Gender-based violence (GBV) is an umbrella term for any harmful threat or act directed at an individual or group based on actual or perceived biological sex, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, and/or lack of adherence to socially constructed norms around masculinities and femininities. It is rooted in structural gender inequalities, patriarchy, and power imbalances. GBV is typically characterized by the use or threat of physical, psychological, sexual, economic, legal, political, social and other forms of control and abuse. GBV impacts individuals across the life course and has direct and indirect costs to families, communities, economies, global public health, and development.
Who is affected by GBV?
Women and girls across the life course experience high rates of GBV and are disproportionately affected by GBV. It is also experienced by individuals across the spectrum of gender identities and gender expression, as well as boys and men. Certain, already vulnerable populations may experience risk of GBV including, but not limited to: children, people affected by conflict or crisis; people with disabilities; indigenous, ethnic and religious minority communities; low wage informal sector workers; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) people; migrants, refugees, the internally displaced; older persons; and widows.
Types of GBV and settings where is occurs
GBV is a global problem: it occurs in every country and society. It happens in public and private settings, including but not limited to digital and online spaces, educational settings, the home, and workplaces. Types of GBV include, but are not limited to: child, early and forced marriage, female genital mutilation/cutting, so-called “honor”-based violence and killings, and other harmful practices; dating violence; domestic violence; female infanticide; femicide; human trafficking for sex and labor purposes; intimate partner violence; sexual harassment; stalking; sexual violence, including reproductive and sexual coercion, and rape, including marital rape, homophobic and transphobic rape, and rape as a tactic of conflict. Other types of violence that are sometimes gender-based include, but are not limited to: abandonment; neglect; bullying; child abuse; corporal punishment; and elder abuse.