This refers to violence on another person due to their gender or gender identity. It is based on the deep-rooted inequality between genders. Although any person can experience gender-based violence, it affects women and girls disproportionately. As a result, violence against women or gender-based violence against women are often used interchangeably.
Certain groups are particularly vulnerable to gender-based violence, including pregnant women, adolescents, people with disabilities, people with HIV, elderly, migrants, refugees, indigenous people, ethnic minorities, people from the LGBTIQ+ collective, sex workers, and people who use drugs.
Gender-based violence varies in intensity and includes anything from insults to murder; it can be a single episode or multiple occurrences. It is manifested in different ways, but some of the most common include:
- intimate partner (or former partner) violence
- physical violence
- homophobic and transphobic violence
- psychological abuse
- emotional abuse
- reproductive coercion
- sexual violence (including harassment and rape)
- sexual slavery
- human trafficking for sexual exploitation
- economic violence
- harmful traditional practices, such as female genital mutilation
- symbolic violence
- structural or institutional violence