Gender-based violence (GBV) is any form of abuse, assault, or harassment that can be drawn back to dominant societal norms surrounding gender.

Gender-Based Violence (GBV) frequently manifests as Violence Against Women (VAW), and disproportionately affects women and girls. In Canada, gender-based violence is defined as violence that is inflicted upon a person or persons due to their gender identity, gender expression, or perceived gender. The culture of gender-based violence is pervasive, and is perpetuated by accepted social practices such as sexist jokes or demeaning representations of women and racialized women and heteronormative expectations of children.

In Canada, women are 20% more likely to be subjected to violence, and Indigenous women are three times as likely to be subjected to violence than non-Indigenous women. In Canada’s territories, there is a lack of resources and support for women experiencing gender-based violence, and women living in the territories are violently victimized at eight times the rate of women in Canada’s provinces. Senior women and women with disabilities also disproportionately experience gender-based violence. You can read more about the realities of gender-based violence and violence against women in Canada here, at Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE).

Gender-based violence acts as an umbrella term when talking about different forms of abuse, assault, or other violence.

While assault typically refers to a singular act of violence, abuse is a pattern of harmful and/or violent behaviour. Abuse can take many forms, including: 

• Physical abuse 

• Sexual abuse 

• Verbal or emotional abuse 

• Financial abuse 

• Social abuse 

• Abuse facilitated 

• Harassment and/or stalking 

• Environmental abuse 

• Spiritual or Religious Abuse 

Gender-based violence often—but not always—involves some form of sexual violence.

One in three Canadian women will experience sexual violence in their lifetime. Sexual violence could take the form of harassment, assault, or abuse. 

Sexual assault is an unwanted act of a sexual nature that is imposed on another person without their consent. It is a crime defined in the Criminal Code of Canada. This may include: 

• Any kissing, fondling, touching, oral/anal sex and/or sexual intercourse without consent; 

• Forcing someone to engage in sexual intercourse or any other sexual act; and

• Continued sexual contact without consent 

Sexual abuse is an act of violation, power and domination. According to the law, sexual abuse is any kind of sexual contact forced on a child or a woman. It can include: 

• Unwanted sexual touching, rape or attempted rape, date rape, incest, forcing someone to have sexual intercourse, forcing someone to engage in any sexually related activity and sexual exploitation through pornography or sex work; and 

• An individual can also be sexually abused without being touched, if they are forced to watch sexual acts, movies, or read pornographic material. 

Sexual harassment is a form of sexual violence that includes any unwanted attention of a sexual nature. It can include: 

• Suggestive remarks, sexual jokes, display of suggestive images, leering or whistling, unwanted physical contact, demand for sexual favours and physical assault. 

Everyone has the right to be asked for their consent. When someone experiences sexual assault, abuse, and/or harassment, it is never their fault.

If you have experienced sexual violence, you have options.

We believe you.