Understanding Gender-based Violence

Trigger warning: This article discusses gender-based violence and other kinds of abuse. If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship or is a survivor of GBV, please reach out for support.

Gender-based violence, or GBV, is a complex global problem that has become a public health concern, especially in South Africa. While we may hear the term often and see it advertised in marketing campaigns, what does this umbrella term mean? 

GBV is a broad term that covers various types of violence. We must be mindful of the many factors that cause it so that we can find ways to address it. In this post, we’ll break down the term to help us better understand it and how we empower ourselves with the relevant knowledge and skills.

What is gender-based violence?

GBV is violence directed at someone because of their gender: men, women, and those who identify differently all experience gender-based violence. However, statistically, it is more common for women and girls, as well as those in the LGTBTIQ+ community, to experience it.

This type of violence includes physical, sexual, emotional, financial and structural violence. To understand GBV, we need to look at the overall societal forces that shape the way we treat each other and the imbalances of power that could lead to this kind of abuse.

To get a clearer picture of what GBV is, we can break down this concept into more granular categories, which, according to the community organisation Safer Spaces, include:

• Violence against women and girls (VAWG): this term is often used interchangeably with GBV, as women and girls are the most affected.
• Violence against the LGBTIQ+ community: People who don’t conform to traditional gender roles also experience abuse, including those in the LGBTIQ+ community. 
• Intimate partner violence (IPV): IPV is one of the most common forms of GBV and includes emotional, sexual and physical abuse.
• Domestic violence (DV): DV can include IPV but includes violence that is perpetrated by and acted on by other family members. 
• Sexual violence (SV): SV encompasses any kind of unwanted sexual attention or advances in any type of setting, including using coercion to obtain a sexual act.
• Indirect (structural) violence: This type of violence is the result of unequal gender power relations and entrenched structures that enable unequal treatment. For example, in patriarchal societies, men typically have more economic power.

What causes gender-based violence?

According to the National Strategic Plan on Gender-based Violence and Femicide, the reasons for GBV include:

1. Patriarchy and ideas of masculinity

GBV is multifaceted, but if we look at the predominant form, which is VAWG, we can deduce that patriarchy, or the belief that men are superior to women, plays a role. Unfortunately, this core belief can manifest as sexual entitlement, men controlling women and the promotion of violence as a form of control as socially acceptable. 

2. Ideas of femininity

In tandem with entrenched patriarchal values, there are views on femininity in society that can perpetuate abuse. These views include seeing women as inferior and subordinate to men, which leads women and others to accept violence and sexual entitlement while remaining economically disempowering and prone to staying in abusive relationships. 

3. Exposure to and experiencing violence

In addition to entrenched societal beliefs around gender, exposure to violence and experiencing it in general also contribute to the perpetuation of GBV. South Africa, in particular, is one of the most violent countries in the world. The NSP document referenced above states that South Africa is the most violent country in the world outside of a war zone. This statistic gives some indication of the prevalence of violent behaviour in our country, which includes GBV. 

4. Poverty

Living in poverty also contributes to the prevalence of GBV. When people do not have access to economic resources, they may become more susceptible to violence. For example, women and children may stay in abusive relationships or with abusive caretakers because they are not able to be financially independent. 

5. Lack of education

Lack of education means that people do not always have the economic resources to live independently and, therefore, to challenge traditional values. Living in a tight-knit community makes challenging preexisting and entrenched cultural and social beliefs difficult, mainly when one depends on one’s community for survival. 

6. Drug and substance abuse

Drug and substance abuse have a role to play in GBV. According to research by the Council for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR), the link between substance abuse and GBV is well-documented. Linked to our discussion of patriarchy above, according to the CSVR, alcohol abuse and IPV are “…often a manifestation of an underlying need for power and control related to gender-based inequalities and insecurities.”

What can we do about addressing GBV?

We’ve talked about what GBV is and what can cause it. But what can we do to address it? According to the NSP document, there are six action plan pillars to address when rolling out a comprehensive plan towards eradicating GBV:

These pillars include:

1. Accountability, coordination, and leadership: To eliminate GBV, we need a collective community effort. We must create effective leadership structures from the individual to the community and the governmental level to ensure everyone is held accountable. 
2. Prevention and rebuilding social cohesion: Understanding what causes GBV is essential, as it can help us develop ways to address societal issues that drive violence in the first place. 
3. Response, care, support and healing: Prevention is vital, but we must develop ways to support survivors of GBV through proper health care and social support, including counselling. 
4. Justice, safety and protection: Developing a robust criminal justice system is critical to preventing GBV, which includes developing judicial capacity for dealing with online sexual violence and setting up separate courts that only deal with sexual offences. 
5. Economic power: Economic abuse is also a form of GBV, which makes economically empowering people, especially women, a priority. 
6. Research and information management: We need consistent research and knowledge sharing to respond to changing trends and continuously adapt our prevention and response strategies to evolving circumstances. 

As an individual, you can also do many things to help raise awareness about GBV. These include:

• Educating yourself and your family about gender inequality
• Supporting human rights and gender justice organisations, as well as awareness drives like the annual 16 Days of Activism campaign
• Speaking up when people use discriminatory and sexist language
• Supporting and believing survivors

If you or anyone you know is facing GBV, then take the first step, be courageous and seek support.

Empower yourself with knowledge

As mentioned above, empowerment is critical in addressing GBV. As an educational institution, we can’t solve GBV on our own. However, we can offer opportunities to women and anyone looking to learn critical human skills, boost their self-esteem and mental health, and discover ways to support others and speak up about complex issues. 

At SACAP Global, we offer a variety of short online courses that can help mental health practitioners and the general public empower themselves with relevant skills. These courses include the following:

• Intro to Crisis and Trauma: Learn about relevant terminology and concepts surrounding crisis and trauma, which can help you support yourself and others who have been through a traumatic experience. 
• How to Have Critical Conversations: Learn to navigate challenging conversations, which can include educating others about the realities of gender injustice in our society. 
• Enhancing Mental Health: Educate yourself more about mental health in a personal, community and workplace context. For survivors of GBV, this awareness can help to build robust community mental health care and related support programmes. 
• Building Positive Self-esteem: Empower yourself with the skills to understand and boost your self-esteem. Once again, this knowledge is vital for uplifting individuals and communities who have experienced GBV.  

For further information about all of our offerings, browse our course list.