CHAPTER ONE

1.1   INTRODUCTION

Gender-Based Violence (GBV) is defined in Article 1 of the United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women (UN DEVAW) as any act of gender based violence 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 arbitrary deprivation of liberty whether occurring in public or private life (United Nations, 1993). Though limited in scope because it only addresses GBV against women (thus, used interchangeably with Violence against women), this definition helps provide some useful insight into the concept of gender based violence. GBV can also be acts of violence, sexual or otherwise which plays on gender norms and gender exclusions to break people down both physically and emotionally (El Jack, 2003). Thus, GBV can be understood as a general term used to capture violence that occurs as a result of the normative role expectations associated with each gender, along with the unequal power relationships between the two genders, within the context of a specific society (Bloom, 2008).

Forms of GBV encompasses, but is not limited to, the following: Physical, sexual and psychological violence that occurs in the family including battery, sexual abuse of children in the household, dowry related violence, marital rape, female genital mutilation and other harmful traditional practices, non-spousal violence and violence related to exploitation. Physical, sexual and psychological violence occurring within the general community includes: rape, sexual harassment and intimidation at work, in educational institutions and elsewhere; trafficking and forced prostitution.  Violence perpetrated or condoned by the state, wherever it occurs (United Nations, 1993).

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