Black Women & Girls, Gender-Based Violence, and Pathways to Criminalization & Incarceration

Gender-based violence—including domestic violence—impacts an astonishing number of Black women and girls. And when Black women and girls experience gender-based violence, the strategies they take to survive are often criminalized. Ending the systemic punishment and incarceration of Black women and girls requires that we decriminalize survival. This factsheet spotlights the impact of gender-based violence on Black women and girls and the ensuing criminalization that occurs.