THE TRUTH BEHIND GENDER-BASED ABUSE AND VIOLENCE
AN IN-DEPTH LOOK ON GENDER-BASED ABUSE AND VIOLENCE
Differentiating gender-based violence and gender-based abuse
Gender-based violence is one of the most common and widespread human rights violations; it is violence directed against someone on the basis of their gender or sex that results in physical, sexual, or psychological harm. These acts violate an individual’s human rights.
On the other hand, Gender-based abuse is most commonly perpetrated by men against women, girls, and other vulnerable people, which involves different kinds of genders and also includes the LGBTQ+ community. Men can also be victims of gender violence, though it is more prevalent among members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
WHO ARE THE PERPETRATORS?
When we hear the word abuse or abuser, we tend to associate it with a man hurting a woman. But that image that we hold is only part of the whole picture because abuse can happen to anyone, despite their differences, wherein any person can be the abuser or the one who chooses to inflict harm on others. But did you know that there are two classifications of violence that depend on the perpetrator?
​
When violence is generally perpetrated by someone you are close to, this is known as Interpersonal violence, which is perpetrated by either a friend or a family member. On the other hand, Non-partner violence is violence inflicted by someone you do not know well, like strangers, acquaintances, or colleagues.
IDENTIFYING FORMS OF GENDER-BASED
ABUSE AND VIOLENCE
Physical abuse is anything that involves using force against one's will to hurt one's body. Among other things, significant and small assaults can be a kind of physical violence.
​
Sexual violence is any sexual act that is performed without the individual's consent. Raped or sexually assaulted victims of sexual violence can be included as forms of sexual assault.
​
Psychological abuse is any behavior done that hurts someone's mental health is psychological violence. Coercion, defamation, verbal abuse, or harassment are just a few examples.
Physical, sexual, and psychological abuse can happen in any type of relationship or to any person; however, there are some other situations that lead to abuse that are unique to LGBTQIA+ individuals. In instances such as these, the abusers develop ways to gain power and control over the LGBTQIA+ members, who then become victims of the abuse. Here are some situations on how the abuse occurs:
-
Convincing the victim that the abuse is not considered domestic violence as it takes place between LGBTQ individuals;
​
-
Threatening to reveal the sexual orientation or gender identity of the victim without their consent;
​
-
Normalizing the abuse to the victim by saying that it is a "normal" part of same-sex relationships; and
​
-
Denying the identity of the victim because it does not fit the definition of the abuser regarding the label that the victim chooses for itself, such as telling a man that they are not really them as they had already been in a relationship with a woman in the past.
About Me.
Members of the LGBTQ+ community have been victims of too many crimes of abuse and violence due to the stigma that comes with being part of the community. This has caused constant worry for their lives, as many of them are struggling to truly be themselves because a large number of people have kept their homophobic views towards them, which becomes a threat to their well-being as individuals. The worsening forms of abuse, violence, and even hate crimes directed towards them inflict negative effects on the victims that affect several aspects of their lives.
​THE EFFECTS OF ABUSE AND VIOLENCE AGAINST THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY
BEING SUBJECT TO GENDER-BASED ABUSE AND VIOLENCE MAY LEAD TO THE FOLLOWING:
MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS
Studies have proven that victims of violent attacks or victimization due to their sexual identity are at risk of suffering mental health conditions such as depression, suicide ideation, and suicide attempts.
PHYSICAL HEALTH ISSUES
According to a study done by Carter (2021), LGBTQ+ individuals, including both youth and adults, who are victims of violence are correlated with negative outcomes that affect their sexual risk-taking, HIV status, and cause serious physical health issues such as physical injuries.
LOW SELF-ESTEEM
High numbers of LGBTQ+ individuals suffer from low self-esteem due to the following factors: stereotypes, media, having their identity used as a slur, and other factors that cause detrimental affects to the individual. They develop a sense of embarrassment towards themselves and their identities, which affects their self-esteem due to society’s views towards them.