GBV is as a product of the social structural conditions within a patriarchal society and needs to be treated as such. Interventions to prevent the effects of GBV need to situate violence within the context of social circumstances, as well as understand systemic forms of inequality and violence. Trauma and violence-informed approaches—which account for the intersecting impacts of systemic and interpersonal violence and structural inequities on a person’s life—need to be taken to mitigate the effects of GBV. As such, this page presents:
Trauma is defined by the Government of Canada as both the experience of, and a response to, an overwhelmingly negative event or series of events. The experience of GBV is an example of an overwhelmingly negative event or series of events. In other words, GBV can induce trauma.
GBV can have traumatic impacts on victims, whether the violence itself is ongoing or in the past. GBV can also induce trauma among those exposed to GBV, such as children who grow up in homes where Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) occurs.
Trauma can effect human neurobiology and may have long-lasting impacts on one’s behaviour if improperly addressed. Neurobiological alterations caused by trauma are correlated with a variety of harmful outcomes such as stress, anxiety, depression and substance use. Neurobiological alterations can also cause triggers, wherein present day events can recreate past traumatic experiences so that potential threats are perceived as real, regardless of whether or not these threats are real.
When serving those impacted by GBV, providers, organizations, and systems lacking understanding of its complex and lasting impacts miss opportunities to provide effective services, and risk causing further harm. The impacts that violence and trauma have on people’s lives and behaviour need to be understood to effectively prioritize the safety of survivors and those exposed to GBV.