Gender-based violence

Gender-based violence (GBV) is any violence directed towards or against someone due to their gender expression, gender identity or perceived gender.

On this page

• Who is at risk
• Impacts of gender-based violence
• The law in Canada
• Additional resources

Who is at risk

Anyone can be affected by GBV. However^{Footnote 1}:

• Women, girls, Indigenous peoples and members of the LGBTQ2S+ community are more at risk of experiencing GBV
• Factors such as age, geographic location, socioeconomic background and ethnicity can contribute to unique challenges that put certain populations at particular risk

In Canada^{Footnote 2}:

• Women have a 20% higher risk of being victimized than men
• Indigenous women reportedly experience spousal violence at a rate three times higher than non-Indigenous women. For women, Indigenous identity is a key risk factor for experiencing violence
• Transgender and gender diverse people are nearly twice as likely as cisgender women to experience intimate partner violence in their lifetimes
• Lesbian, gay or bisexual individuals are three times more likely than heterosexual people to report experiencing violence

If you or someone you know is a victim/survivor of GBV, help is available to you.

Impacts of gender-based violence

Gender-based violence:

• influences health, social and economic conditions of victims/survivors
• can impact a survivor's relationships with their family and in their community, particularly due to ongoing isolation of victims/survivors and their children
• increases the risk of social isolation; community and family ostracism can place victims/survivors of GBV at greater social and economic risk
• prevents individuals from reaching their full potential
• increases the risks of substance abuse, depression or anxiety, chronic physical or mental illness, unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections

The law in Canada

• It is against the law to harm or threaten to harm another person, or to engage in harassing conduct as defined in the Criminal Code of Canada.
• All forms of discrimination against a person's sexual orientation, gender identity or expression are prohibited under the Canadian Human Rights Act.

The RCMP's role

When it comes to GBV, the RCMP has a mandate to:

• enforce the law and support victims/survivors
• help foster crime prevention initiatives that focus on GBV
• support the Government of Canada's Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence

The RCMP recognizes the importance of trauma-informed interventions. We are currently developing a course on cultural awareness and humility that will be offered to RCMP employees starting in 2019–20.

Additional resources

RCMP

• RCMP Family Violence Initiative Fund
• Information for sexual assault survivors
• Missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls
• Public Service Announcement on Violence Against Women - Jordin Tootoo

External sources

• About Gender-Based Violence (Department for Women and Gender Equality)
• Federal strategy to end gender-based violence (Department for Women and Gender Equality)

Date modified:

2019-10-18