Gender based Violence (GBV) is predictable and preventable when viewed through the lens of a population health approach. The Equity-Focused Population Health Approach to Gender-based Violence (GBV Framework) provides a roadmap for preventing GBV.
The GBV Framework includes information to:
- Understand the factors and conditions that shape GBV exposures and inequities in the population.
- Identify actions to prevent GBV in the population; create the conditions for healthy, safe, and equitable relationships; and reduce the negative outcomes for people who have been exposed to violence, and support perpetrators to stop using violence.
- Clarify the scope and roles for local public health in GBV prevention.
- Explore strategies to effectively and sustainably apply this approach.
The GBV Framework and associated resources were developed as part of a Public Health Ontario’s Locally Driven Collaborative Project called Improving the Quality of Local Public Health Programs: Understanding Prevention of Gender-Based Violence Through the Lens of Local Public Health. This Locally Driven Collaborative Project was a collaboration between Thunder Bay District Health Unit, KFL&A Public Health, and Lakehead University.
Local public health professionals were engaged in a Delphi process to determine how to apply a population health approach to GBV prevention. The Delphi process was supported by the findings of a review of 82 Canadian government strategies, plans and reports; rapid reviews of peer-reviewed research on GBV prevention; and a scan of population health frameworks. This process and the findings are described in the research report.
The Project team would like to thank Public Health Ontario for supporting this project. We gratefully acknowledge the funding received from Public Health Ontario through the Locally Driven Collaborative Projects program. The views expressed in the project’s publications are the views of the project team and do not necessarily reflect those of Public Health Ontario.
For more information about this project, contact Marianne Stewart, Manager, Children Youth and Families at Marianne.Stewart@tbdhu.com.
Uploaded September 2025.