Contours of Gender-Based Violence

A General Overview

We have often come across the term ‘Gender Based Violence’ through blogs, debates, campaigns and media, but, what does it mean for us? Why do we need to speak up against it?

What is Gender-Based Violence?

Gender-Based Violence, means any individual being projected to harmful act or violence, based on their gender. It is a severe human right violation and a global public health burden that knows no social, economic or national boundaries.

Worldwide, an estimated 1 in 3 women have experienced physical or sexual abuse in her lifetime.

The most recent data from National Family Health Survey (NHFS-5) also reported that around 29.3% of married Indian women between the ages of 18-49 years had faced domestic violence or sexual violence.

Gender-based violence is broadly categorised into four types – sexual, physical, psychological(emotional) and economic violence. It can take many forms that range from hate speeches, verbal violence on the internet, rape and murder. Few forms of violence like dating violence, cyberbullying, coercive control, workplace trauma, and stalking have become so ingrained and embedded in everyday life that it often goes unrecognized.

Physical violence

Any act which causes physical harm as a result of unlawful physical force. Physical violence can take the form of serious and minor assault, deprivation of liberty and manslaughter.

Sexual violence

Any sexual act perfomed on an individual without their consent. Sexual violence can take the form of rape or sexual assault.

Psychological violence

Any act which causes psychological harm to an individual. Psychological violence can take the form of, for example, coercion, defamation, verbal insult or harassment.

Economic violence

Any act or behaviour which causes economic harm to an individual. Economic violence can take the form of, for example, property damage, restricting access to financial resources, education or the labour market, or not complying with economic responsibilities, such as alimony.

(Source : USAID )

The risk of and vulnerability to gender-based violence increases on account of intersections of gender with sexual orientation, disability, caste, age. Similarly, GBV risks are known to increase during humanitarian crises such as public health emergencies, natural calamities and conflicts.

It was evidently visible during the most recent crisis we faced-Covid-19 pandemic and how the cases of crimes against Women increased, drastically, also knows as the Shadow Pandemic. Shadow Pandemic is a public awareness campaign by UN Women, focusing on the global increase in domestic violence amid the coronavirus crisis.

To know more about gender-based Violence, look at this insightful video created by Feminism in India: What is Gender-Based Violence? | Feminism in India

Who initiates this type of violence?

The answer is IT CAN BE ANYONE!

Whether a current or former partner/spouse, a family member, a colleague from work, schoolmates, friends, strangers, or people who act on behalf of cultural, religious, state, or intra-state institutions.

Gender-based violence, as with any type of violence, is an issue involving relations of power. It is based on a feeling of superiority, and an intention to assert that superiority in the family, at school, at work, in the community or in society as a whole. (Source : Council of Europe)

Gender-based violence in India takes myriad forms, which include high levels of domestic violence, dowry death, human trafficking, sexual violence, acid attacks, unnatural offences and honour killings.

These crimes stem from the disparity in power and the resultant inaccessibility to social, cultural, and political resources that are embodied in patriarchal societies.

The National Crime Records Bureau, in its Crimes in India Report 2019, has recorded a 7.3% increase in crimes against women when compared to 2018. A staggering 30.9% of cases recorded were of domestic violence, and 7.9% were of rape.

The report clearly indicates that the crime rate per lakh of the women population was 33.2% – a significant figure, corroborated by a global narrative where 35% of women have faced physical/sexual intimate and non-intimate partner violence.

Following are some prevalent forms of violence against women that exist in India :

There exists a large section of unreported cases of Gender-based violence largely under wraps. The Coronavirus pandemic has resulted in a two-fold increase in GBV cases across the country.

Moreover, the severity and intensity of the violence are disparate between women of marginal and minority communities.

Honour killing, acid attacks dowry related deaths and violence are some instances of GBV which is characteristic of South Asian societies. (Source: Peace for Asia)

How we at Limitless Stree are contributing towards countering Gender-Based Violence?

Limitless Stree puts focus on empowering youth, women and girls, and make them gender Advocates who speak up and act against Gender-Based Violence and raise awareness on critical issues that affect the lives of women and girls in India and the world.

To counter gender-based violence, we started our flagship umbrella campaign #StandUpForStree, under which we put focus on raising awareness on different forms of gender-based violence and facts, figures and safety measures around it in the Month of November. Through this campaign, we bring together youth-led initiatives, NGOs, and public and private sector organizations together to raise awareness on gender-based violence collectively and press action on the solutions needed to counter it.

To be part of the campaign, check out www.limitless-stree.com and Stand Up For Stree Campaign

Are you someone who is going through any form of violence or know someone who is? Seek help by reaching out to the following helplines mentioned in http://www.ncw.nic.in/helplines.

In order to counter Gender-Based Violence, the first step is to be able to identify them.