Gender-based Violence: Effects and Prevention Methods

Gender-based violence: essay introduction

Normally, the attempts to terminate GBV are categorized in three which are, the primary, secondary and tertiary prevention. The primary prevention handles the women who had previously experienced any form of violence. The secondary prevention tries to reduce the occurrence of further violence by supporting the survivors to fight GBV. On the other hand, the tertiary often supports advocacy, long-term legal and psychosocial requirements. To attain the objectives of the three attempts, a comprehensive approach that is fit to alter the social norms and gender inequality is necessary.

There are various forms of gender-based violence against women in every society. For instance, an intimate partner violence is the most common one where women who are currently or were previously in a relationship tend to experience. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 60% of the women worldwide have experienced either sexual or physical harassment. However, at least 27% of the women and girls have been sexually harassed by non-partners. Other forms include female genital mutilation, early marriages, trafficking and child sexual abuse. The violence is against any human rights that are ordained by the law.

GBV is tied to health distortion to women or girls who have experienced or going through the issue in their lives. For instance, in a case of domestic violence, injuries that are fatal or nearly fatal may occur. Those that have been sexually abused are a higher risk of negative reproductive health, unwanted pregnancy, and sexual perception or even prone to sexually transmitted diseases like syphilis. Due to depression and the daily fear, women are at a risk of developing a somatic disorder that affects them physically, mentally and emotionally. In this regard, the legal and social bodies should actively establish the protective gears that will fight and support gender sensitivity and rights.

Works Cited

1. World Health Organization. (2013). Global and regional estimates of violence against women: Prevalence and health effects of intimate partner violence and non-partner sexual violence. Retrieved from https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/85239/9789241564625_eng.pdf
2. United Nations. (n.d.). Violence against women: Facts everyone should know. Retrieved from https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/facts-and-figures
3. Heise, L. L., & Kotsadam, A. (2015). Cross-national and multilevel correlates of partner violence: An analysis of data from population-based surveys. The Lancet Global Health, 3(6), e332-e340. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(15)00013-3
4. García-Moreno, C., Hegarty, K., d'Oliveira, A. F., Koziol-McLain, J., Colombini, M., & Feder, G. (2015). The health-systems response to violence against women. The Lancet, 385(9977), 1567-1579. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(14)61837-7
5. Jewkes, R., Flood, M., & Lang, J. (2015). From work with men and boys to changes of social norms and reduction of inequities in gender relations: A conceptual shift in prevention of violence against women and girls. The Lancet, 385(9977), 1580-1589. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(14)61683-4
6. United Nations Development Programme. (n.d.). Ending violence against women. Retrieved from https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sustainable-development-goals/goal-5-gender-equality/overview/ending-violence-against-women.html
7. Krug, E. G., Mercy, J. A., Dahlberg, L. L., & Zwi, A. B. (2002). The world report on violence and health. The Lancet, 360(9339), 1083-1088. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(02)11133-0
8. Human Rights Watch. (n.d.). Violence against women. Retrieved from https://www.hrw.org/topic/womens-rights/violence-against-women
9. United Nations Women. (n.d.). Gender-based violence. Retrieved from https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/facts-and-figures/gender-based-violence
10. World Bank. (n.d.). Gender-based violence. Retrieved from https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/gbv