Advanced Search
A key trigger of relationship conflict is stress around the use of household income and assets – especially for low-income households. It can therefore be effective to combine healthy relationship approaches with some form of economic support for the household. In the Indashyikirwa programme in Rwanda, at least one partner of the couples recruited was a member of a village savings and loans association (VSLA) which was supporting the household to improve its livelihood. Some programmes combine livelihoods training for family members with relationship or gender transformative curricula, or they…
The most successful programmes have focused on building practical skills, not just raising awareness or increasing knowledge, for example of laws on women’s rights and GBV. Key areas of skills building include communication skills, emotional and anger management skills, conflict resolution skills and skills in positive and age-appropriate discipline of children and adolescents – all using a gender transformative approach. When working with adolescents, a broader life skills approach can be effective in building a range of skills including self-esteem, relationship skills, and vocational or…
Given evidence that gendered attitudes and behaviours are learned through socialisation from a very young age, it is important to start as early as possible to work with children and adolescents through age-appropriate school and out-of-school activities so they can learn and practice healthy relationships skills. Developing Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) curricula - which integrate material on gender and power in relationships and VAWG prevention - for use in schools as well as out of school contexts is a well-tested approach. Another effective approach to building healthy…
In cases where couples or families are already experiencing relationship breakdown or violence, therapeutic or counselling approaches can be most effective. These can support couples or caregivers and children to examine and address dysfunctional relationship patterns, including communication difficulties, conflict management issues and, in the case of couples, sexual problems. Therapy-based approaches are also appropriate where one or more family members are struggling with alcohol and mental health issues. Various therapeutic approaches have been tried and adapted across contexts, including…
Existing evidence – especially from low- and middle-income countries - demonstrates that many successful relationship interventions (which have reduced violence against women and/or children) have implemented a series of participatory workshops which equip children, women, men and gender-diverse people with skills for building healthy, non-violent relationships and address gendered power imbalances in relationships. Interventions typically work with peer groups based on age and gender (e.g. adolescent boys and girls, young parents, married couples) and sometimes intergenerationally (e.g. with…
National policy and legal environments are often fluid and can change quickly. It is important that programmes update their analysis regularly, and especially in anticipation of and response to significant political events such as national elections and other changes in government or leadership. A review of Spotlight Initiative programmes across Latin America and Africa in 2022 found that elections and changes in government in Mali, Niger, Liberia, Argentina and Mexico had significant impacts on programming. The programmes had to engage with newly elected government officials to gain their…
Through the analysis, identify which groups of people are excluded from decision-making. For example, are there women in Parliament? If so, do they face barriers to influencing change? Are they primarily from elite backgrounds and are women from poorer, rural or minority religious or ethnic backgrounds excluded? Are women with disabilities, adolescent girls, or LBT women included in decision-making? Are survivors of VAWG given a platform to influence decision-making? Once you have a better understanding of which groups hold positions of power and which are excluded, you will be in a better…
In many contexts, there is a hybrid legal system or coexistence of state law and traditional or religious laws. In some cases, there is clarity about the jurisdiction of these different systems, but, in other cases, this is less clear or not implemented in practice. There can also be significant difference between the content of state laws and traditional or religious laws, especially regarding the protection and rights of women and girls. It is important to analyse these realities and also look at women and girls’ preferences for accessing justice. Even though, on paper, state laws may offer…
If programmes are working at the sub-national level, it is important to identify any enablers or barriers that may impact VAWG programming in those particular states, regions or districts. For example, there may be a national law that criminalises intimate partner violence, but within a particular region, the knowledge or implementation of this law may be limited. In some contexts, there are also local by-laws which may be more or less progressive than national legislation. Equally, there may be strong anti-equality sentiment at the national level, but within a particular state, local…
Identify which laws and policies already exist to protect women and girls from VAWG and hold perpetrators to account, along with gaps that need to be addressed. Consider how these laws impact on different populations of women and girls at risk and survivors of violence. For example, if homosexuality is illegal, this would put survivors with diverse sexual orientations, gender expressions and identities, at risk of arrest if they seek support, posing a substantial barrier to them accessing mainstream services. Ensure your analysis looks at wider laws which impact gender equality and women and…