Violence against women and girls is one of the most widespread human rights violations in the world. It happens every day, many times a day, in every corner of the globe and leaves serious physical, economic and psychological consequences, short-term and long-term for women and girls, which becomes an obstacle for their full and equal inclusion in society. The extent of the impact of violence, both in the lives of individuals and families, but also that of society as a whole, is difficult to determine. This article provides an overview of some forms of violence, along with the most frequently used terms, which gender equality activists should make part of their vocabulary.
Gender-based violence
Gender-based violence means harmful actions against an individual or a group of individuals based on their gender. It is rooted in gender inequality, abuse of power and unhealthy social norms.
The term is mainly used to highlight the fact that structural changes based on gender place women and girls at increased risk of being affected by multiple forms of violence. While women and girls suffer disproportionately from gender-based violence, men and boys can also be targeted. The term is sometimes used to describe violence targeting LGBTQI+ people, when referring to violence related to masculinity/femininity and/or gender norms.
Violence against women and girls
Violence against women and girls means any act of gender-based violence that causes or threatens to cause physical, sexual, mental harm or suffering to women and girls, including threats resulting from these acts, coercion of women and girls to do things against their will, or arbitrary deprivation of freedom, both in public and private life. Violence against women and girls includes, but is not limited to, physical, sexual and psychological violence within the family, within the community, or when permitted or perpetrated by the state itself.
Survivor of violence
The term "survivor of violence" means any person who has experienced sexual or gender-based violence. It is similar to the term "victim", but is preferred over it because it is more empowering.
Approval
"No" means "no"! "Yes" means "yes". Consent is the agreement between the participants to engage in sexual activity or enter into marriage. It must be given freely and actively and cannot be given by someone under the influence of drugs, alcohol or by a minor. It is specific, which means that approval of a certain action does not imply approval of another action; but it is also reversible, meaning it can be canceled at any time.
Forms of violence against women
Domestic
violence Domestic violence, also called domestic abuse or intimate partner violence, is any pattern of behavior used to gain or have power and control over an intimate partner. It includes all physical, sexual, emotional, economic and psychological actions or threats of actions that affect another person. This is one of the most common forms of violence experienced by women worldwide.
Here are some forms of domestic violence:
Economic violence
Economic violence means making or attempting to make a person financially dependent, maintaining complete control over financial resources, blocking access to income and/or preventing further education or employment .
Psychological violence
Psychological violence includes causing fear of being threatened; threatening physical harm to self, partner or children; killing pets or destroying property; psychological pressure; or forcing the person to isolate themselves from friends, family, school and/or work.
Emotional abuse
Emotional abuse involves lowering a person's sense of self-worth through constant criticism; underestimating one's abilities; the use of offensive names or other verbal abuse; damage to the partner's relationship with the children; or not allowing the partner to see friends and family.
Physical violence
Physical violence means hurting or attempting to hurt a partner by hitting, kicking, burning, grabbing, biting, pushing, slapping, pulling hair, biting, but also denial of medical care or forcing to use alcohol and/or or drugs, or the use of other physical force. It can also mean property damage.
Sexual violence
Sexual violence means forcing a partner to participate in a sexual act without his/her consent/approval. Read more about sexual violence below.
Femicide
Femicide means the intentional killing of women simply because they are women, but can more broadly mean any killing of women or girls. Femicide differs from male homicide in many specific ways. For example, most cases of femicide are committed by partners or ex-partners and involve ongoing domestic abuse, threats or intimidation, sexual violence, or situations where the women have less power or less income than the partner.
Honor killing
Honor killing is the killing of a family member, usually a wife or daughter, for the alleged reason that the person has dishonored or disgraced the family. These murders are often related to sexual chastity and alleged violations by female family members.
Sexual violence
Sexual violence is any sexual act committed against the will of another person, or when this person does not give consent or when consent cannot be given because the person is a child, has a mental disability, is seriously intoxicated or unconscious, because of alcohol or drugs.
Forms of Sexual Violence:
Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment means non-consensual physical contact by grabbing, biting, slapping or rubbing another person sexually. It also means non-physical forms of violence, such as whistle-blowing, sexual comments about a person's body or appearance, requests for sexual favors, sexually provocative looks, stalking and exposure of one's sexual organs.
Rape
Rape is any non-consensual vaginal, anal or oral penetration of another person with any body part or object. This can happen by any person known or unknown to the survivor, within a marriage in a relationship, as well as during an armed conflict.
Remedial rape
Remedial rape is a form of rape committed against someone because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. It aims to force the victim to conform to heterosexuality or normative gender identity.
Rape culture
Rape culture is the social environment that allows sexual violence to be normalized and justified. It is rooted in patriarchy and is fueled by persistent gender inequalities and prejudices about gender and sexuality.
Human Trafficking
Human trafficking is the acquisition and exploitation of people, through means such as force, deception and coercion. This horrific crime has ensnared millions of women and girls around the world, many of whom are sexually exploited.
Female genital mutilation
Female genital mutilation means procedures that intentionally alter or cause damage to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. It is classified into four main types, and both the practice and the motives behind it vary from country to country. Female genital mutilation is a social norm, often considered a necessary step in preparing girls for adulthood and marriage, and typically driven by beliefs about gender and the relationship that gender has with appropriate sexual behavior. It was first classified as violence in 1997, through a joint statement issued by WHO, UNICEF and UNFPA.
Child marriage
Child marriage means any marriage where one or both spouses are under the age of 18. It is a violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that "Marriage shall be entered into only with the fully free consent of the persons to be married." Girls are more likely to be child brides and consequently drop out of school and experience other forms of violence.
Cyber ??violence or digital violence
Cyber ??violence or digital violence against women means any act of violence that is perpetrated, facilitated or exacerbated by the use of information and communication technology (mobile phones, internet, social media, computer games, text messages, e- mail, etc.) to a woman simply because she is a woman.
Some forms of online violence:
Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying means sending intimidating or threatening messages.
Non-consensual sexting
Non-consensual sexting means sending intimate photos or messages without the consent of the recipient.
Doxing
Doxing means the public distribution of private or personally identifiable information about the victim.
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