What Works to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG)

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is preventable.

Over the last two decades, the global community has come to recognise the profound impact of violence on the lives of women and girls. This fundamentally undermines their health and well-being, and stands as a barrier to women’s full participation in global development and the economic and civic life of their communities.

What works to prevent violence published last january 2020 a brief where evaluated the design and implementation of diferent interventions designed to reduce VAWG. The interventions were included in four different groups:

• Community activism approaches to shift harmful gender attitudes, roles and social norms
• Combined gender transformation and economic empowerment interventions
• Couples’ interventions and special populations
• Prevention of violence among and against children

The brief show many examples of well-designed, well-implemented interventions of different modalities. Ten core elements of the design and implementations have contributed to their success.

Eight elements related to the design of the interventions:

1. Rigorously planned, with a robust theory of change, rooted in knowledge of local context.
2. Address multiple drivers of VAW, such as gender inequity, poverty, poor communication and marital conflict
3. Especially in highly patriarchal contexts, work with women and men, and where relevant, families.
4. Based on theories of gender and social empowerment that view behaviour change as a collective rather than solely individual process, and foster positive interpersonal relations and gender equity
5. Use group-based participatory learning methods, for adults and children, that emphasise empowerment, critical reflection, communication and conflict resolution skills building.
6. Age-appropriate design for children with a longer time for learning and an engaging pedagogy such as sport and play
7. Carefully designed, user-friendly manuals and materials supporting all intervention components to accomplish their goals.
8. Integrate support for survivors of violence.

Two elements related to the implementation of the interventions:

1. Optimal intensity: duration and frequency of sessions and overall programme length enables time for reflection and experiential learning
2. Staff and volunteers are selected for their gender equitable attitudes and non-violence behaviour, and are thoroughly trained, supervised and supported.

What Works to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls is an innovative global programme working in 13 countries across the world building the evidence base on What Works to prevent violence in low-middle income settings.

Access article (pdf) 2020 What works brief

photo: Vivian Maier (1980)
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