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Project Evidence
- Equal Access - Nepal
McGhee, S., Shrestha, B., Ferguson, G., Shrestha, P. N., Bergenfeld, I., & Clark, C. J. (2019). “Change Really Does Need to Start From Home”: Impact of an Intimate Partner Violence Prevention Strategy Among Married Couples in Nepal. Journal of interpersonal violence, 0886260519839422.
Gupta, J., Cardoso, L. F., Ferguson, G., Shrestha, B., Shrestha, P. N., Harris, C., ... & Clark, C. J. (2018). Disability status, intimate partner violence and perceived social support among married women in three districts of the Terai region of Nepal. BMJ Global Health, 3(5), e000934.
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant public health issue that affects 1 in 3 women globally. Despite these numbers, little is known about what can be done in communities to prevent it.
Change Starts at Home was created to address this. Focused on an innovative radio program and weekly (listening and discussion) group meetings, the Change Starts at Home approach uses media and peer to peer support to address social norms, attitudes, and behaviors that perpetuate and support intimate partner violence.
The BIG (B: Begin to Question, I: Impart Life Skills and G: Go!) Change curriculum was developed for the facilitators of the Listening and Discussion Groups (LDGs), and is designed to support them to facilitate weekly sessions with group members. By following each week of the curriculum, facilitators will be able to guide group members through a planned approach of listening, discussion, activities, reflection and home-based tasks on weekly basis.
The curriculum is divided in three different phases, B: Begin to Question, the Critical Reflection Phase, I: Impart Life Skills; the Skill Building Phase, and G: Go! The Action and Community Diffusion Phase.
Cardoso, L. F., Clark, C. J., Rivers, K., Ferguson, G., Shrestha, B., & Gupta, J. (2018). Menstrual restriction prevalence and association with intimate partner violence among Nepali women. BMJ Sex Reprod Health, bmjsrh-2017.
Clark, C. J., Ferguson, G., Shrestha, B., Shrestha, P. N., Oakes, J. M., Gupta, J., ... & Yount, K. M. (2018). Social norms and women's risk of intimate partner violence in Nepal. Social Science & Medicine.
This presentation is an assessment of the approach, tools, challenges and successes of the Change intervention by Equal Access in Nepal. Changes noticed included increased communication between couples, joint decision-making, sharing of household chores, and participants learning to speak out against IPV and VAWG.
Change Starts at Home, Nepal
“In the past my husband used to abuse me. He didn’t count me or our daughters as human beings… he used to force me into having sex.” That is how Bikani, a Nepali woman, with two daughters, initially summarized her ten-year marriage. The experience of Ashram and Bikani is not uncommon in Nepal. A recent study carried out by Equal Access International (hyperlink) and Emory University found that 34% of survey respondents had experienced intimate partner violence in their lifetime and 25% had experienced physical or sexual abuse from their spouse in the past 12 months.
The What Works to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls Global Programme has carried out research to better understand how to prevent violence against women and girls living with disabilities, who are at an increased risk of violence, abuse, neglect, maltreatment and exploitation. Women and girls with disabilities also face additional pressures because they are regarded as unable to meet the social roles and expectations on women and girls to attract men, marry, bear children, or care for families. This can result in further social exclusion, which may contribute to development of depression or other mental illness, in addition to increasing their physical and economic vulnerabilities. While the evidence base is limited, this evidence brief identifies promising strategies to prevent violence against women girls with disabilities.
Download the Change starts at home Infographic capturing the baseline research data.
