19 June 2026. The increased frequency and severity of situations of instability, conflict, and serious human rights violations around the world are at the root of a heartbreaking observation: sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is ubiquitous. To address this violence and combat the impunity that is still all too often the norm, being able to identify and document cases is absolutely essential.
Gender-based violence is rooted in power dynamics and discriminatory patriarchal norms and has historically been overlooked and rarely adequately prosecuted. To the detriment of survivors and victims, the invisibility of this form of violence has contributed to insufficient access to acknowledgment, justice, and redress.
Today, the work of human rights defenders, feminists, survivors’ and victims’ movements, practitioners, and researchers has given this form of violence greater weight in investigations, court rulings, and international and regional normative frameworks. More than ever, a thorough understanding and a careful and uniform use of SGBV terminology are essential.
"With this glossary, we want to highlight the power of words. They can protect, acknowledge, and heal, but they can also cause harm, retraumatise, and dismiss real-life experiences. The glossary serves to promote the use of thoughtful, accurate, and responsible terminology that takes into account the social, structural, and legal implications of language. Choosing our words more carefully can help to limit harmful consequences, combat impunity, and better acknowledge the scale of sexist, sexual, and gender-based violence," emphasised Diana Palencia, Director of the Mexican organisation Litigio Estratégico en Derechos Humanos (IDHEAS) and FIDH Vice -President.
The SGBV online glossary contains key definitions, judicial decisions, and contextual analyses that can be used to support advocacy, research, and any work done to obtain justice in its broadest sense. The glossary is available in French, English, and Spanish and is intended to be a dynamic reference source that will be updated to include changes in legislation and jurisprudence.
Additional language versions will be made available in the future.