Gender-based Violence (GBV) describes the specific type of violence that is linked to the ‘gendered’ identity of being a woman, man or a person with transgender identity. In order to understand the full meaning of the term GBV we need to first understand the meaning of the term gender.

 

 

Understanding Violence against Women and Girls as Gender Based Violence (GBV)

The root cause of violence against women and girls lies in the unequal power relation between men and women, that give men power over women. This is not natural, but often socially accepted and wrongly legitimized by laws and policies in many cultures and societies. This contributes to promoting and maintaining the unequal power relationship. Women and men are assigned specific roles and behaviour that are considered appropriate and even required in society. Social construction and legal processes entrenching inequality of the sexes which lead to violence against women is described as Gender Based Violence and discrimination.

Women and girls experience violence in a specific way because of their sex and gender identity. Similarly due to the fact that women and girls are disproportionately affected violence against women and girls (VAWG) is considered the most common form of Gender Based Violence (GBV). GBV as referred to in the Act Now website will focus only on Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG).