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When drafting legislation, it is important that legal reforms are evidence-based and compliant with global and regional frameworks. The UN Handbook for Legislation on Violence against Women advises that legislation be grounded in data and research on the scope, prevalence and incidence of all forms of violence against women, as well as the causes and consequences. Drawing on lessons learned and good practice from other countries can help enhance the quality and effectiveness of new laws. It is also important that laws are unambiguous, with clear definitions of what constitutes violence…

Engaging a wide range of stakeholders enriches the legislative process with diverse viewpoints, as well as encourages a sense of ownership and commitment to end VAWG. The key stakeholders vary between contexts, but are likely to include:

Survivors provide invaluable insights into their experiences of current laws, including any practical challenges faced in accessing justice and support services. See page on how to address barriers survivors face in accessing services.
Women’s organisations and civil society groups have extensive knowledge and can mobilise support for change. See page on…

Survivors should be centred within the process of legislative reform to ensure that laws are directly responsive to their needs, experiences and rights. A survivor-centred approach acknowledges the agency of survivors, prioritises their safety and well-being, and seeks to empower them throughout the legal process. Spotlight Initiative programmes – including those in Belize, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Papua New Guinea, and Timor-Leste – supported the engagement (and influence) of survivors in drafting legislation, making legal information accessible and ensuring training for legal and judicial…

To effectively support legislative reform, it is useful to begin with a comprehensive assessment of whether the country has ratified international and regional frameworks to end VAWG and successfully integrated key provisions in its national legislation. It is also important to look at whether the existing laws have areas that are outdated, ineffective, or not in compliance with these frameworks. Look for loopholes that could be exploited and identify any gaps in content, implementation, weaknesses, barriers to protection, investments and budget allocations, as well as monitoring mechanisms…

When designing a programme that aims to change social norms, it is important to understand some of the most effective approaches for addressing norms around violence against women and girls, such as:

Develop messages that promote positive norms and behaviours, such as the important role of men as fathers, the value of consensual sex and communication in relationships or the importance of working together for the good of the family. These positive messages should be pervasive, repeated across various platforms, and offer clear, appealing alternatives.
Prompt deliberation to discuss and…

Transforming social norms at the community level requires strong organisational commitment from the implementing partners. The most effective interventions have been implemented by organisations guided by strong values, and committed to reflecting on issues like violence, discrimination, power and relationships, both in their staff and volunteers’ personal lives and within the organisational structure. To do this, staff and volunteers are carefully selected (or nominated by communities) for their gender-equitable and non-violent attitudes and behaviour, and often go through a thorough gender…

Different approaches have been tried to change social norms about VAWG, with varying levels of evidence about their effectiveness. These include:

Community mobilization approaches using community activists who are trained and supported to challenge harmful norms and attitudes. Learn more about how to mobilise communities here.
Group-based workshops with men and women to promote changes in attitudes and norms.
Group-education with men and boys to change attitudes and norms.
Social marketing campaigns or ‘edutainment’ approaches and group education
Often these are used in combination…

In-depth contextual analysis and research can help to identify the specific norms driving a specific form of violence against women and girls in a specific community. 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. The most relevant norms to address will vary depending on the specific behaviours or outcomes the programme wants to tackle. For example, a programme designed to prevent intimate partner violence might aim to transform social norms around family privacy, couple…

When understanding the causes of VAWG, it is important to identify the ways in which gender inequality intersects with other forms of inequality to drive violence and perhaps increase the risk, severity and/or frequency of experiencing violence for specific women and girls.

An intersectional approach analyses how women and girls’ experiences of violence are shaped by their race, ethnicity, class, sexuality, age, (dis)ability and geographic location as well as historical legacies of inequality. This approach is essential to ensure that VAWG work is tailored to the diverse needs of women and…

In order to understand the scale of VAWG and programming needs, it is useful to consult or generate qualitative and quantitative data to measure relevant risk factors and drivers of violence.

Examples of qualitative data sources:

Conduct a stakeholder mapping, or depending on the context, a social network analysis, power analysis or political economy analysis
Interview key stakeholders, service providers, women, girls, and representatives from women’s rights organisations and civil society organisations
Lead participatory workshops and focus group discussions with a diversity of…