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When designing a VAWG response programme or setting up a referral mechanism, teams must identify which services already exist, the extent to which they are functioning and how accessible they are to diverse survivors. This is so new programmes can focus on filling gaps or strengthening areas of weakness, rather than duplicating existing services. It is also important for ensuring that new prevention programmes know where to refer survivors if they need support. 

The scope of a service mapping will depend on the size of the focus area, the availability of existing services, and the resources…

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) results in multiple negative consequences on women’s and girls’ mental health and well-being. For this reason, survivors of VAWG may require acute and, at times, long-term, mental health care. Therefore, prioritising mental health and psychosocial support services (MHPSS) in VAWG response is crucial to ensure that survivors receive a comprehensive and quality response package that meets their needs. Women and girls experiencing multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination are often disproportionately at risk of violence, and of experiencing mental…

There are a number of contexts and situations in which regular static VAWG response services are not easily accessible to women and girl survivors. This might include remote or hard-to-reach locations, situations of displacement or locations affected by natural disasters, conflict or other emergencies like the Covid-19 pandemic. Over time, service providers have developed alternative options to provide some form of service to survivors. Remote services involve staff using technology to provide GBV services from a distance, while mobile services bring services directly to people who are…

Health services are often the first – and sometimes only – point of contact for survivors of violence. Survivors need access to comprehensive health services, which may include urgent medical treatment, emergency contraception, prophylaxis for HIV and sexually transmitted diseases, mental health care, forensic evidence collection, and legal support. Some of these services are critical and time-sensitive, for example in instances of sexual assault and/or rape, emergency contraception to prevent pregnancy is effective within 120 hours, and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) medication to prevent…

Survivors of VAWG need access to appropriate services to meet their needs for medical and psychosocial care, shelter and safety, and access to justice and financial assistance. Depending on the types of violence they have suffered, how acute these respective needs, and policies in place they may need to access services in slightly different sequences. This process is known as a referral, with referral mechanisms (also termed referral pathways) providing a structured framework for guiding survivors of GBV to the appropriate care. Referral processes should incorporate standards to ensure the…

Survivors of violence often face multiple challenges. Along with physical and psychological injuries, which may require urgent and long-term healthcare, survivors may be less able to financially provide for themselves and their families and may face ostracisation in communities with high levels of victim-blaming. Reintegrating survivors is a process of working with survivors to support them to become equipped psychologically, socially and financially to return to their family and local community or to an alternative environment where they feel safer. It also involves working with communities…

Civil society organisations (CSOs), especially feminist and women’s rights organisations (WROs), play a critical role in ending violence against women and girls (VAWG). CSOs working on VAWG vary in size, focus and approach, and include national and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs), women’s rights organisations (WROs), community-based organisations, faith-based organisations, social movements, and labour unions. These organisations often have deep expertise in the contexts in which they work and strong understanding - based on extensive practice-based experience - of what is…

Ending violence against women and girls (VAWG) cannot be achieved by one entity alone. It requires a collaborative effort that brings together diverse expertise, sectors, experience and influence. Multi-stakeholder partnerships leverage the unique expertise, resources and capacities of each partner to achieve change at scale. Establishing and strengthening such partnerships with a diverse range of stakeholders, especially with civil society and women’s movements, is key for sustainable impact. Multi-stakeholder partnerships can also help shift the balance of power from international…

Globally, most violence against women and girls (VAWG) is perpetrated by men and boys. In many contexts, dominant norms around the roles and appropriate behaviour of men and women are used to underpin and justify men’s perpetration of VAWG. These commonly include expectations that men should be dominant, and women should be submissive, and that men should control and “correct” women’s behaviour. In some contexts, violence is seen as an acceptable means to achieve this. Girls and boys learn these expectations as they grow up through both experience and observation at home, at school and in the…

The private sector can be a strategic partner in addressing violence against women and girls (VAWG). Engaging the private sector provides an opportunity to address discriminatory behaviours, social norms and practices that reinforce VAWG and gender inequality in the world of work, as well as within wider communities. Businesses can also play a pivotal role in reaching a wide audience through corporate networks and consumer outreach. Partnerships with the private sector can also help fund and support initiatives, including by tapping into their willingness to provide funding for social justice…