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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. It is also…

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 may be the best option. Overall, the evidence is strong across multiple contexts that cash transfers can reduce IPV by reducing poverty, conflict and stress over resources. Nonetheless, it is important to…

A growing body of evidence has shown that combining economic interventions such as microfinance with social empowerment interventions can help reduce levels of gender-based violence and is much less likely to provoke backlash. In most cases, this is the recommended approach. A couple of examples that you can read about are: 

Intervention with Microfinance for AIDS and Gender Equity (IMAGE) programme in South Africa: The intervention combined microfinance, participatory gender and HIV awareness education. IMAGE found a 55% reduction in sexual and/or physical violence by an intimate partner…

Research shows that the impact of women’s economic empowerment on her risk of intimate partner violence (IPV) in heterosexual relationships varies from context to context and is influenced by the following factors: 

The extent to which the woman’s participation in training and/or livelihood activities takes her away from her home and ‘household duties’ - and whether her male partner reacts positively or negatively to this. 
The length and stability of the economic benefit and how it affects the economic situation of the woman and her household. More stable, long-term economic benefits…

There is a growing evidence base across different countries of interventions which have successfully reduced violence against women and children in the family, and/or addressed risk factors for violence. Rather than starting from zero, it is a good idea to look at these interventions and consider carefully whether they might be adapted to the specific context in which you are working or whether there are key learnings and good practices which can inform your intervention design. Examples of programmes which you can review include:

Indashyikirwa: This intensive couples’ intervention was…