Motivations and Tactics Across Bullying, Gender-Based Violence, and Hate Crimes: Implications for Theory and Policy

• In Event: Victimization: Issues of Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Sexuality

Abstract

In this paper, we conduct a narrative review of literature on bullying, hate crimes and gender-based violence to compare various factors across social ecological levels including motivations, causes/risk factors/influences, tactics, and relationships between abuser and abused. Research has demonstrated connections between experiences of bullying and gender based violence, such that individuals who experience or witness one form often are at elevated risk for experiencing the other, either as a perpetrator or victim. What has been less examined are the similarities and differences in social and cultural contexts of these two forms of interpersonal violence, or similarities and differences between the contexts of bullying and hate crimes.
We discuss implications of this comparative analysis for better understanding responses to and consequences of violence. We suggest that specific forms of bullying can be viewed along a continuum of gender-based violence, while other forms can be viewed along a continuum of hate crimes. We argue that a deeper understanding of the similarities and differences between these forms of violence can lead to better theories of violence, better research, and better policies and practices to improve our prevention of and response to violence, and we provide specific recommendations for each.

Authors

• Zehra Sahin-Ilkorkor, Virginia Commonwealth University

• Sarah Jane Brubaker, Virginia Commonwealth University