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Activists living within communities are best placed to lead community mobilisation efforts. Unlike activists from outside of communities, community activists are likely to have a deep understanding of the context and be tapped into existing community networks. This puts them in a strong position to develop context-appropriate initiatives and to galvanise support from community members. Programmes should select teams of community activists from diverse backgrounds with diverse networks to maximise the reach of their activities. Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and Women’s Rights Organisations…

Community mobilisation takes time and intense programming to have an impact. The Prevention Collaborative recommends funding for a minimum of 3-5 years in order to maximise the impact of this programming. Their research found that, while some community mobilisation efforts have been effective in reducing VAWG, others with shorter timeframes and less flexibility to adapt their approach have not. The factors that influence the success of a community mobilisation initiative have not been widely documented. Therefore, long-term, flexible funding that allows programmes to adapt to their context and…

 A key element in the success of the SASA! Approach has been its carefully phased approach which is based on theories of behaviour change. It trains and supports community activists through four stages of change: pre-contemplation in Start, contemplation in Awareness, preparation for action in Support, and action and maintenance in Action, with different objectives and content that evolve for every phase. Further learnings from many years of implementing the SASA! Approach across multiple contexts has confirmed that it is important not to do too much too soon and to ensure adequate intensity…

Effective community mobilisation requires a range of strategies that work across the socio-ecological model including at individual, interpersonal, community and institutional levels – to bring about changes in the attitudes, behaviours and norms that enable violence. This included community activism, but also other strategies such as policy advocacy with governments, capacity development work with local service providers (schools, police, health, etc), and engagement with local faith traditional and community leaders and influencers.   

Women often experience violence and harassment in the workplace, in both the informal and formal economy. This ranges from women receiving lower pay than men for the same work and women’s lack of representation in decision-making, to women experiencing physical and sexual harassment and violence from managers and co-workers. Tackling VAW in the workplace requires work on the broader enabling and regulatory environment of national policies and laws, but also specific work with companies and institutions in a whole range of areas: 

Develop and implement policies on zero tolerance of…

Women’s economic position is also affected by a range of laws and policies, including labour, family, inheritance and property rights laws. For example, where laws do not permit women to hold property in their name, have an equal share of property after a divorce or inherit property, this renders them economically dependent on their male partner or other male family members. This creates a situation of inequality and makes it more difficult for women to negotiate relationships or leave an abusive relationship. There is promising evidence from low- and middle-income countries that reforming…

During economic empowerment interventions, in addition to collecting data on the economic impact on women, it is critical to also collect monitoring data to track any changes in women’s home life and family relationships including her experience of violence. Otherwise, there is a risk that an economic empowerment intervention may be doing harm. For example, in some cases, women may still be expected to do all of the domestic duties and childcare, and her engagement in an economic empowerment programme and income generation significantly increases the burden of work. Equally, she may experience…

At the onset of programme design, it is important to understand the characteristics of various groups of women in a context (e.g. socioeconomic status, (dis)ability, age, education, ethnic or religious group, citizenship status, household type) as these can influence women’s ability to participate and the impact of the intervention on them, their households and the risk of violence. The best option is usually to undertake participatory research during programme design and to talk to different groups of women about their situation and involve them in the design of interventions. Local civil…

There can be multiple practical and socio-cultural barriers to women participating in economic empowerment programmes. Practical barriers can include women’s caregiving responsibilities and can be addressed through providing childcare during training sessions. There may also be practical issues over transportation availability and costs which can be overcome through transportation stipends or providing trainers with bicycles or motorcycles to reach women in more remote areas. In some cases, for example for refugee or migrant women, a lack of identity papers can also be a barrier to…

When designing an appropriate intervention, it is important to conduct formative research to fully understand the context – including livelihood options and prevalent gender norms – to determine which types of intervention might be most effective and acceptable.  

In many contexts, especially where households are extremely poor, including in humanitarian crisis, cash or in-kind transfers, accompanied by gender transformative action or behaviour change communications may be the best option. Evidence suggests that cash transfers can be associated with a reduction in IPV due to impacts around…