GBV / VAW can take place between:

• Intimate partners /  spouses
• Family members
• Co-workers
• Authority figures and subordinates
• Strangers

GBV / VAW takes many forms (definitions from WAGE Canada unless otherwise indicated):

• Physical violence
  • Intentional or threatened use of physical force, including pushing, hitting, cutting, punching, slapping, shoving, strangulation.
• Sexual violence
  • Sexual Assault – Any unwanted sexual activity involving physical contact (including kissing, fondling, and sexual intercourse).
  • Sexual Coercion – Using forms of pressure, trickery (e.g. alcohol, drugs, etc.), threats, or manipulation to have sexual contact with someone against their will (from LoveIsRespect.org)
  • Sexual Exploitation – Profiting (whether financially or otherwise) from the use of another person’s body in a sexual manner where the perpetrator takes advantage of their victim’s vulnerable or dependent state, including being dependent on the perpetrator for drugs, food, shelter, protection, other basics of life, and/or money. The perpetrator can be any gender, an adult or a minor, and can act for their own personal gain or for the benefit of a criminal enterprise (e.g. street gang, organized crime). Sexual exploitation includes sexual trafficking and child pornography (from Quebec.ca).
• Verbal / emotional  / psychological abuse
  • Insults, belittling, constant humiliation, intimidation, threats of harm, threats to take away children, harm or threat of harm to pets
• Coercive Control
  • Patterns of control and abuse that cause fear or terror, including coercion (using force and/or threats to alter behaviour) and control (regulating or dominating a partner’s behaviour and choices, isolating a person from family and friends, and restricting access to employment, education or medical care)
  • Can also include:
    • Reproductive coercion – Controlling reproductive choices, pregnancy outcomes and/or access to health services (yes, even the government engages in this type of VAW)
• Financial abuse
  • Control or misuse of money, assets or property, control of a partner’s ability to access school or a job
• Criminal harassment (i.e. stalking)
  • Repeated conduct that creates fear for one’s safety or the safety of a loved one. The repeated conduct can include making threats, obscene phone calls, following, watching, tracking, contacting on the Internet, including through texts or email messages
• Technology-facilitated abuse (e.g. Cyberbullying)
  • The use of technologies to facilitate virtual or in-person harm including observing and listening to a person, tracking their location, to scare, intimidate or humiliate a person
• Spiritual or religious abuse
  • Using someone’s spiritual beliefs to manipulate, dominate or control them.