About gender-based violence

Everyone has the right to live free from violence. However, many people in Canada continue to face violence every day because of their gender, gender expression, gender identity or perceived gender. This is referred to as gender-based violence (GBV) and it is a violation of human rights.

If you look closely, you will see the roots of GBV all around you, in media messages that objectify women, in the jokes that demean 2SLGBTQI+ (Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and additional sexually and gender diverse) people and in the rigid gender norms imposed on young children. 

GBV is not limited to physical violence. It can include any word, action, or attempt to degrade, control, humiliate, intimidate, coerce, deprive, threaten, or harm another person. Neglect, discrimination, and harassment can also be forms of GBV. 

GBV takes place in public spaces, in workplaces, at home, and online. Its negative effects reach far beyond the individuals who directly experience them. Violence can have long-lasting and negative health, social and economic effects that span generations, which can lead to cycles of violence and abuse within families and sometimes whole communities. 

While violence affects all people, it disproportionately affects women and girls. Some people are more at risk of experiencing violence because of various forms of oppression. Learn more about Affected populations and cost of GBV.