As Gwendoly Brooks once said ~ “We are in each other’s harvest, we are in each other’s business and we are in each other’s magnitude and bond”
Before we get to the Meaning of GBV once a great philosopher said: To the perpetrator “No one deserves to die, be hurt, injured, raped, abused or molested by you. No matter what you did to them, how powerful you are, how sexy you are, rich, or even how right you are. It doesn’t matter what they do or not do to you, it doesn’t matter how hurt or Brocken you are no one  deserves to die because of you “To the victim: “Choose to live by choosing to leave”

Ever wondered what GBV is?

Well GBV which is Gender-Based Violence is a form of violence against individuals because of their gender. Violence against the female gender is one of the most predominant human rights across the world because it knows no social, economic nor national boundaries.
As mentioned earlier GBV is a FORM of violence. Some of this Form of violence include
Physical Violence – This is an intentional act causing injury or trauma to another person by physical contact. This may be the cause by beating, strangling, pushing, or even worse using weapons
Sexual Violence – This type of violence occurs when someone sexually forces him or herself towards the other party without consent
Psychological Violence – This is a psychological abusive disorder subjected to another (i.e controlling, coercion, economic violence, or blackmail) that will make them have psychological disorders such as anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder. 


Having mentioned the above form of GBV it’s also important to learn some of the GBV examples that happen in today’s world. We are living in a world where people go through Gender-based violence yet they are afraid to speak about it and you may find some don’t even know they are experiencing GBV. This may be factored in by some cultural beliefs, lack of education and awareness, inequality in societies, and powerlessness in most girls and women.- Today I’ll be listing down some of the examples of GBV so that you’ll be enlightened when your rights are violated
1. Domestic Violence – This is one of the most common types of violence where a partner tries to control the other through fear. As mentioned above this may include beating, strangling, and using weapons
2. Sexual Based Harassment – This is a physical act against a person’s will or where a person is incapable of giving consent. A person is incapable of giving consent when they are underage, intoxicated, or disable. Sex-based Harassment may include unwelcomed sexual approach, requesting sexual favors, verbal and non-verbal form, physical sexual assaults e.t.c 
3. Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) – This is a ritual of cutting and removal of some or all of the external female genitals. It sounds awful, right? This is a violation of human bodies and often damages both their sexual and mental health. It sometimes leads to death
4. Forced Marriages – This is a form of marriage that happens when one is married off without his or her consent. This is usually associated with early marriages where children are forced to get married at an early age. It can also be forced marriage if both parties agree to get married then later on in their marriage when they want to separate they are forced to stay together against their will
5. Online Violence – This is a type of violence targeted against both genders through technology. This is the same as online Harassment, Cyberbullying, or cyber sexism. Online Violence include illegal threats, stalking, incitement to violence,  offensive emails or messages, sharing other people private photos without their consent, inappropriate advances on social networking sites


– If you are a victim of GBV in Kenya and need assistance don’t shy off to reach out for assistance. As Woodrow T. Wilson once said

~ We cannot be separated in interest or divided in purpose. We stand together till the end.- Below are the helpline where you can find assistance

– National GBV helpline 1195- Police helpline 999/112- Children Kenya helpline 116- UWIANO SMS platform 10- Kimbilio GBV helpline 1193- LVCT one on one Youth helpline 1190- FIFA SMS platform 2126

Munirah Suleiman