A violation is an act of breaking a rule, law, agreement, or someone’s rights or personal boundaries.
From Latin “violatio,” from “violāre,” meaning “to injure or dishonor.” The noun form emphasizes the act and its result rather than the person doing it.
In legal language, calling something a “violation” instantly frames it as serious and official. It turns a single action into a recorded event that can lead to consequences and punishment.
"Violation" is frequently used in legal and human-rights contexts, including discussions of sexual assault and gender-based violence. Historically, language has often centered the fact of "a violation" while obscuring who committed it, which can minimize accountability.
Specify the nature of the violation (e.g., "privacy violation," "labor rights violation") and, where appropriate, name responsible actors. Avoid abstracting away survivors' experiences, especially in gendered violence contexts.
["breach","infringement","abuse (when accurate)","noncompliance"]
Women's rights advocates have been crucial in framing certain harms—such as marital rape or workplace harassment—as violations of rights rather than private or trivial matters.
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