Legal Frameworks: National and International

What national laws cover VAWG? In how many countries is VAWG still not a crime? National laws covering VAWG vary drastically throughout the world. In some countries, they are extremely comprehensive; in others, there remain large gaps that leave more women and girls vulnerable...

Historical Struggle

How did VAWG first gain recognition? Violence against women and girls—from marital rape and wife battering to sexual abuse and harassment—has largely been hidden in recorded history, though the problem extends back well beyond our mothers’ and grandmothers’ generations. Similarly, the struggle against this...

What Is Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG)?

What do we mean by VAWG? “Violence against women and girls” (VAWG) is a catch-all phrase. It includes a wide range of forms of violence. Often when people talk about VAWG in Western societies, they are referring to intimate partner violence or domestic violence...

Economics and VAWG

What economic factors affect VAWG? There are many economic factors that affect the incidence and prevalence of VAWG. As discussed in chapter 9, poverty is a key player, along with stable and secure employment and conflict-free societies in which national economies can prosper. With...

International Security and VAWG

Why is VAWG a threat to international peace and security? Gender-based violence against women, girls, men, boys, and gender-diverse groups invokes conflict and fuels acts of revenge, perpetuating cycles of violence. As conflicts flow over borders and/or draw in the militaries of other states...

VAWG and Land/Property Rights

Are women and girls without legal equality in rights to land, property, inheritance, access to credit, and business ownership more vulnerable to VAWG? Land and property rights provide a structural context through which gendered power is reorganized, increasing women’s empowerment and making them less...

VAWG and the Environment

How are environmental changes related to VAWG? Environmental changes that cause resource scarcity exacerbate VAWG. In societies where harmful traditional practices continue to regard women as property, resource scarcities intensify gender-based VAWG. Moreover, extreme weather events can exacerbate insecurities and foreshadow gender-based violence. For...

Education, Schools, and VAWG

How is VAWG perpetrated at school and through educational processes and curricula? School-related gender-based violence (SRGBV) and VAWG occurring within the context of educational institutions are problems in all countries in the world and cut across cultural, geographic, and economic differences in societies. They...

Employment, Precarity, and VAWG

What type of VAWG occurs at work? There are several types of VAWG that can occur in the context of employment and “precarious work,” which refers to work that is typically low paid, insecure (in the sense that ongoing employment is uncertain or the...

VAWG and the Media

How do the media represent VAWG? Media representations of VAWG are poor. Even if they do not explicitly blame victims, the media often objectify, sensationalize, stigmatize, or cast doubt on their credibility. Women and girls are often presented in a binary fashion as either...