Largely due to the international human rights law framework, legislation addressing intimate partner violence (referred to in this thesis as Standard IPV Legislation) has been introduced in more than 85% of countries across the globe. This thesis argues that the implementation of Standard IPV Legislation should be supported by legal empowerment programming designed to help IPV survivors understand and use the law. It advocates for the design of programming by reference to key principles of capability theory in aid-dependent postcolonial contexts in which human rights concepts and discourse remain contested. This thesis argues that well-designed programming can enhance the perceived legitimacy of the law; ameliorate barriers to rights-based programming; and take seriously the perspectives, priorities and lived experiences of the IPV survivors at which it is aimed. To examine how a capabilities-informed approach to legal empowerment programming might work in practice, and to evaluate the potential of such an approach, this thesis uses the case study of the Family Protection Act 2014 in Solomon Islands. It draws on original qualitative research that demonstrates both the benefits of the international human rights law framework for those seeking the reduction of IPV, and the common ideological and practical barriers that can arise in response to rights-based approaches to IPV reduction. Ultimately this thesis employs the capability approach to capitalise on the benefits of the international human rights law discourse and framework while ameliorating barriers that come with it. It draws on insights from both the literature and the Solomon Islands case study to explore how the capability approach can be operationalised to enhance the accessibility and effectiveness of Standard IPV Legislation in aid-dependent postcolonial contexts. It provides a concrete example of a capabilities-informed tool that could be used to do so in practice.