Culture and Gender Based Violence

Cultural identities–things like shared traditions, struggles, achievements, and triumphs–can be sources of strength but can also uphold ideas that lead to gender-based violence. This article offers different perspectives on culture and gender-based violence, as well as resources for critiquing harmful cultural values.

“Cultures nourish pride, resilience, belonging, intersectional identities, and connection to community. But culture is used to justify gender violence and inequality by evoking traditional beliefs and practices about how women and girls should be treated. If culture defines the spaces within which power is expressed and gender roles are enshrined, then our movement is here to push back.”