In today's global society, violence against women is a serious problem of epidemic proportions. “Violence against women takes various forms, all of which are violations of women's fundamental rights, (50 Nnadi)” and the unequal position of women compared to men is directly linked to violence against women, including sexual abuse (UN). Through this patriarchy, women's lack of individual rights and freedoms has been the most related aspect to violence against women. Some key examples of how the lack of women's rights has created ideal circumstances for violence against women to take hold include honor crimes, genital manipulation, femicide, sexual violence, domestic violence, widowhood practices, human trafficking and sex-selective abortions. All these factors of violence are “embedded in unequal power relations between men and women hinged on the patriarchal learning of society” (49 Nnadi). The Center for Islamic and Middle Eastern Laws (CIMEL) and the International Center for the Legal Protection of Human Rights (INTERIGHTS) describe “Honor” Crimes here as including: “[A] variety of manifestations of violence against women, including “honor killings,” assault, confinement or incarceration, and interference with choice in marriage, where the publicly articulated “justification” is attributed to a social order that would require the preservation of a concept of “honor” conferred by male control (familial and/or marital) over women and particularly over women's sexual conduct: actual, suspected, or potential (524 Cusack)” Although the above meaning is well written and covers most of the issues associated with “Honor” crimes, the concept of honor can be seen as employed not only to regulate women's sexuality and sexual conditions. of paper......bal society will change for this epidemic. Works Cited Peterman, Amber, PhD., Tia Palermo PhD. and Caryn Bredenkamp PhD. “Estimates and determinants of sexual violence against women in the Democratic Republic of Congo.” American Journal of Public Health 101.6 (2011): 1060-7.ProQuest. Network. 11 November 2013.Nnadi, Ine. “A Look at Violence Against Women as a Human Rights Violation in Nigeria: A Critique.” Journal of Politics and Law 5.3 (2012): 48-56. ProQuest. Network. November 12, 2013. Watts, Charlotte and Cathy Zimmerman. “Violence against women: Global scope and magnitude.” The Lancet 359.9313 (2002): 1232-7. ProQuest. Network. November 22, 2013.Cusack, Simone and Rebecca J. Cook. “Honor”: Crimes, Paradigms, and Violence Against Women (review). Human Rights Quarterly 29.2 (May 2007): 524-33. Muse. Network. November 16. 2013.