Gender-based Violence

What Is Gender-Based Violence?

Gender-based violence, or GBV, is violence against someone because of their gender, gender identity, gender expression, or how they are seen by others. GBV is a human rights issue.

GBV can happen anywhere. It can happen at home, at work, in public places, or online. Women and girls are affected more often. Some people may face higher risk, including Black and racialized women, Indigenous women, women in rural or Northern communities, immigrant and refugee women, women with disabilities, and 2SLGBTQIA+ people.

Learning the signs of GBV can help you protect yourself and support others.

Intimate Partner Violence

Intimate partner violence, or IPV, is harm caused by a current or former partner. It can happen in dating, marriage, or other close relationships.

IPV can cause injuries, long-term health problems, anxiety, depression, and death. IPV can be physical, sexual, emotional, psychological, or financial.

Types of Intimate Partner Violence

Physical violence: This includes hitting, kicking, pushing, choking, or using a weapon. It can cause bruises, serious injuries, or death.

Emotional or psychological violence: This includes threats, insults, name-calling, control, isolation, or actions that make someone feel afraid or powerless.

Financial abuse: This includes controlling money, taking someone’s pay, stopping someone from working, or making someone depend on the other person for money.

Sexual violence: This includes any sexual activity without consent. It can include rape, pressure to have sex, or unwanted touching.

If you or someone you know is experiencing IPV, talk to someone you trust and contact local support services.

Forms of Sexual violence

Sexual violence can happen between partners, family members, friends, coworkers, acquaintances, or strangers. It can happen at home, at school, at work, online, or in public. There are two main forms of sexual violence;

Sexual assault: This includes unwanted sexual touching, kissing without consent, or rape.

Sexual harassment: This includes unwanted sexual comments, jokes, messages, gestures, threats, or attention.

Things to Know

• Sexual violence can be words, actions, images, or messages.
• It can happen anywhere.
• Some groups experience higher rates, including LGBTQ+ people, Indigenous women, and people with disabilities.
• The person causing harm is often someone the survivor knows.
• Survivors may feel blamed or ashamed, but the violence is not their fault.

Harmful Practices

GBV can include harmful practices. These are actions that hurt people and take away their rights. In Canada, harmful practices such as forced marriage, child marriage, female genital mutilation, and so-called “honor” violence are against the law.

Virginity testing is also harmful. It has no medical or scientific value. It violates a person’s privacy, dignity, and rights.

Forced marriage: Forced marriage happens when someone is made to marry without freely agreeing. It is different from an arranged marriage, where both people agree. In Canada, both people must agree to marry. Forcing someone to marry is a crime. Taking someone out of Canada to force them to marry is also a crime. If you or someone you know may be forced to marry, contact police, a social worker, or another trusted support person. If someone may be taken out of Canada for forced marriage, call 1-800-387-3124.

Child marriage: In Canada, it is a crime for a person under 16 years old to be married. It is also illegal to help arrange or take part in the marriage of a child under 16. If you know a child who may be forced to marry, contact police or a social worker.

Female genital mutilation: Female genital mutilation, or FGM, is when part or all of the external female genitals are injured or removed for non-medical reasons. FGM can cause severe pain, bleeding, infection, problems peeing, trouble healing, mental health harm, and death. FGM is a crime in Canada. It is also against the law to arrange FGM in another country. If a child may be at risk, contact police or child protection services.

So-called “honor” violence: This is violence used by a family or community to control someone’s choices or protect a family’s reputation. It can include threats, forced confinement, beatings, pressure to self-harm, forced marriage, or killing. Contact police if you or someone you know is at risk.

What the Law Says in Canada

Canada has laws that protect people from many kinds of violence. These include assault, sexual assault, human trafficking, harassment, kidnapping, confinement, neglect, fraud, and threats.

Every province and territory has laws to protect children. Many also have laws that help people get emergency protection from family violence. In Newfoundland and Labrador, people can apply for an emergency protection order.

Myths and Facts

Myth: Only certain women experience GBV.

Fact: GBV can affect women and gender-diverse people of any age, race, culture, income, or background.

Myth: GBV is only physical.

Fact: GBV can be physical, sexual, emotional, financial, or online. Each type can cause serious harm.

Myth: People who cause harm are easy to identify.

Fact: Many people hide abusive behaviour from others. Survivors may also hide what is happening because they feel afraid, ashamed, or unsafe.