Gender Based Violence is rooted in historically unequal power relationships between men and women and structural power.
“The power to decide how things shall be done, the power to shape frameworks within which [states] relate to each other, relate to people, or relate to corporate enterprises” (Strange 1988: 25).
Over the centuries, this power has been acquired in social, political and cultural areas. In the last centuries, this power acquisition by men has been mostly performed through violence and submission.
Let’s debate: White homeless man, drunk, kills a black female lawyer. He is a former veteran, she is a former stripper. Please, leave your comments and opinions below.
When a figure is socially superior by structure, just a reaffirmation of that power over other, specially if altogether with an agressive body language, can feel like an intend of submission and an act of violence. Even if the subject would act in a similar way around others with a similar structural social status, if that behaviour is an agressive superiority showcase, it will feel as a submissive intend by a group with lower structural power (and therefore, less access to goods to cover needs).
Agressive and superiority body language, behaviours and other non verbal queues over prolonged periods of time are often missed Gender Based Violence suffered by women and children in relationships and households worldwide.
“Although the common image of rape is a violent attack by a stranger, in reality, most forced sex is committed by abusers known to the victim. For example, husbands, male family members, acquaintances and individuals in positions of authority. There is no single formula for identifying an abuser.” GBV guide for women.