This course provides an overview of the international legal norms and implementation mechanisms for the protection of women’s human rights, including the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. It explores the historical roots of these norms and examines the theoretical construct of women’s human rights from diverse feminist perspectives. Given that discrimination against women remains one of the most pervasive violations of human rights globally, the course tackles the challenges to implementing these norms in women’s lived experience. It addresses concrete dilemmas facing women human rights defenders seeking to use international law and human rights mechanisms to end violations and achieve equality. Specific topics covered include violence against women, sexual harassment, global and anti-racist feminisms, and the economic, social and cultural rights of women, as well as the impacts on women’s rights of the climate emergency, of the COVID 19 pandemic and of diverse forms of fundamentalism and extremism.