Fight gender-based violence at the roots

The recently launched month-long campaign against gender-based violence (GBV), led by Union rural development and agriculture and farmers welfare minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan with support from various government departments, is perhaps the first time a serious whole-of-government approach has been adopted to this persistent problem.

- Lalita Panicker

Violence against women is not just domestic and sexual violence, but also a symptom of the larger oppression of women and gender inequality. It is the result of structural violence—manifested as unequal distribution of resources, opportunities, and decision-making—that gives rise to several forms of violence against women.

An Institute of Social Studies Trust (ISST) convening highlighted that existing vulnerabilities and systemic inequalities in both public and private spheres intersect in the realm of work, which influence women's entry into the workforce, retention, and opportunities for decent work. Economic uncertainty, unsafe working conditions, and gender-based discrimination contribute to a cycle of violence that spans across different domains of life. Addressing GBV in the world of work requires a recognition of this continuum of violence.