Language is both supportive and limiting, but even more so, it is always changing alongside evolving movements. For this report, we have intentionally chosen to use certain terminology. However, we acknowledge that no singular term is perfect and each term’s respective definitions differ based on their context. Below, we describe some key terms as they are used throughout the report.

Abuser OR Person who has caused harm

We have chosen to use the term ‘abuser’ to refer to a person who has caused harm through abuse, and we also recognize that people of all genders and identities can be perpetrators of GBV.

We acknowledge that there is no perfect term that adequately identifies the experiences and realities of every person who has caused harm or any form of GBV. Ultimately, it is up to each person who has experienced GBV how they want to refer to the person(s) who caused them harm.

Caste

Caste is a social, hierarchical structure of religiously codified oppression assigned at birth that affects over one billion South Asians around the world. Despite the illegality of the system, the oppressive effects are still felt today through numerous injustices at the interpersonal, social, and systemic levels.

Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting

The practice of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) goes by a variety of terms in different cultures around the world, including 'Female Genital Cutting (FGC),' 'Female Genital Mutilation (FGM),' 'female circumcision,' or 'khatna' in the South Asian Bohra community. Regardless of what it is called, FGM/C is a form of GBV that "involves the partial or total removal of external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons."

Forced Marriage

The Tahirih Justice Center, a Virginia-based GBV response provider which convenes the national Forced Marriage Working Group, defines forced marriage as “a marriage that takes place without the full and free consent of one or both parties. Factors behind forced marriages are complex and varied, but may include economic concerns, cultural norms, or family agreements.”

Gender-Based Violence (GBV)

Gender-based violence (GBV) is defined as “any type of violence that is rooted in the exploitation of unequal power relationships between genders,” including “gender norms and role expectations specific to a society as well as situational or structural power imbalances and inequities.” In this report, we use GBV to encompass a range of harms that include physical abuse, emotional abuse, financial abuse, sexual abuse, intimate partner (IPV) or domestic violence (DV), female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), family violence, sexual assault, sexual exploitation, child sexual abuse (CSA), stalking, human trafficking, and transnational abandonment.

We acknowledge that these forms of harm and abuse are not limited to sex or gender identity, and we use the term “gender-based violence” to reflect the language currently used in the movement. 

Human Trafficking

API-GBV defines human trafficking as “the recruitment, harboring, provision, receipt, transportation and/or obtaining of individuals by using force or threats, coercion, fraud and/or using systems of indebtedness or debt bondage for purposes of economic exploitation that can include forced labor for domestic, industrial, agricultural or sex work; prostitution, pornography and sex tourism; removal and sale of organs; fraudulent adoptions; servitude, including servile marriages; and slavery.”

Intersectionality

The term “intersectionality” was coined in 1989 by Kimberlé Crenshaw, a civil rights activist and legal scholar, who describes the concept as “a lens for seeing the way in which various forms of inequality often operate together and exacerbate each other.” 

Sexual Assault and Violence

According to RAINN, sexual violence is an “all-encompassing, non-legal term that refers to forms of GBV including but not limited to sexual assault, rape, sexual abuse, childhood sexual abuse (CSA), intimate partner sexual violence, and sexual harassment.”

South Asian Diaspora

In this report, we refer to the South Asian diaspora as those “individuals with ancestry from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives” and “individuals of South Asian origin who have roots in various areas of the world, including the Caribbean (Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad & Tobago), Africa (Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda), Canada, Europe, the Middle East, and other parts of Asia and the Pacific Islands (Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore).”

We recognize that there is no homogenous or singular South Asian identity or experience. While we use the term “South Asian” to capture the commonalities based on ancestral geographic origin, this report does not attempt to generalize the experiences of South Asians in the US. This is particularly important to us, given the existing hegemony within the diaspora along the lines of caste, class, immigration status, religion, language, and more.

Survivor OR Person who has experienced harm

We define a survivor as a person who has experienced GBV. Though the terms ‘victim’ and ‘survivor’ are often used interchangeably, we use the term ‘survivor’ to refer to someone who has experienced harm and ‘victim’ in cases where the person who has experienced GBV has not survived. In addition, we recognize that people of all genders and identities can be survivors of GBV.

We believe there is no perfect term to describe the experience of survivorship, and it is up to each individual who has experienced GBV to choose how they describe themselves.

Transnational Abandonment

Transnational abandonment is defined by the Center for Health Journalism as “a form of domestic abuse in which vulnerable immigrant women are abandoned in their country of origin by their husbands.” This form of abuse can be experienced by individuals of all genders and sexual orientations.