對婦女的暴力(VAW)，也稱為基于性別的暴力[1]和基于性別的性暴力(SGBV)[2]是主要或完全針對婦女和女童的暴力行為。[3]通常被認為是仇恨犯罪的一種形式，這類暴力是基于性別的，這意味著暴力行為是針對婦女和女童的，因為她們是女性。聯合國《消除對婦女的暴力行為宣言》指出，“對婦女的暴力行為是歷史上男女權力關系不平等的表現”，“對婦女的暴力行為是迫使婦女與男子相比處于從屬地位的重要社會機制之一”聯合國秘書長科菲·安南在聯合國婦女發展基金(婦發基金)網站2006年發布的一份報告中宣布:對婦女和女童的暴力是一個普遍存在的問題。世界上至少每三名女性中就有一名在她的一生中被毆打、強迫進行性行為，或者與施虐者(通常是她認識的人)發生過其他形式的虐待對婦女的暴力行為可以分為幾個大類。這些包括“個人”和“國家”實施的暴力。個人實施的一些暴力形式包括:強奸、家庭暴力、性騷擾、生殖脅迫、殺害女嬰、產前性別選擇、產科暴力和暴民暴力;以及有害的習俗或傳統做法，如榮譽謀殺、嫁妝暴力、切割女性生殖器、誘拐婚姻和強迫婚姻。某些國家實施或寬恕了某些形式的暴力[哪一種?例如戰爭強奸;沖突期間的性暴力和性奴役;強迫絕育;強制墮胎;警察和權威人員的暴力行為;石刑和鞭打。VAW的許多形式，如販賣婦女和強迫賣淫，往往是由有組織犯罪網絡進行的世界衛生組織(WHO)在其關于VAW的研究中，分析并分類了從出生前到老年的各個生命階段發生的不同形式的VAW近年來，有一種趨勢是在國際一級通過公約或在歐洲聯盟通過指示(例如《反對性騷擾指示》和《反對販運人口指示》)等手段接近《婦女地位法》

Violence against women (VAW), also known as gender-based violence[1] and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV)[2] are violent acts primarily or exclusively committed against women and girls. Often considered a form of hate crime,[3] this type of violence is gender-based, meaning that the acts of violence are committed against women and girls expressly because they are female. The UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women states, "violence against women is a manifestation of historically unequal power relations between men and women" and "violence against women is one of the crucial social mechanisms by which women are forced into a subordinate position compared with men."[4]Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations, declared in a 2006 report posted on the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) website: Violence against women and girls is a problem of pandemic proportions. At least one out of every three women around the world has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime with the abuser usually someone known to her.[5]Violence against women can fit into several broad categories. These include violence carried out by "individuals" as well as "states". Some of the forms of violence perpetrated by individuals are: rape, domestic violence, sexual harassment, reproductive coercion, female infanticide, prenatal sex selection, obstetric violence, and mob violence; as well as harmful customary or traditional practices such as honor killings, dowry violence, female genital mutilation, marriage by abduction and forced marriage. Some forms of violence are perpetrated or condoned by certain states[which?] such as war rape; sexual violence and sexual slavery during conflict; forced sterilization; forced abortion; violence by the police and authoritative personnel; stoning and flogging. Many forms of VAW, such as trafficking in women and forced prostitution are often perpetrated by organized criminal networks.[6]The World Health Organization (WHO), in its research on VAW, has analyzed and categorized the different forms of VAW occurring through all stages of life from before birth to old age.[7]In recent years, there has been a trend of approaching VAW at an international level through means such as conventions or, in the European Union, through directives (such as the directive against sexual harassment, and the directive against human trafficking)