The United Nations plays a leading role in setting international standards on violence against women by promoting recognition of women’s human rights and calling for their protection from violence.
UNFPA State of World Population 2006: A Passage to Hope – Women and International Migration
Today, women constitute almost half of all international migrants worldwide—95 million. Yet, despite contributions to poverty reduction and struggling economies, it is only recently that the international community has begun to grasp the significance of what migrant women have to offer

Not a Minute More: Ending Violence Against Women, United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), 2003 (PDF, 114 pages). This report highlights the substantial advancements in women’s human rights over the past few decades, suggests reasons for the continued pandemic of violence against women, and outlines the next steps in eradicating gender-based violence through collaboration and partnerships.

2003 Report of the Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, Integration of the Human Rights of Women and the Gender Perspective: Violence Against Women, E/CN.4/2003/75 (Jan. 2003) (PDF and Word, 24 pages). This report provides general information on sexual harassment law and policy around the world.

International, Regional and National Developments in the Area of Violence Against Women 1994-2003, E/CN.4/2003/75/Add.1 (Feb. 2003) (PDF and Word, 397 pages).
This discussion provides information on the sexual harassment laws passed by national governments around the world.

First World Report on Violence and Health, World Health Organization World Health Organization, 2002. [PDF, 372 pages; 54-page summary in PDF, press releases and fact sheets available]. The report includes a discussion of sexual violence at local, national and international levels.

World Health Organization Fact Sheet on Violence Against Women, June 2001.
This fact sheet defines violence against women, discusses its health and societal impact, details a public health approach to addressing the issue, and lists action taken by the WHO to combat such violence.

Picturing a Life Free of Violence: Media and Communications Strategies to End Violence Against Women, Chapter 2: Sexual Assault And Coercion, Saying No to Sexual Harassment in the Workplace, UNIFEM and the Media Materials Clearinghouse of the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, 2001. [PDF, 10 pages]. This publication catalogues communication strategies used to raise awareness of violence against women and includes a poster used to raise awareness of the "right to protection from sexual harassment at the workplace".

Fact Sheet No. 6: Women and the Economy, United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI/2035/F), May 2000.
This fact sheet describes international legal standards relating to women’s economic rights. It also includes an overview of changes in domestic legislation enacted since the Beijing Conference.

1997 Report of the Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, Alternative Approaches and Ways and Means within the United Nations System for Improving the Effective Enjoyment of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (E/CN.4/1997/47), February 1997.
Radhika Coomaraswamy discusses sexual harassment as a form of violence against women that occurs in the community.

1997 Report of the Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, Preliminary Report (E/CN.4/1995/42), November 1994.
In her first report on violence against women as Special Rapporteur, Radhika Coomaraswamy lays out the broad themes of her mandate and notes that state inaction is a serious obstacle to defending women from violence