Comment & analysis

Facing up to the complex reality of gender-based violence

23 November 2012 Hannah Wright

At the start of this year’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence, Hannah Wright explains why accountable and responsive security and justice systems are a fundamental part of tackling gender-based violence.

‘Gender-based violence’ (GBV) is any act of violence which is committed against a person on the basis of their gender. While it is often taken to be synonymous with violence against women and girls, who are most often the targets of GBV, women, men, boys and girls can all be both the victims and the perpetrators of GBV.

For example, in countries experiencing armed conflict, women and girls are sometimes targeted by combatants as a means of undermining the morale of their communities and breaking down social ties within and between families. However, men may also become targets of GBV, particularly as young men of fighting age are often assumed to be actual or potential combatants purely on the basis of their gender and age.

The causes of GBV are multiple, and include patriarchal and discriminatory attitudes towards gender roles, weak or absent legislation, lack of access to justice and lack of economic and social autonomy, particularly for women. Preventing GBV therefore requires action on a number of levels including, among other things: tackling gender stereotypes and prejudices, putting effective legislation in place, training police, lawyers and judges to better investigate and prosecute crimes, empowering women economically and politically, and providing appropriate support for survivors.

Ensuring that security and justice providers are accountable and responsive to the needs of women, men, boys and girls in the communities they serve is a critical part of the puzzle. Not only can this help to end impunity and improve access to justice for survivors of GBV, it can also help to prevent security and justice providers such as the police and armed forces from becoming perpetrators themselves.

This is one reason why, across all of its country programmes, Saferworld works to improve the accountability and responsiveness of security and justice systems, and ensure that people of all genders can participate in the decisions that affect their security and that of their communities.

Earlier this year, Saferworld produced a short docudrama highlighting the important role that women police officers can play in delivering security, including tackling GBV, in Nepal. Currently the majority of cases of violence against women in Nepal are never reported to police. One of the reasons for this is that women often feel unable to confide in male police officers, and conservative attitudes toward gender roles mean there are very low numbers of female police officers. The film, which aims to change people’s attitudes towards women joining and serving in the police force, has been screened on two national TV channels and shown at public screenings in 20 districts across Nepal.

 

 

As well as being a direct threat to people’s security, GBV can fuel armed conflict. There has been increasing international attention around the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war, particularly since the passing of UN Security Council Resolution 1820, which states that it “can significantly exacerbate situations of armed conflict and may impede the restoration of international peace and security”. In parts of South Sudan where cattle-raiding is the most prevalent form of violence between communities, Saferworld research has found that the rape of women during cattle raids contributes to cycles of violence and provokes revenge attacks.

This year, the UK Government announced a new initiative on preventing the use of sexual violence as a tactic of war, which Saferworld welcomed. However, women in conflict-affected countries are more likely to be subjected to sexual violence at the hands of their husband or partner than by armed combatants using it as a tactic of war. Indeed, there is often an increase in domestic violence during conflict and post-conflict periods. While tackling the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war is clearly crucial, not least because it can fuel further conflict, this must not come at the expense of efforts to prevent other, more common forms of GBV. Governments and multilateral agencies working on this issue must ensure that efforts to tackle the strategic use of sexual violence in wartime also prioritise preventing GBV in all its other forms.

Security and access to justice are basic rights, and are among the essential building blocks for peace and development. A society cannot truly be said to be peaceful unless all community members, regardless of gender, feel safe and secure. By helping communities to identify and address their own security concerns and demand the security and justice services they need, Saferworld aims to help tackle the root causes of conflict and insecurity, including GBV, and build safer lives for women, men, boys and girls.

Hannah Wright is Saferworld's gender, peace and security adviser.

“A society cannot truly be said to be peaceful unless all community members, regardless of gender, feel safe and secure.”

Hannah Wright, Saferworld