Virtual Reality and Real Threats: Gender Violence in a Digital Age

The many forms of violence against women and girls can be understood as gender violence as the victim is targeted based on a 'gendered' idea of lowliness.This can include threats and arbitrary deprivations of women's freedom in both public and private spheres, as well as violence that causes or is likely to cause physical, sexual, or psychological injury or suffering.One definition of violence is when an adult in a relationship abuses their position of authority to exert control over another.It involves using violence and other abusive tactics to instill fear and control in a relationship.While violence can happen to both men and women, women are typically the victims.In addition to being abused or neglected, children who live in households where there is domestic violence are at a grave danger.Violence against children, family members, and acquaintances can occur, even if the woman is typically the main victim.According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there isn't a single, agreed-upon definition of violence against women.Broadly it includes any act or omission that causes harm to women and keeps them in a subordinate position.Also, structural violence for e.g.poverty and unequal access to health services, education are also forms of violence.Nearly one in three, or 30% of women in the world have undergone physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner, non-partner according to a 2018 WHO analysis of prevalence data from 2000-2018 across 161 countries and areas on behalf of the UN Interagency working group on violence against women ( WHO, 2021).Gender violence is rooted in the theory that the cause of domestic violence is one person's arbitrary belief in the right to exert power over another person, interpersonal interactions or interpersonal relations and is situated in the socio-economic and political content of power relations (Kelkar, 1991).