Violence against women

Violence against women (VAW), also known as gender-based violence^[1][2] and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV),^[3] is violent acts primarily or exclusively committed by men or boys against women or girls. Such violence is often considered a form of hate crime,^[4] committed against women or girls specifically because they are female, and can take many forms.

VAW has a very long history, though the incidents and intensity of such violence have varied over time and between societies. Such violence is often seen as a mechanism for the subjugation of women, whether in society in general or in an interpersonal relationship.^[5][6]

The UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women states, "violence against women is a manifestation of historically unequal power relations between men and women" and "violence against women is one of the crucial social mechanisms by which women are forced into a subordinate position compared with men."^[7]