GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE: SURVIVOR, VICTIM, PERPETRATOR,

AND HUMAN RIGHTS

INTRODUCTION:

Gender based violence is one of the most widespread and human rights abuses, but
least recognized in the world. It refers to any harm perpetrated against a person’s will
on the basis of gender, the socially ascribed differences between males and females.

Gender based violence has devastating consequences not only for victims, but also for
society as a whole. (Signal et.al 2013) It results in physical, sexual, and psychological
harm to both men and women and includes any form of violence or abuse that targets
men or women on the basis of their sex.

In the Philippines, gender-based violence has clearly been placed in the realm of
women’s human rights over the past decade. Prior to 1993, most governments regarded
violence against women largely as a private matter between individuals. (Loi et.al 1999)

Gender-based violence experienced by women and girls refers to battering and other
forms of intimate partner violence including marital rape, sexual violence, dowry-related
violence, female infanticide, sexual abuse of female children in the household, honor
crimes, early marriage, forced marriage, female genital cutting and other traditional
practices harmful to women, sexual harassment in the workplace and educational
institutions, commercial sexual exploitation, trafficking of girls and women, and violence
perpetrated against domestic workers. (USAID 2009)

Gender-based violence cuts across public and private spheres, including: home, school,
and work, and takes place during peacetime and conflict. It is both a human rights and a
development issue, with negative consequences for both women and men.

CONSEQUENCES OF GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

These consequences include serious, immediate, and long-term impacts on the sexual,
physical, and psychological health of survivors.

Health consequences include unwanted pregnancies, complications from unsafe

abortions, sexually transmitted infections including HIV, injuries, mental health, and
psychosocial effects (depression, anxiety, post-traumatic Stress, suicide and death).
Violence also affects children's survival, development, and school participation.
Social consequences extend to families and communities. Families can also be
stigmatized as-a consequence of gender-based violence. For example, when children
are born following a rape, or if family members choose to stand by a survivor, fellow
members of their community may avoid them.

Economic consequences include the cost of public health and social welfare systems
and the reduced ability of many survivors to participate in social and economic life.

SURVIVOR, VICTIMC AND PERPETRATOR

Survivor is the preferred term (not a “victim”) of a person who has lived through an
incident of gender-based violence. A perpetrator is a person, group, or institution that
inflicts, supports, or condones violence or other abuse against a person or group of
persons.

Characteristics of perpetrators include:

a. Persons with real or perceived power,

b. Persons in decision-making positions; and
c. Persons in authority.

In all incidents of GBV, there is always a survivor/victim and a perpetrator. Therefore, all
actions in the prevention and responses to GBV need to address both the survivor and
the perpetrator.

HUMAN RIGHTS

Human rights are universal, inalienable, indivisible, interconnected, and interdependent.

Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms without distinction of any kind, such
as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or opinion, national or social origin,
property, birth, or other status.

Prevention of and response to gender-based violence is directly linked to the protection

of human rights. Acts of gender-based violence violet a number of human rights
principles enshrined in international human rights instruments and in our Philippine
Constitution.

These include the following, amongst others:

 The right to life, liberty, and property of persons;

 The right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health;
The right to freedom from torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or
punishment;

 The right to freedom of opinion and expression and to education; (UNFPA 2014).