Mountain Top University Library

Sexual and gender-based violence are still common problems in society that have serious effects on people's physical, and mental health, and socioeconomic status. This study provides a thorough examination of the varied nature of gender and sexual violence, looking at its causes, manifestations, effects, and countermeasures. The approach includes a review of prior research
and incorporates psychological, sociological, and criminological viewpoints to shed light on the root causes and exacerbating circumstances of gender and sexual violence. It can occur across gender barriers, that is both men and women can be sexually violated. J.M. Coetzee's Disgrace and Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sing are two powerful books that explore
gender and sexual abuse from ma ny cultural and historical angles. In Coetzee's story, a professor named David Lurie in post-apartheid South Africa has an inappropriate relationship with astudent that causes a scandal that exposes power dynamics and social views on sexual misconduct. As a Black girl growing up in the segregated South of the United States, Angelou was sexually molested, which is detailed in her autobiographical work. Both books explore how gendered violence has an ongoing impact while showing the resiliency and complexity of survivors. The pieces add to conversations on race, power, trauma, and transformation,
highlighting the immediate need to address and prevent gender and sexual assault in diverse societies Keywords: Gender, sexual violence, rape, assault, racism.