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To prevent VAWG, it’s important to have a deep understanding of the causes, dynamics and consequences of violence. Identifying and understanding the underlying causes and risk factors which promote violence can help design and inform prevention work. Similarly, understanding the protective factors which reduce the likelihood of violence occurring can help prevent VAWG. Prevention work needs to occur at all levels of the socio-ecological model - and across all the settings where people live, work, learn and socialise - in order to be effective. Good outcomes cannot be sustained when people move…

Women’s movements and women's rights organisations (WROs) play a specific and vital role in prevention. Firstly, they catalyse, drive and sustain shifts in social norms. By working with local WROs on prevention efforts, these changes can be owned by local communities and can support sustainable, long-term  change. Secondly, WROs have developed a range of innovative prevention strategies and programmes, such as SASA! developed by Raising Voices in Uganda, which has reduced the prevalence of VAWG in some communities. Thirdly, they are well-positioned to inform and lead advocacy efforts to change…

Evidence shows that VAWG is preventable. The core drivers of VAWG are socially determined, which means they can and do change. Evidence-based prevention strategies have shown substantial reduction in levels of violence, even after only a few years of implementation. Well-designed prevention programmes can shift norms, systems and behaviours that drive violence at different levels of the ‘social ecology’ (within personal and peer relationships, groups and communities, organisations and institutions, or society as a whole). Read more about understanding the drivers of VAWG.Some examples of…

EVAWG initiatives should consider whether there are other key events happening in the area or around the time they are implementing a campaign that they can use to amplify messaging and reach. They may also wish to combine campaigns with in-person events, as evidence suggests that this can have a greater impact on challenging harmful attitudes, behaviours and norms. 

EVAWG campaigns should work with WROs and CSOs to identify how to reach audiences with diverse needs, who may otherwise be excluded from engaging with campaign materials. Campaigns should consider the following:Languages: Campaigns should consider whether the campaign needs to be in one language or whether this will exclude target audience members who speak other languages. If there is a risk of exclusion, the campaign should work with individuals who speak that target language to translate messages. Campaigns should be careful to ensure any messages are translated by individuals with a strong…

Programmes should work with WROs and CSOs to identify which channels will likely be most effective for affecting change in communities or among particular target groups. Programmes could consider:Written materials such as pamphlets and flyersPosters and visual materials with images in clear locationsDance, music, theatre and other performance artSocial media campaignsMarches, sit-ins, lobbying decision-makers, and other forms of protestTelevision and radio showsPartnering with organisations and institutions with large networks (such as faith groups) to amplify messages

Effective campaigns often have a few clear messages that they communicate to their audience in a verbal and visual language that they understand. Programmes should think about what they want their audience to know or how they want their audience to act at the end of the campaign. They should work closely with communication experts, WROs, and target audience representatives to identify and refine catchy messages that capture what the campaign is trying to articulate in a context-appropriate and impactful way. Messages should be short and memorable and consideration needs to be given to language…

Campaigns are most effective when they are targeted towards particular audiences. EVAWG initiatives should conduct stakeholder mappings in advance of a campaign to identify the target audience(s), their interests, priorities and the channels through which they access information and messaging. For example, a campaign focused on changing a law or policy may target parliamentarians or voters, while a campaign focused on ending school-based violence may target teachers, parents, adolescents and the Ministry of Education. Identifying the audience(s) of a campaign will help ensure that the campaign…

Once an EVAWG initiative has identified the types of VAWG its campaign seeks to address, it may be useful to conduct an in-depth contextual analysis of the social norms that drive this violence. These can include norms around what it means to be a man or woman, gender roles inside and outside the home, family privacy, sexuality, and the acceptability of violence. For example, a campaign focused on preventing intimate partner violence might aim to transform social norms around family privacy, couple communication and the acceptability of violence. See the page on understanding and transforming…

EVAWG programmes planning to run campaigns, whether on a regional, national or local scale, should start by working with women's rights organisations (WROs) to identify their priorities and build campaign objectives. WROs are usually best placed to identify the needs of women and girls in their communities and what specific campaign focus would be most appropriate and useful. They will understand audiences and stakeholders that should be targeted. They can also help develop strategies to handle resistance or backlash.