A/HRC/8/4 page 23 else they are subject to political authority.67 Moreover, women often have difficulty even gaining access to justice, whereas this is not the case for men. Similarly, impunity for certain kinds of crime, particularly sex-related crimes, is a source of obvious discrimination and an obstruction with regard to the exercise of the right of access to justice. Where the law itself does not grant men powers or rights that it denies women, in similar conditions, discrimination arises out of the events themselves, which are violations of the law. In certain countries, cultural factors and prejudices are at the root of the most serious, routine violations of the principle of equality before the law and the courts. Sometimes discriminatory treatment is institutionalized, for example where, women must have the backing of some male member of their family in order to access justice. Where gender inequality goes hand in hand with poverty, women’s access to justice is doubly tenuous.68 Yet legal services designed to meet the particular needs of women are still hard to find,69 even more so for those living in poverty. In the area of free legal aid, for example, women are in competition with men for resource allocations, and those resources are in any case provided for a single type of service, regardless of the fact that needs may differ.70 At best, when there is some kind of differentiated provision, such services are linked to the problems of domestic violence, abuse and family law.71 The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has identified a widespread pattern of human rights violations that are suffered by women in particular. This is compounded by cultural obstacles to women reporting such violations and authorities’ failure to act on those complaints that are brought.72 The Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences emphasized the need to provide domestic mechanisms of access to justice and to ensure women’s access to international mechanisms for the protection of human rights.73 However, in the course of his country visits, the 67 N. Gherardi, op. cit., p. 25. 68 Y. Ertürk, Integración de los derechos humanos de la mujer y la perspectiva de género: La violencia contra la mujer. Informe de la Relatora Especial sobre la violencia contra la mujer, sus causas y sus consecuencias, E/CN.4/2004/66, 26 diciembre de 2003, p. 13. 69 En Australia, la Law Reform Comission documentó la discriminación que enfrentan las mujeres cuando buscan asistencia de los servicios jurídicos. Australian law Reform Commision, Equality Before the lays: Justice for Women, (ALRC 69), Part III, Access to Justice: Legal Aid. 70 Vid. J. Méndez, “Acceso a la justicia, un enfoque desde los derechos humanos”, Acceso a la Justicia y Equidad, Instituto Interamericano de Derechos Humanos, San José, 2000, p. 15-23. 71 N. Gherdi, op. cit., p. 14. 72 Comisión Interamericana Derechos Humanos, Informes sobre la situación de los derechos humanos: Haití, 1995, cap IV, OEA/Ser.L/V/II.88 doc. 10 rev; Ecuador, 1997, cap. XI, OEA/Ser.L/V/II.96, doc.10, rev. 1; Brasil, 1998, cap. VIII. 73 Y. Ertürk, op. cit, p. 15.