🙅‍♀️Types of GBV

GBV manifests as interpersonal violence and institutional violence.

Interpersonal violence refers to violence within personal relationships or members of the general public. Meanwhile, institutional violence refers to inequalities, exclusion, and neglect resulting from negative attitudes, beliefs, practices, and policies against specific populations or groups by the state and other institutions, such as corporations, media, and religious institutions.

These forms of violence are often interconnected and perpetrated by diverse actors. For example, the criminalization of LGBTQ people not only increases vulnerability to arbitrary arrest and detention, but it could also increase restrictions on LGBTQ people’s self-expression by family members, sometimes in a misguided yet harmful attempt to ‘protect their children or family members against discrimination by state and society’.

A survey found that 20% of 220 LGBTIQ and gender-diverse respondents noted increased anti-LGBT conversations at home, in family chat groups, or among family members against the backdrop of increasing anti-LGBT sentiment in the media and public sphere.

Having multiple intersecting marginalized identities can compound a person’s vulnerability to GBV. For example, a gay refugee man's vulnerability to physical violence could be attributed to both their refugee status and sexual orientation.

🥶Impact

The impact of violence, both interpersonal and institutional, substantially shapes the lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ people. Anti-LGBTQ laws and discrimination are estimated to cost approximately 1% of a country’s annual gross domestic product (GDP). In Malaysia, this would amount to about RM16 billion.

A study found that the prevalence of mental disorders in the Malaysian adult LGBT+ population was 80.3%, more than double that of the general population (29.2%). Anti-LGBTQ narratives are also associated with increased minority stress, concerns over personal safety, self-censorship, and trust deficits towards government agencies.

GBV in educational settings and workplaces may result in absenteeism, poor focus, poor grades, and reduced skills. Disrupted learning may also occur if a person is forced to leave their home due to family violence or bullying in schools. Students often drop out, leading to a loss of talent.

Furthermore, research has revealed the unsettling phenomenon of violence and LGBTQ prejudice being internalized and normalized, even among LGBTQIA+ survivors. Such survivors may inadvertently perpetuate these harmful beliefs, thereby contributing to the cycle of violence affecting other vulnerable LGBTQIA+ people. Addressing these deeply ingrained beliefs rooted in unresolved trauma is essential to dismantling this intricate web of violence.

Case study: The relationship between institutional violence and suppression self-determination

A trans woman detailed the prolonged exclusion and violence from family members, school, teachers, schoolmates, and the state, which began in her childhood. These experiences not only led to inner conflicts and the suppression of her gender identity, but they also compelled her to advise other trans women to suppress their identity to avoid arrest. She shared:

I used to meet the trans women communities. I said to them, "I used to be a trans woman too. Do you believe me? But why can I wear a songkok (a cap worn by Muslim men) now? I am not forcing you to change because the heart cannot be coerced. But, change, don’t be a woman. Otherwise, they will catch you and put you in prison."

Key takeaways

• Trans people face prolonged discrimination from childhood into adulthood. The accumulation of discrimination and trauma, especially if unaddressed, can result in harmful coping strategies, such as suppression of gender identity and expression.

• The suppression of gender identity can be seen as a survival strategy

• It is important to address the discrimination that trans people face instead of their gender identity

• In this case, the trans woman's vulnerability to GBV can be reduced if she is in an accepting environment, where she can freely express herself without fear of reprisals and persecution.

Source

The Freedom of Expression and Transgender Women in Malaysia report by Justice for Sisters (2021)