What Is Gender-Based Violence?

Gender-based violence is not a series of isolated, personal conflicts. It’s a systematic human rights violation, rooted in social inequalities that assign different levels of power and vulnerability based on gender. Two widely used definitions capture this:

The World Bank Group describes GBV as an umbrella term for any harmful act perpetrated against a person’s will, based on socially ascribed differences between males and females. This includes physical, sexual, or mental harm, threats, coercion, and economic or educational deprivation in public or private life.

The European Institute for Gender Equality defines it as violence directed against a person because of their gender, noting that while both men and women experience it, the majority of survivors are women and girls.

Three Underlying Roots of GBV

At its core, GBV happens when power is misused to enforce gender-based control. Three drivers sit behind nearly every act of GBV:

Gender inequality refers to structural imbalances in society that value one gender over another, limiting equal access to rights, resources, and decision-making power.

Misuse of power is the act of using physical, institutional, financial, or social authority to coerce, control, or harm someone who holds less power.

Harmful social norms are cultural or community beliefs that normalize control, justify violence, or restrict a person’s autonomy based on their gender.

Social Norms Versus Legal Proof

Consider this scenario: a community leader publicly shames a widow for remarrying, declaring that her remarriage violates local tradition. Is this GBV? Yes, because it reflects a harmful social norm being used to control her choices.

This matters because identifying an act as GBV doesn’t require a court conviction or formal legal proof. It requires recognizing a harmful act rooted in gender-based control and coercion, wherever it occurs.