What is Gender-Based Violence (GBV)?
Physical and emotional violence—in the form of force, coercion, threats, and deception— against another because of their sex or gender is considered GBV. While many survivors are women and girls, men and boys may also be affected by GBV.
Types of gender-based violence can include:
- Rape: Unwanted, non-consensual penetration. This also includes any sexual activity with a child below the age of 18, regardless of the age of consent in the country.
- Sexual Assault: Any sexual threat or act conducted without consent, including within a marriage. This also includes any sexual activity with a child below the age of 18, female genital mutilation (FGM), sexual abuse and harassment, exploitation, and forced sex work.
- Physical assault: Threats or acts of physical harm, with or without weapons. This includes beating, punching, maiming, killing.
- Forced Marriage: Marriage against a person’s will.
- Child Marriage: Any marriage of a child (below the age of 18), of any gender.
- Denial of resources, opportunities, or services: Social and economic isolation and denial of access to education, healthcare, including family planning and/or contraceptives, employment, and basic rights.
- Psychological/emotional abuse: Infliction of mental or emotional pain, including threats of harm or practices that insult, degrade, humiliate, or isolate a person from their friends and family. These may also include verbal harassment, destruction of cherished items, unwanted attention, or menacing remarks, gestures or written words
These forms of violence may occur between family members or those in an intimate partner relationship. Perpetrators may be strangers, acquaintances, family members or those considered as family members, regardless of whether they live in the same household.
