Impacts of GBV

“The impact of sexual harassment on girls is significant and can be long-lasting. It can negatively impact everything from their mental health to their relationships and career choices. That this damage takes place in an environment where young women are meant to have space to learn about the world around them and their place in it, is fundamentally wrong and action must be taken to put an end to it.” (Young Women Lead Committee, 2018)

Gender-based violence (GBV) can cause significant trauma and distress as well as having a range of physical, emotional, mental health and social impacts. Every individual is unique, but there are a range of common impacts.

In the shorter term, young people are likely to be dealing with the immediate impacts of their experiences such as ongoing abuse or harassment from the perpetrator; feelings of shock, anger or fear as they try to make sense of what has happened; any physical and/or sexual health impacts; involvement in any police investigation or child protection measures; and potential loss of home due to domestic abuse. There may also be disruption to relationships – whether within peer groups, family or community – with the potential for the survivor to face blame or shame if they are seen to be in some way responsible for being abused, or for exposing the family/community by reporting it. These circumstances are likely to have a substantial impact on the young person’s engagement with school, both practically and emotionally. 

In the longer term, there may be a range of impacts to mental health, relationships and educational engagement, such as:

 

Trauma and GBV

Trauma can be defined as;

 “an event, a series of events or a set of circumstances that is experienced by an individual as physically or emotionally harmful or life threatening” (SAMHSA, 2014)

GBV can often have traumatic impacts as it can cause people to feel overwhelmed, overpowered, violated or afraid for their safety. People subjected to ongoing abuse, abuse that is difficult to escape from, or abuse in the context of close relationships (child sexual abuse, domestic abuse) may experience complex trauma, which is more likely to lead to longer-term Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

The NHS Scotland National Trauma Training Programme has a wide range of resources and information to help practitioners across the Scottish workforce understand more about trauma and its implications for their work.