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A key part of robust monitoring and evaluation is to design indicators to track change and measure progress towards programme goals. An indicator is a quantitative or qualitative measure used to assess whether or not a specified result of a programme or project has been achieved. Good indicators are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound (SMART).
Indicators are only as good as the quality of the data used to measure them, so it’s important to consider the context of interventions when designing them. If it’s not feasible to collect data for an indicator, or the data that…

Collecting data on violence against women and girls (VAWG) is an extremely sensitive issue – legally, culturally, and socially. Robust ethical guidelines need to be in place to ensure the safety of respondents and the research team. Data collection activities are critical opportunities to make space for affected populations to have their voices heard and for women and girls to engage in VAWG programmes. However, discussing violence can be highly sensitive and potentially traumatising, particularly if survivors are revisiting past experiences. Collecting information from women and girls about…

Efforts to scale programming to end violence against women and girls (VAWG) are essential for increasing the geographic coverage, thematic scope, and impact of VAWG programming. Funding for scaling efforts is often provided following evidence that a programme has had an impact on a smaller scale. Once the decision to scale has been made, programmes need to consider which components of their programme are best suited to scale and which pathway is most appropriate for a safe and ethical scale process. Scaling an intervention requires time for adaptation and continuous learning, involving the…

Contextual research is essential for designing programmes that are effective in ending violence against women and girls (VAWG). Research should seek to understand the different forms of violence occurring, the populations affected, the drivers and risk factors of each type of violence and how individuals and communities are currently responding to the violence. It is also important to understand the wider political, socio-cultural and economic context of the programming location. Without contextual research, programmes risk putting resources towards initiatives that don’t meet the needs or…

A comprehensive approach to programming to end violence against women and girls (VAWG) recognises that there are a complex range of factors that can put people at risk of or protect them from experiencing or perpetrating violence – at individual, interpersonal, community, institutional and societal levels. Thus, programmes need to work across these levels and across sectors to ensure both effective prevention of violence and provision of response services for survivors. This involves collaborating with a range of stakeholders at local and national levels to create an enabling environment for…

Efforts to respond to VAWG largely focus on providing formal services and reporting mechanisms for survivors. However, it is important to remember that in many contexts, survivors face multiple and complex barriers to reporting violence and accessing and using formal services. These include practical, social or personal factors which lead survivors to decide not to access services even when available. This is particularly the case for survivors who are often socially excluded such as those with disabilities, adolescent girls and members of the LGBTQI+ community, who may face multiple…

Women and Girls’ Safe Spaces are environments established to ensure women and girls feel emotionally and physically safe. These spaces are designed to ensure survivors of violence - and those at risk of violence - have a place to go where they are able to socialise, build support networks, access response services and access information on women’s rights, health and services, without fear of judgement or harm. These spaces provide a unique opportunity for women or girls to come together in contexts where most public spaces are dominated by men. Some safe spaces may specifically not allow men…

One Stop Centres are designed to provide holistic, integrated, multi-sectoral services for survivors of VAWG either in one location or through a network of service providers clustered in a locality. The aim of One Stop Centres is to increase survivor safety and wellbeing and improve perpetrator accountability, through the coordinated provision of services (medical, legal, social, psychosocial).

There are four key models of One Stop Centres: 

Hospital-based One Stop Centres that provide tertiary care 
Health facility-based One Stop Centres run by NGOs 
Stand-alone One Stop Centres …

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a grave human rights violation. Enshrining and upholding the right of survivors to safely access justice for crimes committed against them is a core responsibility of states and international actors. At the same time, it is important to understand how survivors themselves define justice, the realities of informal and formal, civil and criminal justice systems available in different contexts and the risks a survivor might face in accessing different forms of justice. When it comes to access to justice programming, it can be useful to distinguish…

The aim of policing is to provide safety and security for local communities, including women and girls at risk of or experiencing gender-based violence. The police can help to make communities safer places for women and girls through helping to end the culture of impunity around VAWG. This includes communicating and demonstrating the seriousness of VAWG, investigating and referring cases for prosecution, arresting and questioning suspected perpetrators, and providing a supportive environment for survivors to report violence. However, in most countries VAWG survivors rarely report to the police…