This article provides an overview of the scale, causes, and consequences of gender-based violence (GBV), highlighting it as one of the most widespread human rights violations affecting women and girls around the globe and explaining the structural links between GBV and HIV vulnerability. Harmful gender norms, unequal power relations, conflict, poverty, and discrimination contribute to high rates of violence, including intimate partner violence, sexual violence, child marriage, and other forms of abuse. These limit women’s ability to negotiate safer sex, access HIV prevention and treatment services, and protect their health and rights. This article reinforces the need for gender-transformative approaches that address violence as a key barrier to both gender equality and effective HIV responses.