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Evidence shows that VAWG is preventable. The core drivers of VAWG are socially determined, which means they can change. Some prevention strategies and interventions have achieved substantial reduction in levels of violence, even after only a few years of implementation. Prevention work should therefore be informed by the evidence available locally, regionally and globally. For example, the UN's RESPECT framework outlines 7 strategies that have shown promise in reducing the prevalence of one or more types of VAWG.  WHO and UN Women have also produced a package of resources to support…

Prior to selecting or designing a prevention strategy, it is important to conduct a thorough assessment of the local context so interventions can be tailored as needed. This analysis should involve key stakeholders including civil society organisations, women and girls' rights activists, local researchers and government partners. It is important to analyse the following:

The different forms and prevalence of VAWG: What is the specific type(s) of VAWG you are seeking to prevent? How does this vary from other forms of violence? Who are the primary victims and perpetrators, and what are the…

In order to design a comprehensive and multi-component VAWG prevention strategy, it is important to build on best practice in programme design and implementation. Robust programme design ensures relevant stakeholders from a range of sectors come together and are meaningfully engaged from the earliest stages of design, including women’s movements and civil society groups already working on ending VAWG, and marginalised groups. Strong VAWG programme design also requires a mapping of existing EVAWG work, not only to avoid duplication of effort, but to grow support and strengthen resourcing for…

When designing a prevention strategy, it’s helpful to consider the lessons learned from previous prevention programming to reduce VAWG or associated risk factors. For example, a review of effective design and implementation elements in interventions to prevent violence against women and girls identified 10 key elements shown to almost always be required for success, or greater success: 

Source: Jewkes et al. (2020). Evidence brief: Effective design and implementation elements in interventions to prevent violence against women and girls. What Works to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls…

Establishing a systematic approach to collecting and analysing data on influencing activities can help to measure the progress, impact and effectiveness of the overall VAWG influencing strategy. A Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) plan should be developed from the outset. When setting goals and objectives, indicators that can measure and evaluate progress should be identified. It's also important to monitor any impacts or potential risks of the VAWG influencing strategy, especially to vulnerable groups including survivors of violence. Collecting data regularly is important to enable…

Communications that distil the complexity of VAWG issues into clear messaging focused on personal and social values, and resonate or motivate audiences, can be powerful tools to move people to action and change behaviours. Depending on the influencing strategies and tactics selected, communications and raising awareness can take different forms; the framing of a national media campaign will be different to that of lobbying and direct advocacy. These options should be considered on the basis of the target audience, their needs and contextual factors, such as language or dialect to use and…

Working collectively can help maximise the impact of influencing work. Engaging a diverse group of stakeholders with a mix of skills, knowledge and experiences can help identify levers where influencing can impact change. Depending on the scale of the VAWG influencing strategy, it could be helpful to establish a governance mechanism to ensure partnerships are grounded in agreed principles and ways of working. 

As outlined in Spotlight Initiative’s Pillar on Women’s Movements, engaging stakeholders on VAWG issues presents a key opportunity to shift balances of power to national, local and…

In the process of developing a VAWG influencing strategy, it’s important to consider different tactics to help influence change. Oxfam’s Influencing for Impact Guide provides the following examples of influencing tactics:

Research and policy development
Lobbying and direct advocacy
Convening and facilitating engagement and dialogue with key stakeholders and decision makers 
Supporting community engagement on issues 
Supporting women and men to become change-makers and influencers
Communications and media
Alliances and network building
Supporting civil society organisations
M…

A key element of developing an influencing strategy is mapping all potential people, groups and institutions to engage with. Think about which stakeholders hold power and influence. What are their roles, interests, and potential contributions to addressing VAWG? Are they potential champions, or could they block progress? Are there allies you could work with to create synergies? There are many tools available to accomplish this, including interviewing women’s rights organisations, or via a stakeholder mapping, social network analysis, power analysis, or political economy analysis. As an example…

Effective influencing strategies have a clear goal that sets out a transformational vision of change to motivate and engage people. To achieve this overarching goal, it’s helpful to identify a set of clear, measurable, and time bound objectives for the influencing work. This can be organised into an operational framework or action plan, to ensure all partners share these goals, and monitor progress and results of influencing activities. The following table is an example:

Goal:

Objective
Priority Target
Powerholder/ ally/opponent
Approach/ tactics to apply
Rationale for…