Federal Strategy on Gender-based Violence

About Gender-based Violence

Experiencing violence can have devastating health and social impacts on the lives of individuals, families, communities and Canadian society as a whole.

Gender-based violence involves the use and abuse of power and control over another person^{Footnote 1} and is perpetrated against someone based on their gender or gender identity. Gender-based violence includes violence against women and girls, as well as violence against LGBTQQI2S (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, queer, questioning, intersex and two-spirited) and gender-nonconforming people.

Gender-based violence (GBV) includes any act of violence or abuse that can result in physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering. Examples of forms of violence and abuse include:

• structural/systemic violence
• physical violence
• sexual violence (including child sexual abuse, sexual harassment and sexual exploitation)
• emotional and psychological violence (including threats and intimidation)
• harassment
• online violence/technology-facilitated violence
• financial abuse
• neglect

Some populations are more likely to experience violence and may face unique barriers and challenges that put them at particular risk:

• Young women aged 15-24 years are most at risk of experiencing violence.^{Footnote 2}
• Indigenous women are twice as likely to experience violence than Indigenous men and approximatelythree times more likely to experience violence than non-Indigenous women or men.^{Footnote 3}
• Women with disabilities are twice as likely to report severe physical violence (i.e. beaten, kicked, bit or hit) and three times as likely to be forced into sexual activity.^{Footnote 4}
• People self-identifying as homosexual or bisexual are 3 times more likely than heterosexuals to be victims of violence.^{Footnote 5}
• Transgender people are almost twice as likely to report ever experiencing intimate partner violence, compared to the average rate experienced by women and men.^{Footnote 6}
• Senior women are at a higher risk of emotional and sexual abuse compared to senior men.^{Footnote 7}
• Women living in the territories are victimized at a rate eight times higher than those living in the provinces. Remote and isolated communities face particular challenges related to access and availability of support.^{Footnote 8}

Date modified:

2016-07-26