Definitions for the purpose of Istambul Convention 4/c

a “violence against women” is understood as a violation of human rights and a form of discrimination against women and shall mean all acts of gender-based violence that result in, or are likely to result in, physical, sexual, psychological or economic harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life;
b “domestic violence” shall mean all acts of physical, sexual, psychological or economic violence that occur within the family or domestic unit or between former or current spouses or partners, whether or not the perpetrator shares or has shared the same residence with the victim;
c “gender” shall mean the socially constructed roles, behaviours, activities and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for women and men;
d “gender-based violence against women” shall mean violence that is directed against a woman because she is a woman or that affects women disproportionately;
e “victim” shall mean any natural person who is subject to the conduct specified in points a and b;
f “women” includes girls under the age of 18.