Silver Gummy’s mission is to reduce gender-based violence (GBV) through education. But what exactly is gender-based violence? We feel it’s important to provide an overview of the problem to give context to the solutions that we and our grantees are currently working on.
This is Part 1 in a two-part series, covering the effects and impacts of GBV. Part 2 will cover how Silver Gummy’s approach is helping end GBV in our communities.
Before we start, though, we wanted to give you a heads-up:
- This topic is not an easy one, and it might not be suitable for all readers. Please take care while reading.
- If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 911 or your local emergency services (police, fire, ambulance).
- If you or someone you know needs support, you can find a list of resources here.
What is the Definition of Gender-Based Violence?
Gender-based violence (GBV) is any act of violence committed against someone on the basis of their gender. However, because it is linked to gender inequality, it disproportionately affects women, girls, transgender, non-binary, and gender-diverse people.
GBV can take place anywhere, including at work, school, home, online, or in communities and public institutions. People experiencing abuse who live in remote or rural areas may experience additional barriers in accessing the services they need.
GBV can affect individuals of any age, background, circumstance, or identity.
Examples and Types of Gender-Based Violence
GBV can take many different forms, including but not limited to:
- Name-calling, hitting, or pushing
- Stalking or criminal harassment
- Coercion, control or manipulation
- Discrimination, neglect, degradation, humiliation, deprivation, threats or intimidation
- Family violence, domestic violence, or intimate partner violence (IPV)
- Child marriage, early marriage, or forced marriage
- Early or forced pregnancy
- Trafficking or forced prostitution
- Genital mutilation
- Sexual exploitation, abuse, harassment or assault
- Rape or attempted rape
- Femicide
GBV often takes place in private between people who know each other, but this is not always the case; it can occur regardless of whether there is a pre-existing relationship or whether the perpetrator is a stranger to the victim.
GBV can be psychological, emotional, economic, social, sexual, and physical. Many forms of GBV are against the law and violate basic human rights.
Who is Affected by Gender-Based Violence?
As mentioned above, gender-based violence overwhelmingly affects those who currently experience gender inequality: women, girls, transgender, non-binary, and gender-diverse individuals. Those who face additional discrimination are also at higher risk due to a long history of colonialism, racism, ableism, and other barriers to safety, including:
- Indigenous people
- Racialized people
- People with disabilities
- People who are underhoused or experiencing homelessness
- Refugees and immigrants
Because of these factors, it is essential to approach the problem of gender-based violence from an intersectional viewpoint, taking into consideration the full spectrum of identity and diversity.
What Are the Impacts of Gender-Based Violence?
Gender-based violence can directly and indirectly impact the health, safety, security, and dignity of victims and survivors, with physical, psychological, emotional, social, sexual, and economic consequences in both the short-term and long-term. GBV can also negatively impact those who did not directly experience it, extending to families, communities and future generations.
Although it’s impossible to capture the full scope of damage caused by GBV, here are some examples and statistics that speak to the issue’s complexity and consequences:
- According to Psychiatric News, children who witness domestic violence have twice the rate of psychiatric disorders as children who have not. Similarly, women with histories of physical violence are significantly more likely to experience depression.
- In 2020, the proportion of women killed by a spouse or intimate partner in Canada was over eight times greater than the proportion of men.
- In a 2016 study, 53% of women who had experienced domestic violence reported at least one type of abusive act happening at or near their workplace. 40% of those said it made it difficult to get to work, and 8.5% said they lost their job as a result.
- Among post-secondary students in Canada, almost one in seven (15%) women students were sexually assaulted in a postsecondary setting at least once since they started their studies – three times the proportion of men students who experienced the same (5%).
- In 2019, 4,518 seniors (aged 65 and older) in Canada experienced family violence; 58% of these were women.
- According to Statistics Canada, among people who had ever been in an intimate partner relationship, 29% of women who identified as a visible minority reported experiencing psychological, physical, or sexual violence committed by an intimate partner, significantly less than that experienced by non-visible minority women.
To learn more about gender-based violence, explore the sources for this post below. You can read Part 2 of this series about our approach to ending gender-based violence here.
Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF)
