Definition

The GVAWP understands violence against women to be a consequence of the social inequalities which exist between men and women. It recognises that violence against women and children can take many forms and that some women and children may experience different and/or multiple forms of male violence during their lifetime.

The GVAWP finds the following United Nations General Assembly definition most helpful in describing the nature of gender-based violence:

“The term violence against women means any act of violence by men that results in or is likely to result in physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrate deprivation of liberty whether occurring in public or private life. Violence against women should be understood to encompass, but not be limited to, physical, sexual and psychological violence occurring in the family, including where such violence is inflicted upon children and young people in the household, culturally related violence, marital rape, female genital mutilation and other traditional practices harmful to women and violence related to exploitation. It also includes physical, sexual and psychological violence occurring within the general community, including rape, sexual abuse, sexual harassment and intimidation at work and elsewhere, trafficking in women and forced prostitution”.

The GVAWP upholds both the social model of health and the social model of disability as useful models for improving understanding of structural inequalities which contribute to and inform effective responses to violence against women.