Gender-based violence (GBV) affects the entire life cycle of women/girls. At any point in their lives women/girls can be subjected to forms of violence such as the threat of sexual assault, rape or incest. While boys are also at risk, the possibility that the girls are raped or sexually assaulted is much higher than it is for the male gender. Therefore, those inflicting violence on women/girls are as diverse as the opportunities to abuse; the perpetrators can be family members, those in positions of trust or power, or even strangers. Often women/girls are confronted with interdependent and cumulative patterns of violence when physical, economic and emotional forms of violence reinforce each other. The fear of violence, including harassment, is not only a permanent strain on the self-esteem and confidence of women/girls, it also negatively influences their mobility and access to resources, as well as their basic social, economic and political activities.

The workshop addresses issues of violence against women/girls which has an intergenerational impact and victims not be able to express themselves due to the trauma that comes with it. Children learn and reproduce largely under the gender roles demonstrated by their parents. It was also observed that indeed, men who witness and experience violence as children are more likely to use violence against their spouse or children. Women who witness and experience abuse as children are more likely to become victims in their adult lives. Interestingly, women who have undergone female genital mutilation are also more likely to advocate or allow female genital mutilation to happen to their female relatives.

At the end of the workshop, the participants were:
Sensitise on their legal rights,
(a) Equipped with knowledge on types and extent of gender-based violence and its consequences.
(b) Empower with information on how to break the cycle of violence and develop building self-confidence.