What is a harmful practice?
Definition of harmful practices
Harmful practices refers to a number of regular or customary practices and behaviours that cause harm. These arise from deep-seated inequalities and discriminatory beliefs due to a person’s sex or gender, race or ethnicity, age, religion or immigration status and other grounds which can be multiple and/or intersecting. They can be due to cultural and religious tradition, the attainment or maintenance of power/control, or learned social behaviours. Victims/survivors can be of all ages and genders, however the majority are women and girls, and these practices can cause physical, sexual and/or psychological harm.
Not all traditional/cultural practices are harmful with many promoting positive community cohesion and systems of support. Often there are strong beliefs that such practices are an important part of acceptance and belonging.