Gender-Based Violence Awareness Course

Lesson 1 • Root Causes and Risk Factors

Examines structural, social, and individual drivers that enable GBV. Builds analytical capacity to identify conditions that increase risk.

Lesson 2 • Defining Gender-Based Violence

Introduces the internationally recognised definition of GBV and distinguishes it from related concepts. Anchors all subsequent learning in precise, consistent language.

Lesson 3 • Myths, Misconceptions, and Stigma

Identifies and refutes common myths that perpetuate GBV and silence survivors. Prepares professionals to counter harmful narratives in practice.

Lesson 4 • Prevalence and Global Scope

Presents global and regional data on GBV incidence and underreporting patterns. Contextualises the scale of the problem for professional response planning.

Lesson 1 • Harmful Gender Norms and Masculinity

Explores how rigid masculinity norms contribute to GBV perpetration and male victimisation. Supports norm-change approaches in prevention programming.

Lesson 2 • Gender as a Social Construct

Explains how gender roles and expectations are socially produced and reinforced over time. Grounds the analysis of GBV in structural rather than biological determinism.

Lesson 3 • Power Dynamics and Control

Examines how power imbalances operate within relationships, institutions, and communities to enable abuse. Links power analysis to GBV prevention strategies.

Lesson 1 • Recognising GBV in Specific Populations

Adapts recognition skills to populations with distinct presentations including elderly, disabled, and migrant individuals. Prevents missed identification due to population-specific barriers.

Lesson 2 • Avoiding Misidentification and Bias

Addresses how professional bias and assumptions lead to missed or incorrect GBV identification. Builds reflective practice to improve accuracy and fairness.

Lesson 3 • Behavioural and Psychological Indicators

Identifies emotional, behavioural, and psychological signals that may indicate ongoing or past GBV. Connects behavioural observation to trauma-informed psychosocial assessment.

Lesson 4 • Physical Indicators of Abuse

Covers injury patterns, presentation inconsistencies, and physical signs associated with GBV. Trains professionals to observe without making premature conclusions.

Lesson 1 • Understanding Trauma and Its Effects

Explains the neurobiological and psychological effects of trauma on survivors' behaviour and cognition. Provides the scientific basis for trauma-informed practice.

Lesson 2 • Core Principles of Trauma-Informed Care

Introduces the six foundational principles of trauma-informed care and their application in GBV contexts. Establishes the ethical and practical framework for survivor interaction.

Lesson 3 • Secondary Traumatic Stress and Self-Care

Addresses the impact of GBV work on professionals and strategies to sustain wellbeing. Protects workforce capacity and service quality over time.

Lesson 1 • Immediate Needs Assessment

Covers rapid psychosocial assessment of a survivor's medical, psychological, legal, and material needs at first contact. Ensures no critical need is overlooked in the initial response.

Lesson 2 • Safety Planning with Survivors

Teaches collaborative safety planning tailored to each survivor's circumstances and risk level. Equips professionals to support survivors in reducing immediate danger.

Lesson 3 • Principles of Survivor-Centered Practice

Defines survivor-centred practice and contrasts it with system-centred approaches. Establishes the ethical foundation for all response activities in this chapter.

Lesson 4 • Referral Pathways and Warm Handoffs

Explains how to connect survivors to appropriate services using warm referral techniques. Prevents service gaps and abandonment during transitions between providers.

Lesson 1 • Mandatory Reporting Obligations

Clarifies when and how professionals are legally required to report GBV, especially involving minors. Prevents legal liability and ensures child protection compliance.

Lesson 2 • International Human Rights Standards

Reviews key international frameworks that define state and institutional obligations to prevent and respond to GBV. Provides the normative basis for professional accountability.

Lesson 3 • Documentation Standards and Evidence Integrity

Establishes best practices for documenting GBV cases accurately and in ways that support legal processes. Protects survivors' rights and professional credibility.

Lesson 4 • Confidentiality, Privacy, and Data Protection

Balances survivor confidentiality with legal disclosure obligations and data protection standards. Builds professional competence in managing sensitive information ethically.

Lesson 1 • Institutional and Workplace Prevention

Covers policies, procedures, and culture-change strategies to prevent GBV within organisations. Enables professionals to build safer institutional environments.

Lesson 2 • Community-Based Prevention Approaches

Examines community mobilisation, norm-change campaigns, and bystander intervention programmes. Builds skills to engage communities as active prevention agents.

Lesson 3 • Prevention Frameworks and Levels

Introduces the public health prevention model and its application to GBV across individual, community, and societal levels. Frames all subsequent prevention content.

Lesson 4 • Education and Awareness Campaigns

Designs age-appropriate education and public awareness initiatives targeting GBV risk factors. Connects communication strategy to measurable prevention outcomes.

Lesson 1 • Social Services and Protection Response

Examines case management, shelter services, and child protection or social protection roles within GBV response systems. Ensures comprehensive social support alongside legal and health services.

Lesson 2 • Justice and Legal Sector Response

Covers police, prosecution, and court roles in GBV cases and how to support survivors through legal processes. Reduces secondary victimisation within justice systems.

Lesson 3 • GBV Response in Humanitarian Settings

Adapts coordinated response principles to conflict, displacement, and disaster contexts where GBV risk escalates. Prepares professionals for resource-constrained emergency response.

Lesson 4 • Health Sector Response to GBV

Details clinical and public health responsibilities in GBV response including forensic care and mental health support. Enables health professionals to fulfil their sector-specific duties.