GBVA occurs in both private and public spaces. In private spaces, women, girls, and SGM’s are violated by their family members or extended relations. Violence at the hands of a known perpetrator, like intimate partner violence (Women Win, n.d), is quite common.
Over the decades, the feminist movements have demanded space for women in public spaces in contrast to traditional norms of women (ActionAid, 2019). However, poor infrastructure, lack of policing, and unplanned urbanization increased the risk of women, girls, and SGM experiencing forms of violence, due to which women, girls, and SGM experience sexual harassment and other forms of violence in public spaces – on streets, means of transport, and even schools and offices – regularly. Harassment and intimidation in public places such as schools and workplaces, eve-teasing, and online harassment are someways women, girls, and SGMs are violated in public spaces. Thus, it is imperative that these spaces must be critically scrutinized to protect and promote women’s, girls’, and SGM's rights since such experiences impact their physical and mental well-being and hinder their professional lives. Furthermore, it is also essential to deconstruct gender identities, roles, and the need to decipher the impact of masculinity, femininity, and SGM identities on societal norms and values.
However, public spaces do not just function as a site of violence but can serve as a space for resistance and aid in preventing GBV. Therefore, the existing conditions of public spaces must be studied to better inform the relevant bodies (various service and security providers, policymakers, and the larger community) and develop approaches to respond to and prevent violence against women and girls in public spaces
