Project title

Preventing Violence Against Women and Girls through Sport and Play 

Geographic location

Pakistan, Hyderabad District, Sindh Province 

The programme

The intervention is led by Right to Play. The research is being conducted by What Works in collaboration with Aga Khan University.

Since 2002, Right to Play has worked with hundreds of thousands of children and young people in Pakistan, to shift the social norms that perpetuate and condone violence. Through its schools-based Sport and Play programme, teachers are provided with curricula and trained to challenge the acceptability of VAWG.

Boys and young men are encouraged to adopt positive forms of masculinity, and girls and women are supported to develop their abilities to express themselves and act as leaders. The programme also supports community organisations and government bodies to take action for social change, to support shifts in community attitudes and behaviours to value and treat women and girls as equals

Key objectives being addressed by the programme include:

• Girls and women acquire key life skills such as leadership, confidence, critical thinking, self-efficiency, self-expression and resiliency to help protect them from violence;
• Safe learning environments are established with curricula and teaching practices that challenge the acceptability of VAWG and promote gender-equitable norms;
• Boys and men are practicing positive forms of masculinity in their schools, homes and communities;
• Increased community involvement and support for achieving gender equality and addressing violence against women and girls; and
• Increased capacity and action by community based organisations, local/national authorities and government to reduce gender based violence.

Research and how it will benefit the field of prevention:

The What Works Global Programme with Right To Play will conduct an extensive impact evaluation in order to contribute new evidence on best practice approaches to working through schools and sports programmes, and to build positive attitudes and support for gender equality amongst young people.

The organisation

Right to Play 

Major timeframes  

The project will run for 3 years and end line results are expected in the second quarter of 2018 

Related resources from the Evidence Hub

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Key contact

Ross Edgeworth, Right to Play

Email: redgeworth@righttoplay.com