Understanding Sexual and Gender Based Violence from International Perspectives

Gender based violence (GBV) is a global phenomenon that threatens the lives of millions of women around the worldi. Ending all forms of violence and discrimination against girls and women is included in the United Nations Sustainable Development goals. The Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993, defines violence against women 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 in private life. GBV is pervasive, but it is not new. Kirkpatrick and Kanin (1957) conducted the first study to investigate rates of sexual violence experienced by female post-secondary students and found that 55.7% of the students reported some form of sexual violence. Of the participants, 20.9% reported experiencing an attempt at forceful intercourse through threats or violence. Sixty years later, researchers found similar incidence rates.