GBV or Gender-based violence refers to harmful acts directed at an individual based on their gender, it can include violence against women, domestic violence against women, men or children, and also can take place anywhere, including at home, at school, within communities, in public institutions and at work.

Gender-based violence takes numerous forms as female genital mutilation,child marriage, physical sexual and emotional abuse…Because of this women and girls are at much higher risk of GBV.

We can say that the main causes of most forms of GBV lie in a society’s attitudes towards and practices of gender discrimination are gender inequality and lack of belief in equality of human rights for all. 

There are also many factors that increase the risk of GBV:

• Alcohol and drug abuse partners who abuse drugs are more likely to be violence against their wife and children, this may involve not only physical and psychological violence but also sexual violence.
• Poverty women and girls living in poverty are more vulnerable to trafficking and sexual exploitation, and also this violence interrupts opportunities for education and employment.Moreover children who are a product of child marriages are less likely to receive an education have a higher chance of living in extreme poverty.
• Conflict and war violence against women increases during conflict situations such as rape as a tool of war, lack of access to health services, education, and employment particularly for women and girls.

Gender-based violence became one of the huge issues that women and girls face, there are many actions that will reduce violence and the conditions that allow it to happen:

• Implementing safe water and safe food security  women and children are at risk because they are usually the largest percentage of the poorest of the poor and comprise the majority of displaced populations.
• Education ensuring that girls and boys have access to safe education, and also ensuring that girls have a learning environment where they can learn how protect themselves  form sexual violence and other abuses.
• Empowering women and girls supporting local women-led and women’s rights organizations and also women decision-making at leadership level
• Responding to gender-based violence needs Confidentiality and privacy for victims and survivors, also the effective access for them to legal remedies and legal aid.
• Ending violence against women, raising awareness on women’s rights, and also to build respectful relationships in our community by taking actions to have a generation does not support or excuse or support violence. 

Prepared by YouthPrint ESC Volunteer: Rabia Attni

Resource:
https://www.rescue.org/article/what-gender-based-violence-and-how-do-we-prevent-it