Responding to Violence Against Women: How Development Policies Address the Issue of Gender-Based Violence

The paper highlights the shortcomings of current development policies designed to tackle violence against women (VAW). It proposes a new framework based on a body politics approach to address VAW. The paper argues that the current discourse on women's sexuality perpetuates violence against women by legitimising the use of their bodies for political, cultural and economic consolidation. Sexuality is an integral component of the web of gendered power relations that reach beyond the economic and political spheres to control women's behaviour and maintain their subordination. Yet, sexuality is rarely discussed in development theory and practice, except in terms of population or reproductive health. Within this discourse, women's sexuality is primarily equated with their reproductive function and tied to national and economic well-being. This marking has qualified developing world women's sexuality with a powerful discourse that emphasizes their maternal role and denies their sexual feelings and desires. Based on examples from the Latin American region, the paper concludes a recommendation for incorporating a body politics perspective in efforts to address and eliminate VAW.