For a long time, gender-based violence (GBV) has been viewed as a private or family matter. Over the last two decades there has been a shift in thinking about GBV, and it is now viewed as a societal problem, primarily as a human rights violation and public health problem. Although GBV is often interchangeably used with “sexual violence” and “violence against women,” it is useful to distinguish GBV from other forms of violence. GBV is a deliberately broad term in order to recognize the gendered elements in nearly all forms of violence against women and girls, whether it is perpetrated through sexual violence or through other means.      Keywords:    gender,  violence,  power,  feminism