Gender Based Violence is violence as a result of gender, gender expression, gender identity or perceived gender.

GBV is not limited to physical violence and can include any word, action, or attempt to degrade, control, humiliate, intimidate, coerce, deprive, threaten, or harm another person. GBV can take many forms including cyber, physical, sexual, societal, psychological, emotional, and economic. Neglect, discrimination, and harassment.

GBV can also include:  

• Intimate partner violence (IPV) or Domestic Violence: violence or abuse within a marriage, common-law or dating relationship that happens at any time during a relationship, including while it is breaking down or after it has ended
• Child Abuse / Maltreatment: emotional maltreatment, neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and exposure to violence happening in the family
• Violence against Seniors: victimization of an older adult by a family member, or by a non-family member on whom the older adult is dependent
• Harmful practices: underage or forced marriage, female genital mutilation/cutting, and violence committed in the name of “honour” / honor killings, forced abortion and forced sterilization, trafficking for sex or slavery, stalking 

"Domestic or Intimate Partner Violence is a form of gender-based violence that often plays out at home. It includes intimate partner violence, sexual assault, emotional abuse, child abuse,  elder abuse among others.  Women, girls, and trans and non-binary people are at highest risk of this kind of victimization. "https://canadianwomen.org/

Domestic violence is a pattern of behaviour used by one person to gain power and control over another person with whom they have or previously had an intimate relationship. Domestic violence can include physical, sexual, emotional, financial/economic, technological, legal and psychological abuse and intimidation.

 Incidents are rarely isolated, and usually escalate in frequency and severity. 

Domestic violence can culminate in serious physical injury or death.  Approximately every six (6) days, a woman is killed by her intimate partner in Canada.  

Anyone can be a victim of domestic violence, regardless of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, faith or class

 PHYSICAL ABUSE/ VIOLENCE - Any act which causes physical harm as a result of unlawful physical force.  It can include but not limited to:

• Pulling or ripping out hair
• Strangling
• choking
• slapping
• kicking
• punching
• using objects as weapons
• Biting
• Spitting at or near partner
• Throwing objects at or near partner
• Subjection to reckless driving
• Using household objects as weapons
• Threatening partner with weapons
• Non-consensual rough play (i.e. martial arts, MMA, self-defense techniques)
• Abuse that results in lacerations, broken bones, internal injuries or miscarriage
• Abuse that lead to disfigurement or disability or death
• destroying property.

Domestic violence can be lethal. Death is always possible as an accidental outcome of the violence. Approximately every six (6) days, a woman is killed by her intimate partner in Canada.

EMOTIONAL AND VERBAL ABUSE - Any harmful emotional or verbal or psychological acts and/or behaviors. It can include but not limited to:

• Continually criticizing, calling names, or shouting  
• Threatening to kill you, your children, other family members or pets
• Threatening to commit suicide
• Humiliating and degrading you; 
• Forcing you to do something you don’t want to; 
• Isolating you from family and friends, or confining you to the house or refusing to socialize with people who are important to you
• Taking car keys, cell phone, or other means of communication away
• Ignoring a your feelings
• Ridiculing or insulting you or women as a group
• Ridiculing or insulting valued beliefs, religion, race, heritage, or class
• Withholding approval, appreciation, or affection as punishment
• Regularly threatening to leave or told to leave
• Not allowing access to basic needs (toiletries, medication, etc.)
• Abandoning you in dangerous place
• Threatening to hurt or kill family members
• Punishing or depriving the children when angry
• Threatening to kidnap the children
• Abusing, torturing or killing pets
• Harassing partners about imagined affairs
• Manipulating partners with lies and contradictions
• Destroying furniture, punching holes in walls or breaking appliances
•  Gaslighting” or “Crazy-Making” abuser manipulates situations repeatedly to trick the victim into distrusting his or her own memory and perceptions.  Soon the victim is scared to bring up any topic at all for fear they are "wrong" about it or don't remember the situation correctly. It makes victims question the very instincts that they have counted on their whole lives, making them unsure of anything. 

SEXUAL ABUSE – Any sexual act performed on an individual without their consent.  It can include but not limited to:

• Rape or sexual assault,
• Birth control sabotage or reproductive coercion 
• Forcing you to strip,
• Forcing you to have sex with someone else
• Using      a sexual derogatory name
• Forcing      a partner to become a sex worker or prostitute
• Accusing      a partner of promiscuity
• Forcing      a partner to watch pornography, or the abusive partner having sex with      others
• Subjecting      the partner to unwanted touching
• Forcing      a partner to participate in any form of unwanted sexual activity
• Biting,      pinching or hurting a partner with objects during sex
• Sexually   assaulting a partner
• Using threats, intimidation, or physical force to force you into unwanted sexual acts.  

 FINANCIAL or ECONOMIC ABUSE / V IOLENCE -  

Any financially harmful act or behaviour.  It can include but not limited to: 

• Restricting your access to financial resources, 
• Education or the labour market 
• Not complying with economic responsibilities
• Damaging property 
• Having all bank accounts in the abuser’s name, 
• Controlling how, when, and where money is spent, 
• Assigning an allowance (often very small or unrealistic cost of living)
• Denying the right to work outside the home or make any financial contribution to the family, 
• Controlling all or most of the finances,
• Misusing a partner’s name for financial reasons, 
• Forcing partner to sign documents against their will, such as taxes, immigration papers or other important documents

LEGAL ABUSE – Any harmful act or behaviour using the Courts or Police or Children Aid society or Immigration Canada or other authorities to threaten, harass, dominate or control.  It could include but not limited to:

•  Filing for protection orders against you and/or your friends or family
• Filing contempt motions against you for no reason
•  Starting custody battles
• Describing you as an unfit parent and/or requesting mental health evaluations
• Filing unnecessary ("frivolous") motions, appeals, motions for revision, or motions for reconsideration, forcing you back into court
• Trying to bring closed cases back into court (“relitigate”)
• Trying to relitigate in different courts (switching jurisdictions)
• Using the court's discovery requests and/or using the discovery process to bring up embarrassing or irrelevant information about you, and/or taking up a lot of your time and money with large discovery requests
• Dragging out court hearings, harming you financially and/or emotionally
• Refusing to obey court orders, forcing you to spend time and money to enforce the orders
• Threatening to report you to immigration authorities
• Making false reports to Child Protective Services (CPS)
• Falsely claiming you abuse drugs or alcohol
• Suing you for reporting abuse
• Suing or threatening to sue anyone who helps you, including family, friends, advocates, attorneys, and law enforcement officers
• Filing complaints against the judge or your lawyer

Defamation/ slander

TECHNOLOGICAL ABUSE –Technological Abuse – Any harmful act or behavior using technology.  It can include but not limited to:

• Restricting and monitoring phone and internet access
• Hacking into phone, email and personal accounts
• Online stalking
• Threat to publicly share intimate photos or videos

SPIRITUAL ABUSE – Spiritual – Any harmful act or behavior using  religious or spiritual beliefs to manipulate, dominate, and control you.

 Any attempt to exert power and control over someone using religion, faith, or beliefs can be spiritual abuse. Spiritual abuse can happen within a religious organization or a personal relationship.  It can include but not limited to:

• Using scripture or beliefs to humiliate or embarrass you
• Coerce you into giving money or other resources that you didn’t want to give
• Shame, make fun of, or ridicule your religious beliefs or practices
• Prevent you from practicing your religion in the way you would like
• Use your beliefs to manipulate or bully you
• Demand that your children be raised with/without a certain religion
• Use religious texts or beliefs to justify other kinds of abuse (physical, sexual, financial, etc.)
• Using scriptures or religious beliefs to control your clothing or behavior or sexuality or decision making or choice to have children or not or finances