This is the Mid Term Review (MTR) report of the DFID-funded, What Works to Prevent Violence

pdf Download (4.58 MB)

This report summarises the findings of the formative research phase of the ‘Living with dignity’ project, which is part of the broader ‘What Works to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls’ programme funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID). It is based on qualitative field research conducted in the four target villages of the project, two of which were in Penjikent district, and two in Jomi district in Tajikistan, using focus group discussions and in- depth interviews conducted in November and December 2015. 

pdf Download (1.59 MB)

This report is Volume 5 of the quarterly no-fee, open-access, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to what works in global health programmes. The publication includes editorials, commentaries, data visualisations, original articles, reviews, methodologies, field action reports, student articles and letters to the editor.

pdf Download (8.32 MB)

Intersections between traditional gender norms, women’s economic conditions and exposure to violence against women and girls: formative research in migrant communities of Baglung district, Nepal. This report summarises the findings of the formative research phase of the ‘Sammanit Jeevan’ project, based on qualitative field research conducted in two villages in the Baglung district of Nepal. The research focused on the following key areas:

• Prevalent attitudes towards gender roles
• Experiences of different forms of VAWG
• Experience of male out-migration and the impact on young married women left behind
• Existing services and response/support mechanisms for victims of VAWG
• Assessing data on the prevalence and types of VAWG

pdf Download (10.84 MB)

Saeed Ali T , Karmaliani. R,, Mcfarlane. J., Khuwaja. H.M.A; Somani Y, Chirwa E.D.,& Jewkes. R. (2017). Attitude towards Gender Roles and violence against women and Girls (VAWG): Baseline Findings from an RCT of 1,752 Youth in Pakistan. Global Health Action, 10, 1342454

pdf Download (1.37 MB)

An article in Global Health Action from May 2017. Intimate partner violence (IPV) and HIV are co-occurring global epidemics, with similar root causes of gender and economic inequalities. Economic interventions have become a central approach to preventing IPV and HIV. This article offers a comprehensive scoping review of published evaluations of economic interventions that sought to prevent IPV and/or HIV risk behaviours. Broadly, unconditional cash transfer interventions showed either flat or positive outcomes; economic strengthening interventions had mixed outcomes, with some negative, flat and positive results reported; interventions combining economic strengthening and gender transformative interventions tended to have positive outcomes.

pdf Download (1.63 MB)

This brief document covers the role of social contexts in shaping the transformation of masculinities in a gender transformative and livelihood strengthening intervention in South Africa. The brief looks at the issue of high HIV incidence and intimate partner violence in urban informal settlements of South Africa, and the role of youthful hypermasculinity that prioritizes sexual dominance and displays of violence. The intervention took the form of a gender transformative and livelihood strengthening intervention to reduce HIV risk and IPV perpetration, and its efficacy was tested in thirty-eight in-depth interviews and three focus groups post-intervention. The results and conclusions are assessed.

  pdf Download (211 KB)

Most evidence on violence against women comes from speaking with women. It is crucial to understand how men themselves report using violence against women, and to identify ways to intervene in this human rights challenge. There is an urgent need to engage men in challenging rigid ideas about manhood and encourage men to become agents of change in their own communities. Researchers studied feedback from men from a peri-urban community on the outskirts of Johannesburg, where many people live in informal settlements. Men taking part were between 18 to 40 years old, with the average participant aged 27. This brief outlines the findings.

pdf Download (2.76 MB)

Stern, E., and Niyaratunga, R. (2017). A process review of the Indashyikirwa couples curriculum to prevent intimate partner violence and support healthy, equitable relationships in Rwanda. Journal of Social Sciences: Special Edition on Select Papers from Conference on Global Status of Women and Girls. 6, 63; doi:10.3390/socsci6020063

pdf Download (209 KB)

Kane J, Skavenski Van wyk S, Murray SM, Bolton P, Melendez F, Kmett Danielson C, Chimponda P, Munthali S, Murray LK. (2017) Testing the effectiveness of a transdiagnostic treatment approach in reducing intimate partner violence and alcohol abuse among families in Zambia: Study protocol of the Violence and Alcohol Treatment (VATU) trial. Global Mental Health, 4 (18).

pdf Download (1.16 MB)

Asad, N.; Karmaliani,R.; McFarlane,J.; Bhamani, SS.; Somani, Y.; Chirwa, E. & Jewkes, R. (2017). The Intersection of Adolescent Depression and Peer Violence: Baseline Results from A Randomized Controlled Trial of 1,752 Youth in Pakistan. Child and Adolescent Mental Health 22, No. 4, 2017, pp. 232–241

pdf Download (110 KB)

Chan KL, Emery CR, Fulu E, Tolman RM, Ip P, (2017) Associating father involvement with intimate partner violence against women and paternal health: Findings from the UN Multi-country Study on Men and Violence in Asia and the Pacific. American Journal of Preventive Medicine http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2016.12.017

Fulu, E., Miedema, S., Roselli, T., McCook, S., Chan, K. L., Haardörfer, & Jewkes, R. Violence study team. (2017). Pathways between childhood trauma, intimate partner violence, and harsh parenting: findings from the UN Multi-country Study on Men and Violence in Asia and the Pacific. The Lancet Global Health, 5(5), e512-e522.

The field of violence against women and girls has advanced considerably over the past two decades. We have much more information on the prevalence of violence in low and middle income countries as well as an expanding body of knowledge on risk and protective factors. This positions us well to develop and implement strong primary prevention interventions with a rigorous theory of change. However, there are still key gaps in our knowledge that need to be addressed in order to move towards more comprehensive models of intervention, and ultimately end VAWG. This provides a summary of existing evidence of what works and outlines the overarching research and innovation agenda for the What Works Global Programme.

pdf Download (104 KB)

This paper outlines our current knowledge base regarding VAWG and identifies where our understanding needs to be expanded in order to deliver the most sophisticated interventions and impact on the prevalence of VAWG globally. This brief is designed to provide an overview of what we know about intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence and child abuse, based on the literature. It can be used by programmers, policymakers and researchers to inform theories of change for violence prevention interventions.

pdf Download (73 KB)

This summary presents the current evidence on the effectiveness of different types of interventions to prevent violence against women and girls. It is based on a rapid review of the existing evidence through a review of reviews and online searches of academic databases. There has been an impressive increase in the evidence base for violence prevention interventions within the last ten years. We now have several well conducted RCTs in low and middle income countries showing some success in preventing violence against women and girls, however there are still many gaps and limitations that the What Works programme is working to address.

pdf Download (65 KB)

This summary presents the evidence on the effectiveness of different types of response mechanisms for violence against women and girls in preventing the occurrence of violence. The interventions reviewed were all developed and deployed with a primary goal of strengthening the response of the police and criminal justice system, health system or social sector to violence against women and girls. This review has not assessed evidence on their effectiveness in achieving this primary goal; it has focused on assessing any evidence that they are able to achieve a secondary or parallel goal of prevention of violence against women and girls.

pdf Download (67 KB)

A number of interventions to prevent and address violence against women and girls have been found to be effective, but little is known about their costs, value for money, and how to take them to scale. With a focus on evidence in low and middle-income countries, this review summarises evidence on the costs and value for money of interventions to prevent violence against women and girls, as well as approaches for scaling up. It also outlines the large research gaps and what is needed to fill them.

pdf Download (63 KB)

Violence against women and girls is one of the greatest economic and public health problems facing the world today. Globally, 35% of women have experienced some form of violence. 30% of women have experienced violence from their partner.  The What Works to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls Programme is a UK Department for International Development flagship programme, which is investing an unprecedented £25 million, over five years, to the prevention of violence against women and girls. It supports primary prevention efforts across Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

This publication provides an overview of the What Works to Prevent VAWG Programme, and sets out the goals for the Global Programme over the coming years, to: conduct cutting-edge research, support innovation, promote knowledge sharing and buid capacity, and drive the policy agenda.

pdf Download (6.84 MB)

To be published soon.