Gender-based violence can affect both women and men, but it affects women at a disproportionately higher level and is thus frequently referred to simply as “violence against women”. 35% of all women worldwide experience either violence from their partner in a relationship or sexual violence outside of a relationship. More than 3 million girls suffer genital mutilation each year in Africa alone. Every year, almost 70 million girls worldwide are married before their 18th birthdays. Violence against women is one of the most common civil rights violations in the world today.
However, men are also affected by gender-based violence. For instance, men and boys who do not follow typical “male behaviour” patterns are picked on and physically attacked. Men and boys experience specific types of violence in armed conflicts and as members of gangs.
Gender-based violence occurs everywhere, in every society and country notwithstanding of social background; at home, in school, on the street or via computer. Gender-based violence is both a brutal form of discrimination and also a violation of the basic freedoms of the victim. It is at the same time the cause and effect of inequalities between men and women. It not only affects the health and well-being of the victim, but it also leads to higher costs. Medical care and protection for victims, criminal prosecutions, absence from work and reduced productivity as a result of lasting physical and psychological impairments represent a significant burden on public and private budgets.
