ABSTRACT
In the 1970s, with the rise of what has become a global women’s movement, male violence against women became recognized as a social problem. Male gender-based violence against women is globally recognized as a health, economic development, and human rights concern. In the Platform for Action of the United Nations World Conference on Women in Beijing (Beijing Conference), gender-based violence was defined as “any act that results in, or is likely to result in physical, sexual, or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or private life”. In keeping with the Beijing Conference definition, gender-based intimate partner violence has been defined as acts performed by a husband or intimate male partner that include physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, including physical assault, verbal abuse, forced intercourse and other forms of sexual coercion, and a variety of controlling behaviors aimed at restricting women’s freedom of action.
