Gender-based violence is any act of abuse committed against someone because of their gender. The United Nations define it as 'physical, sexual or psychological harm'.
The gender-based violence tree breaks down the connections between the social contexts or 'root' causes of gender-based violence, the definitions that relate to the contexts where violence and abuse take place, and the manifestations of gender-based violence or fruits of the tree.
Gender-based violence is a product of the patriarchy; a system that benefits and prioritises men and does not give women the same opportunities.
Intersecting forms of oppression drive gender-based violence, but these social contexts lay under the surface of society and can be harder to see. These social contexts that allow gender-based violence to occur include. the patriarchy, transphobia, cisnormativity, class discrimination, ableism, racism and colonialism, ageism, homophobia, biphobia and heteronormativity.
Want to learn more about gender-based violence, the drivers of violence, and how to be an active bystander and ally? Watch our End GBV series to learn more.
