West Visayas State University

(Formerly Iloilo Normal School)

LAMBUNAO CAMPUS
College of Education
Social Science Department
Ladrido Street, Poblacion Ilawod, Lambunao, Iloilo, Philippines 5042
* Trunkline: (063) (533) 8053 * Telefax No.: (033) 533-8053
* Website: www.wvsu.edu.ph
* Email Address: lambunao@wvsu.edu.ph

Gender Violence – refer to harm done unto a person or groups of people due to their gender.
Forms of Gender Violence
1. Physical Violence refers to any act or use of force to cause physical harm. Physical violence
includes among others battering, assault, female genital mutilation, “honor” crimes,
manslaughter.
a. Battering refers to the action of striking repeatedly with hard blows.
b. Assault – refers to a violent physical or verbal attack, a threat or attempt to inflict
offensive physical contact or bodily harm on a person (as by lifting a fist in a threatening
manner) that puts the person in immediate danger of or in apprehension of such harm or
contact.
c. Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) - comprises all procedures that involve partial or
total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs
for non-medical reasons. The practice has no health benefits for girls and women and
cause severe bleeding and problems urinating, and later cysts, infections, as well as
complications in childbirth and increased risk of newborn deaths.

The practice of FGM is recognized internationally as a violation of the human rights of

girls and women. It reflects deep-rooted inequality between the sexes and constitutes an
extreme form of discrimination against girls and women. It is nearly always carried out by
traditional practitioners on minors and is a violation of the rights of children. The practice
also violates a person's rights to health, security and physical integrity; the right to be free
from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment; and the right to life, in instances
when the procedure results in death. In several settings, there is evidence suggesting
greater involvement of health care providers in performing FGM due to the belief that the
procedure is safer when medicalized. WHO strongly urges health care providers not to
perform FGM and has developed a global strategy and specific materials to support
health care providers against medicalization. Female genital mutilation is classified into
four major types:

Type 1: This is the partial or total removal of the clitoral glans (the external and visible part
of the clitoris, which is a sensitive part of the female genitals), and/or the prepuce/clitoral
hood (the fold of skin surrounding the clitoral glans).

Type 2: This is the partial or total removal of the clitoral glans and the labia minora (the
inner folds of the vulva), with or without removal of the labia majora (the outer folds of skin
of the vulva).

ASC/ GENDER VIOLENCE/ 2023

 West Visayas State University
(Formerly Iloilo Normal School)
LAMBUNAO CAMPUS
College of Education
Social Science Department
Ladrido Street, Poblacion Ilawod, Lambunao, Iloilo, Philippines 5042
* Trunkline: (063) (533) 8053 * Telefax No.: (033) 533-8053
* Website: www.wvsu.edu.ph
* Email Address: lambunao@wvsu.edu.ph

Type 3: Also known as infibulation, this is the narrowing of the vaginal opening through the
creation of a covering seal. The seal is formed by cutting and repositioning the labia minora,
or labia majora, sometimes through stitching, with or without removal of the clitoral
prepuce/clitoral hood and glans.

Type 4: This includes all other harmful procedures to the female genitalia for non-medical
purposes, e.g., pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterizing the genital area.

d. Honor Crimes - Honor-based crimes were known in medieval Europe where early Jewish law
mandated death by stoning for an adulterous wife and her partner. Today the practice is most
commonly associated with regions in North Africa and the Middle East. It is commonly refers to
abandonment (leaving someone in their country of origin or sending them back there); forced
suicide; honor killing (murder) ,forced marriage. Domestic abuse (physical, sexual, psychological,
emotional or financial) sexual harassment and sexual violence (rape and sexual assault or the
threat of) threats to kill, physical and emotional violence and murder. Honor killings punish women
for bringing “disgrace” upon their families, for example by refusing forced marriages, being the
victim of rape, getting divorced, having sexual relationships, or engaging in adultery. Although
honor killings are not a new phenomenon, they have been increasing in number in recent years.
Human Rights defines “honor killings” as acts of violence, generally, murder, committed by manly
family members against women of the family, which, according to family members, bring downfall
and reduce their respect among their guests.
e. Manslaughter – refers to the unlawful killing of a human being without express or implied
malice. Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable
than murder. Voluntary manslaughter is basically murder but with a defense. Road rage leading to
homicide is a possible example of voluntary manslaughter. If someone is cut off in traffic or
bumped by another car and it escalates to a deadly fight in a nearby parking lot, it could easily
lead to these charges. The court will consider manslaughter involuntary when the defendant had
no intent to kill, but accidentally or inadvertently killed someone as a result of negligent, careless,
or dangerous behavior. Accidentally firing a gun and killing someone is an example of involuntary
manslaughter. Manslaughter is a homicide that is the unintentional killing of another person.
These cases are treated as much less severe crimes than murder. Manslaughter can also be
categorized as voluntary or involuntary. The court will consider manslaughter involuntary when
the defendant had no intent to kill, but accidentally or inadvertently killed someone as a result of
negligent, careless, or dangerous behavior. Accidentally firing a gun and killing someone is an
example of involuntary manslaughter.
2. Sexual Violence refers to any sexual act performed without consent. This could be rape,
sexual assault, sexual trafficking, sexual-exploitation.

a. Rape - is the sexual offense of having non-consensual sexual intercourse through the use of
force, threats, or fraud. In California, sexual intercourse is the sexual penetration of the vagina or
genitalia by the penis. Ejaculation is not required for it to amount to rape. However, sexual
contact that does not involve this penetration is not rape. If it is non-consensual, however, it can

ASC/ GENDER VIOLENCE/ 2023

 West Visayas State University
(Formerly Iloilo Normal School)
LAMBUNAO CAMPUS
College of Education
Social Science Department
Ladrido Street, Poblacion Ilawod, Lambunao, Iloilo, Philippines 5042
* Trunkline: (063) (533) 8053 * Telefax No.: (033) 533-8053
* Website: www.wvsu.edu.ph
* Email Address: lambunao@wvsu.edu.ph

still amount to sexual assault. Statutory rape is different from rape in that the element of consent
is not an issue.

The classes of people covered by a statutory rape law are legally unable to consent to
sexual intercourse. Even if they say that they are consenting and willing to engage in sexual
activity – or even if they initiate the sexual act – there is still no legal consent. The following
classes of people are often covered by a state’s statutory rape law, leaving them unable to
consent to sexual relations:

> Anyone under the state’s age of consent,

>Those with a serious mental disability, and
>Those who are physically incapacitated.
Because these people are legally unable to consent to sex, any sexual activity with them
is considered non-consensual. Because it is always non-consensual, it is always rape. In cases
involving underage victims, statutory rape can also lead to allegations of child abuse and sexual
abuse, as well as criminal charges for child molestation.

b. Sexual Assault - The term sexual assault refers to sexual contact or behavior that occurs
without explicit consent of the victim. Some forms of sexual assault include: Attempted
rape. Fondling or unwanted sexual touching. Forcing a victim to perform sexual acts, such
as oral sex or penetrating the perpetrator's body.

Attempted Rape - refers to fondling or unwanted sexual touching. Forcing a victim to

perform sexual acts, such as oral sex or penetrating the perpetrator's body. It is also the
alleged perpetrator intended to forcibly have sexual intercourse with their victim, but were
unsuccessful for some reason. Perhaps the potential victim fought off the accused before the
attempted crime could be fully committed, or the accuser left the scene because of a fear of
getting caught by a witness. Regardless of the reason, the difference between rape and
attempted rape is that rape involves sexual penetration, while attempted rape involves an
attempt at sexual intercourse, but no actual penetration of the victim taking place.
c. Sexual Trafficking - Sex trafficking is defined by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of
2000 as “the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, obtaining, patronizing, or
soliciting of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act.” It involves the use of force,
fraud, or coercion to make an adult engage in commercial sex. Adults and children can be
trafficked or enslaved and forced to sell their bodies for sex.
d. Sexual Exploitation - involves a person profiting from the use of another person's body in
a sexual manner in order to benefit (financially or otherwise). In general, the perpetrator of
sexual exploitation takes advantage of their victim's vulnerable or dependent state, including
addictions to drugs or alcohol.

ASC/ GENDER VIOLENCE/ 2023

 West Visayas State University
(Formerly Iloilo Normal School)
LAMBUNAO CAMPUS
College of Education
Social Science Department
Ladrido Street, Poblacion Ilawod, Lambunao, Iloilo, Philippines 5042
* Trunkline: (063) (533) 8053 * Telefax No.: (033) 533-8053
* Website: www.wvsu.edu.ph
* Email Address: lambunao@wvsu.edu.ph

3. Psychological Violence refers to any act that causes harm to the mind and emotions of a
person or groups of people. Psychological Violence could be verbal assault, insults,
harassment, defamation, coercion, and illegal detention.
a. Verbal Assault - Common verbal abuse signs may include any of the below.
 Name-calling. Excessively using insults or calling someone names is an example of
abusive behavior.
 Criticizing and judging - Criticism has moral overtones. Judgment on the other hand is just
"making a call"
 Degrading – is like causing someone to feel degraded or to lose self-respect; humiliating
or disrespectful.
 Screaming/yelling – is a Verbal abuse involves using words to name call, bully, demean,
frighten, intimidate, or control another person. This can include overt verbal abuse such as
yelling, screaming, or swearing. Such behaviors are attempts to gain power, and the goal is
to control and intimidate you into submission.
 Gaslighting means to manipulate (someone) using psychological methods
into questioning their own sanity or powers of reasoning. Gaslighting happens when an
abuser tries to control a victim by twisting their sense of reality. An example of gaslighting
would be a partner doing something abusive and then denying it happened. Gaslighting can
occur in romantic, platonic, and family relationships — or even at work.
According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, gaslighting can happen in a variety
of ways. Some examples include:
Countering: This is when someone questions a person’s memory. They may say things
such as, “Are you sure about that? You have a bad memory,” or “I think you are forgetting
what really happened.”
Withholding: This involves someone pretending they do not understand the conversation,
or refusing to listen, to make a person doubt themselves. For example, they might say,
“Now you are just confusing me,” or “I do not know what you are talking about.”
Trivializing: This occurs when a person belittles or disregards how someone else feels.
They may accuse them of being “too sensitive” or overreacting in response to valid and
reasonable concerns.
Denial: Denial involves a person refusing to take responsibility for their actions. They may
do this by pretending to forget what happened, saying they did not do it, or blaming their
behavior on someone else.
Diverting: With this technique, a person changes the focus of a discussion by questioning
the other person’s credibility. For example, they might say, “That is just nonsense you read
on the internet. It is not real.”
Stereotyping: An article in the American Sociological Review says that a person may
intentionally use negative stereotypes about someone’s gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality,
nationality, or age to gaslight them. For example, they may say that no one will believe a
woman if she reports abuse.

ASC/ GENDER VIOLENCE/ 2023

 West Visayas State University
(Formerly Iloilo Normal School)
LAMBUNAO CAMPUS
College of Education
Social Science Department
Ladrido Street, Poblacion Ilawod, Lambunao, Iloilo, Philippines 5042
* Trunkline: (063) (533) 8053 * Telefax No.: (033) 533-8053
* Website: www.wvsu.edu.ph
* Email Address: lambunao@wvsu.edu.ph

 Manipulating - to control or influence something or someone so that you get an

advantage, often unfairly or dishonestly: He can manipulate situations mostly to his
benefit. During a disagreement or fight, a manipulative person will make dramatic
statements that are meant to put you in a difficult spot. They'll target emotional
weaknesses with inflammatory statements in order to elicit an apology. For example: “If
you leave me, I don't deserve to live.”

b. Insults refers to a disrespectful or scornfully abusive remark or action. Insult is defined as

to speak with rudeness or to say something to offend. An example of insult is to call someone
fat. Possible responses are Anger, Acceptance, Returning the insult, Humor, Ignoring the
insult, Rebuking the insulter. ” These are mean and degrading things to say to someone “
You're *#@! % stupid. ” “ I wish you were never born. ” “ No one is ever going to love you,
you're so *#@! % fat and ugly. ” “ You never get anything right. ” “ You're worthless.
c. Harassment - It is commonly understood as behavior that demeans, humiliates or
embarrasses a person, and it is characteristically identified by its unlikelihood in terms of
social and moral reasonableness. In the legal sense, these are behaviors that appear to be
disturbing, upsetting or threatening.
d. Defamation – refers to the action of damaging the good reputation of someone; slander or
libel.
e. Coercion - the practice of persuading someone to do something by using force or threats.
These actions may include extortion, blackmail, or even torture and sexual assault.
For example, a bully may demand lunch money from a student where refusal results in the
student getting beaten.
f. Illegal Detention / Arbitrary detention is the violation of the right to liberty. It is defined as
the arrest and deprivation of liberty of a person outside of the confines of nationally
recognized laws or international standards. One of the most common examples of illegal
detention occurs when an individual is wrongfully detained in connection with a crime and
then further examined to determine the possibility of deporting or removing the individual
from the country.
4. Economic Violence refers to any act that causes harm to an individual’s productivity. For
example, property damage, restricting access to financial resources, depriving education,
prevents the person from getting hired, and or not complying with economic responsibilities.
The consequences of violence amount to considerable direct and indirect costs that erode
economic development, increase instability and increase inequality.
5. Technology- facilitated gender- based violence refers to the use of technology to
cause harm to an individual because of their gender. This type of violence could be
anything related to the internet, especially of social media. Technology-facilitated GBV
includes behaviors such as stalking, bullying, sexual harassment, defamation, hate
speech, exploitation and gender trolling, which are carried out utilizing computer and
mobile technology.

ASC/ GENDER VIOLENCE/ 2023