According to the Council of Europe definition, Gender-based violence is violence directed against a person or group of people because of their factual or perceived sex, gender, sexual orientation and/or gender identity and that affects persons of a particular gender disproportionately (mainly women and girls but it can also affect men and boys). Gender-based violence can be sexual, physical, verbal, psychological (emotional), or socio-economic and it can take many forms, from verbal violence and hate speech on the Internet, to rape or murder. It can be perpetrated by anyone: a current or former spouse/partner, a family member, a colleague from work, schoolmates, friends, an unknown person, or people who act on behalf of cultural, religious, state, or intra-state institutions. Although women and girls are the main victims of GBV, it also causes severe harm to families and communities.

Probation bodies and practitioners across Europe and worldwide together with other criminal justice professionals are among those on the frontline of preventing violence by supervising and providing specialized treatment and programmes, guidance, and assistance to offenders. To support all aspects of rehabilitation and at the same time treatment process there is a need for cooperation among various actors and different European jurisdictions dealing with similar situations. CEP created the Expert group on Gender-based violence in the Probation field. The aim is also to improve management, to find and share good practices and inspiring examples around Europe as well as to advocate and act as the voice of this specific topic in the European Probation field.