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It's Time to Recognize
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What is gender-based violence?
Everyone has the right to live a life free from violence. But there are many Canadians across the country who continue to face violence every day simply because of their gender expression, gender identity or perceived gender.
This is gender-based violence (GBV) This kind of violence can take many forms: cyber, physical, sexual, psychological, emotional, and economic. Neglect and harassment are also forms of GBV. Violence can have negative effects that span generations, and this often leads to cycles of violence and abuse within families and sometimes whole communities. GBV holds us all back.
What is the difference between sex and gender?
Sex refers to the biological and physiological characteristics that define males, females and intersex persons.
Gender refers to the roles and behaviours that society associates with being female or male. Rigid gender norms can result in stereotyping and curb our expectations of both women and men. A society’s understanding of gender changes over time and varies from culture to culture.
Costs of GBV
- Violence can have lifelong impacts on an individual’s physical, mental, sexual and reproductive health. Impacts can include physical injury and death, disabilities – including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder – as well as sexually transmitted infections, unintended pregnancy, miscarriage, substance use, absence from school or work, job loss and social solation.Footnote 1
- More broadly, the economic costs of intimate partner violence against Canadian women are valued at $4.8 billion annually. The economic costs of sexual assault/other sexual offences against Canadian women are estimated to be $3.6 billion annually.footnote 2
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