18/04/2026
Why do we focus on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and not “all” violence?
The White Ribbon team is often asked why our work focuses specifically on Gender-Based Violence (GBV), rather than all forms of violence.
While we reject all forms of violence, our focus on Gender-based violence (GBV) allows us to better understand its root causes, and, more importantly, how to prevent it.
By focusing on GBV, we can:
👉 Adress it’s root causes: GBV is rooted in gender inequality and in the use of violence to maintain this unequal power, and understanding this helps us tackle the problem at its source.
👉 Challenge Harmful beliefs: We work to deconstruct ideas that allow violence to continue, like the belief that men have the right to control or physically punish their partners.
👉 Focus on specific dynamics: GBV has distinct patterns that need to be approached with different strategies. For example, we can address online spaces that promote harmful relationship ideals and have conversations with men and boys about what healthy relationships look like.
As professor Michael Flood explains:
"Violence against women has specific dynamics that should be the focus of specific attention. For example, while the violence that men experience often occurs in public and by perpetrators who are not known to them, the violence that women experience often occurs in relationships and families and by perpetrators known to them."
Trying to cover all types of violence at once, would weaken the impact of our Campaign against Gender-Based Violence. This way, we can take a more specialised and effective approach, while continuing to recognize and support the work done by other organisations on different forms of violence.
🤝 Together, we can all move closer to a world free from all violence.
🔗 Visit our website to find out more about our work: mensnetwork.ie/white-ribbon-ireland
