Glossary

Placeholder copy for Glossary introduction.

Term In a Nutshell Relationship Forms Gender Notes
Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) Pattern of abusive behaviour between intimate partners, often but not always used primarily by one partner against another, often but not always (or only) to establish power or control Intimate/romantic relationships, monogamous or polyamorous:

  • Married
  • Common-law
  • Dating
  • Emotional
  • Psychological
  • Physical
  • Sexual
  • Financial
  • Spiritual
  • Racial
  • Social
  • Reproductive
 Experienced most commonly and severely by cisgender women, girls and transgender people; and used most commonly and severely by cisgender men. Can also encompass gendered violence experienced by men (e.g. sexual assault, abusive fraternity hazing).
Domestic Violence (DV) Violence in the home and/or family unit, often but not always used primarily by one family member against another(s), often but not always (or only) to establish power or control Any home-based relationship (usually familial):

  • Partners
  • Children
  • Siblings
  • Parents
  • Elders
  • Roommates
Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Violence that is at least partially influenced by gender norms and power dynamics. Can be interpersonal (e.g. transphobic assault) or institutional (e.g. denying status to Indigenous women who marry non-Indigenous men). Any relationship:

  • Partners
  • Friends
  • Family
  • Colleagues
  • Authority figures
  • Acquaintances
  • Strangers
Violence Against Women (VAW) Violence inflicted upon women and girls, often but not always by men. The violence can be interpersonal (e.g. rape) or institutional (e.g. sterilization). Acknowledges the heightened incidence and severity of violence experienced by women (cisgender and transgender)

Sources

Defining violence against women and girls (UN Women) – This brief definition draws a distinction between VAW and GBV, and highlights the unique ways in which the problem impacts women and men.
 Definition and forms of gender-based violence (UNFPA & Women Against Violence Europe (WAVE)) – A comprehensive set of definitions that differentiates between DV and IPV, and lists forms of violence and types of relationship in which it can occur. 
Gender-based violence against trans women claims more lives (National Center for Transgender Equality) – Overview of the disproportionate rate of assault and murder of transgender women, naming these transmisogynist acts as an issue of gender-based violence.