Gender violence is, in its purest definition, violence directed towards a person because of their gender or their perceived gender. Under this definition, women, men, transgender people, and people that are gender non-conforming can all be victims of gender violence. The term reflects the way that violence can reinforce or maintain structural gender inequalities.
More recently the term gender violence was appropriated to specifically mean violence against women.
Gender violence is also called gender-based violence.
More About Gender Violence
A number of violent acts may constitute gender violence, including sexual assault, rape, domestic violence, sexual harassment, stalking, and sex trafficking.
Gender violence both influences and is influenced by the way that people of different genders relate and interact with one another. It should be considered a form of discrimination against the victim’s gender and a violation of the victim’s human rights.
Males are the main perpetrators of gender violence, especially violence against women. It’s thought that this stems from the cultural idea that dominance or even violence is a part of masculinity. Many people believe it will take education to change the culture to understand that dominance should not manifest as violence towards any gender.
