recommendation No. R(2002)5 of the Committee of Ministers of the European Council. The content of the 62 VAW laws was also analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Key documents demonstrate the importance of eliminating any obstacle facing disabled, pregnant, immigrant, ethnic minority or older women when accessing VAW services. Only 12 laws mention one or more of these groups of vulnerable women. Pregnant, disabled and ethnic minority women are the groups most often mentioned. In these laws, references to punitive measures, action plans and specific strategies to guarantee access to VAW resources are the most common interventions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Decisive interventions addressing the specific needs of disabled, pregnant, immigrant, ethnic minority and older women are needed in order to achieve a broader equity approach in VAW legislation.
authors.affiliation: Public Health Research Group, University of Alicante, Spain. gaby.ortiz@ua.es
authors.forename: Gaby
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ortiz-Barreda
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vives-Cases
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gil-González
mesh_terms: D018585:Battered Women / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation; D011050:Policy Making; D011247:Pregnancy; D014754:Violence / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*