🚀Understanding GBV

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) states that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. Yet, in all regions of the world, acts of violence are committed against people because of their SOGIESC. One of the most prevalent forms of violence LGBTQIA+ people face is GBV. To compound the issue, many LGBTQIA+ people do not have access to the support they need after experiencing these acts of violence.

🌊What is GBV?

Gender-based violence (GBV) or sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is defined as any threat or harmful act directed against people or groups due to their actual or perceived SOGIESC and non-conformity to socially constructed norms and roles surrounding masculinity and femininity. GBV is also defined as violence that affects persons of a particular gender disproportionately.

GBV and SGBV are used interchangeably. Both terms share the same definition.

The Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) notes that GBV

“manifests itself on a continuum of multiple, interrelated and recurring forms, in a range of settings, from private to public, including technology-mediated settings and in the contemporary globalized world it transcends national boundaries.”

GBV serves as an umbrella term for domestic violence, intimate partner violence, non-partner violence, online violence, and other forms of gendered violence because of a person or group’s gender, sex, and sexual orientation. Some forms of GBV may amount to torture or cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment.

CEDAW identifies the following fundamental aspects of GBV:

• GBV is rooted in gender-related factors, such as the ideology of cisgender men’s power and privilege over people of other genders, and social norms regarding masculinity, and it enforces gender roles or prevents, discourages, or punishes what is considered unacceptable gendered behaviour.

• GBV affects people throughout their life cycle. It occurs in all spaces and spheres of human interaction, whether public or private, in families, communities, workplaces, health services, educational settings, and digital environments, among others.

• Discrimination and GBV are often linked to other factors of a person’s life, including one’s race, indigenous or minority status, socioeconomic status, religion or belief, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, sex characteristics, being a refugee or stateless, or other status.

• GBV is also affected by political, economic, and social crises, civil unrest, humanitarian emergencies, natural disasters, and the degradation of natural resources.

🫨Why does GBV occur?

GBV should not be considered isolated acts of violence; instead, GBV refers to patterned violence intended to uphold a rigid gender binary and maintain the dominance of cis heterosexual men over all other expressions of SOGIESC.

Explaining Terms: Cis-hetero patriarchy

Cis-hetero patriarchy is a socio-political system that positions cis-heterosexual men and their experiences as superior and normative. Consequently, it creates constructs, divisions, and power imbalances based on gender, sex, and sexual orientation.

In a cis-hetero patriarchal society, all persons are expected and assumed to be cisgender and heterosexual. Expectations are imposed on self-expression, societal roles, and types of legitimate romantic or intimate relationships based on experiences of cisgender heterosexual persons, which are deemed the norm.

People who can meet these norms are rewarded. On the other hand, those who fail to meet these expectations are often punished with violence or ostracisation. This punishment is a manifestation of GBV.

Additional context: Stereotypes of LGBTQIA+ people

Stereotypes of LGBTQIA+ people correlate with their vulnerability and access to support services. LGBTQIA+ people are hypersexualized or viewed as erotic sexual objects. Consequently, sexual violence among these populations is both high and normalized.

For example, the sexual objectification and stereotype of trans women as sex workers increase their vulnerability to sexual harassment and violence by strangers in public, online, and other spaces. The Freedom of Expression and Transgender Women in Malaysia report found multiple experiences of sexual harassment and violence against trans women, including in their homes, workplaces, public places, restaurants, public transportation, and online spaces by cisgender men of diverse backgrounds. The forms of harassment include unwanted sexual gestures, unwanted touching, and inquiries of price for sexual services, among others.

The following are some common myths and stereotypes about LGBTQIA+ people.

• Myth 1: LGBT people are sexually promiscuous

• Fact: LGBT people could also be sex-positive or engage in sex work, but this should not be conflated with non-consensual and coercive acts that constitute sexual violence. In such cases, it is critical to center harm on survivors and violation of consent, and bodily autonomy, among others.

• Myth 2: Masculine men are not likely to be physically or sexually assaulted.

• Fact: Sexual and gender-based violence can happen to anyone regardless of their gender identity and sexual orientation.

Further reading - Myths and Stereotypes About Partner Abuse Among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT+) People.