Have you been violated? Types of gender-based violence

Gender-based violence involves acts which are intentionally targeted to harm individuals because of their gender. While both genders can experience GBV, women and girls are often at a higher risk because of existing inequality, abuse of power and harmful norms.  As we mark 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, here are 16 forms that it takes.

Intimate partner violence

This refers to abuse, harm or aggression that occurs within a romantic relationship. It may take forms like physical aggression, emotional abuse, sexual coercion or rape as well as controlling behaviours. It occurs in all settings regardless of socio-economic, religious or cultural status.

Economic violence

This occurs where one person is deprived of financial dependence in order to remain under the control of the oppressor. The oppressor has control over money, can destroy property and forbid the victim from accessing employment.

Female genital mutilation 

This is the practice of partial or total removal of the external genitalia for cultural and other non-medical reasons. Female genital mutilation (FGM)  can have immediate and/or long-term complications, which range from excessive bleeding, tetanus and other infections, and in severe cases death.

Trafficking for sexual exploitation

A form of human trafficking. Sex traffickers use force, fraud or intimidation or threats to facilitate commercial sex acts with an adult or a minor. Victims include girls, boys and women who are bought and sold for profit.

Female infanticide

This is the intentional killing of female babies because of their purported low value compared to the high value and preference for male babies. They are prevalent in patriarchal cultures.

Stalking

It refers to repeated and unwanted attention, contact and any other form of conduct that results into fear. Stalkers seek to exert their control over others. Stalking may take forms like making threats against a person’s family or friends, non-consensual communication such as repeated phone calls, emails, texts and unwanted gifts. It may also involve watching someone from a distance or installing cameras in their spaces to access their life, using software to track their location or spyware to track their computer activity.

Sexual violence

This refers to any type of sexual act that is non-consensual either because the person involved is a minor, has a mental disability or is under the influence of drugs. It includes sexual harassment and rape. Sexual harassment can take physical and non-physical forms. Physical include rubbing, grabbing, pinching or slapping someone in a sexual way against their will. Non-physical take forms like cat-calling, sexual comments about a person’s appearance, demands for sexual favours and exposing one’s sex organs.

Femicide

It is the killing of women and girls solely because of their gender. It ranges from murder of women resulting from intimate partner violence, targeted killing of women during armed conflicts and murder arising from witchcraft accusations.

Physical violence

It refers to the intentional use of force to harm another person in order to intimidate or restrain them. Some forms include hitting, shaking, kicking, grabbing and burning, punching and throwing acid on the other person’s face. It can occur anywhere from the home to the place of work.

Structural violence

 It refers to ways in which social structures can harm or disadvantage individuals by perpetuating inequalities rooted in societal norms, attitudes and stereotypes, especially towards women. Unlike other forms of violence, it is subtle and invisible and no single individual can be held accountable for it.

Revenge porn

A form of cyber harassment. It involves distribution of sexually explicit images and videos of a person without his/her consent. The intention of the perpetrator often driven by malice, is to embarrass or distress their victims and can in turn result into depression or suicide.

Forced abortion

This refers to the use of force, threats, intimidation and other means to intentionally terminate a pregnancy without the prior informed consent of the woman. The pressure to abort can come from employers, parents and family, doctors, religious guides and even authorities.

Forced sterilization

This is the permanent removal of a person’s ability to reproduce against their will or without their knowledge, usually through surgical procedures. In some cases, some individuals are coerced to do the procedure through various tactics such as misinformation, intimidation or the use of financial and other incentives. It is usually targeted towards people living with disabilities, ethnic minorities and the poor.

Child marriages

Child marriages refers to official or unofficial unions between a child, under 18, and another child or with an adult. While both genders can be victims, girls are most affected. Factors that drive it include poverty, teenage pregnancy and existing cultural norms.

Psychological/emotional violence

It refers to intentionally belittling one’s self-worth in order to assert control over him/ her. It may occur through verbal abuse, constant criticism, damaging a partner’s relationships with other people and forbidding a partner from contacting their family and friends.

Honour killings

This refers to the murder of a family member often a girl or woman, because the person has purportedly tainted the image and brought shame to the family. Victims are usually accused of conversing with men who are unrelated to them, engaging in sex outside marriage, refusing to enter into an arranged marriage or even seeking a divorce from an abusive partner.