What is Abuse?
Domestic Abuse
Also known as ‘domestic violence’ or ‘intimate partner violence,’ domestic abuse is a malicious behavior that threatens a partner. This exploitation can be physical, emotional, sexual, or economic.
Domestic abuse can happen to anybody, regardless of age, race, sex, faith, or religion. The abuser tries to establish power and control over the victim during this behavior.
The survivor can deteriorate physically, emotionally, mentally, or financially. The severity of this behavior is subjective. Suffering in silence makes the survivor weaker and impacts their self-esteem.
Gender-Based Violence (GBV)
In simple words, gender-based violence is harmful domination of power on a person based on their gender.
This type of violence can take place in the form of physical, sexual, emotional, or economic exploitation. Gender-based violence is a serious global threat to the life and rights of every potential victim.
Although women are common victims of GBV, men can also suffer from this act. Usually, GBV is a result of gender-oriented stereotypes and socialization. Victims can face harmful consequences like physical disabilities, low self-esteem, and emotional harassment.
In extreme cases, gender-based violence can lead to death. Hence, the UNHCR collaborates with NGOs to combat this type of violence across the globe.
What is Serfdom?
Serfdom is the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism. It was a condition of debt bondage, which developed primarily during the High Middle Ages in Europe and lasted in some countries until the mid-19th century. As with slaves, serfs could be bought, sold, or traded (with some limitations as they generally could be sold only together with land), abused with no rights over their own bodies, and could not leave the land they were bound to. Serfs who occupied a plot of land were required to work for the lord of the manor who owned that land. In return they were entitled to protection, justice, and the right to cultivate certain fields within the manor to maintain their own subsistence.
What is Human Trafficking?
Human trafficking involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act. Every year, millions of men, women, and children are trafficked worldwide – including right here in the United States. It can happen in any community and victims can be any age, race, gender, or nationality. Traffickers might use violence, manipulation, or false promises of well-paying jobs or romantic relationships to lure victims into trafficking situations.
Traffickers use force, fraud, or coercion to lure their victims and force them into labor or commercial sexual exploitation. They look for people who are susceptible for a variety of reasons, including psychological or emotional vulnerability, economic hardship, lack of a social safety net, natural disasters, or political instability. The trauma caused by the traffickers can be so great that many may not identify themselves as victims or ask for help, even in highly public settings.
Source: Department of Homeland Security
