Means to improve access to justice and legally empower victims of domestic violence: An empirical legal study on legislation and legal offices in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Julieta Marotta
#2014-074
The purpose of this study is to understand how recent legal reforms and
the creation of legal offices in Argentina may improve access to justice
and legally empower victims of domestic violence. The paper looks into
the way the judicial system developed to provide suitable options for
victims of domestic violence to gain access to justice and solve their
conflicts. It uses a legal empowerment framework composed of three
levels: normative, institutional and individual. The paper bases the
analysis on the existing regulations, and an empirical study conducted
with those working for the public institution, and with victims of
domestic violence that accessed to those institutions seeking for
assistance. The paper gives a comprehensive approach and provides
reflections on what aspects of the laws and institutions are actually
being of benefit for victims of domestic violence.
Keywords: Access to Justice, Argentina, Domestic Violence, Law Reform,
Legal Empowerment
JEL Classification: K36, K14, K41, L38