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Religion and tradition play a key role in shaping socio-cultural norms and people’s beliefs, behaviours and everyday lives across the world. In many cases, social expectations about the appropriate roles and behaviours of men and women are shaped by interpretations of religious texts and community traditions. Traditional and faith leaders are also extremely influential actors in many communities and contexts globally. They are often highly trusted and respected community leaders, with large networks of followers and the ability to contribute to large-scale social action and transformation. For…

The careful selection of implementing partners is fundamental to the success and sustainability of programming on violence against women and girls (VAWG). It directly influences the programme’s ability to engage effectively, to ensure quality implementation in line with the design, to adapt to changing circumstances, and to achieve transformative change. It is important to consider the diversity of implementing partners working on VAWG - including international and national NGOs, government and UN agencies, civil society organisations (CSO), women’s rights organisations (WRO), research…

Strengthening the skills, knowledge and experience of partners is a vital step in improving programme effectiveness and addressing power imbalances that often sideline local and grassroots organisations from opportunities. It is important to design capacity building programmes collaboratively, involving the organisations and people they are intended to support. Capacity building efforts must recognise the expertise, needs and priorities of local organisations, rather than be based on assumptions about what local organisations “lack”. When developed in consultation with partners and focused on…

Adolescent girls are often at heightened risk of violence. In adolescence, defined internationally as the period from 10-19 years, girls continue to face forms of violence typical among younger children, such as harsh discipline, while also experiencing types of violence more commonly associated with adult women, like partner violence, early marriage, female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and sexual exploitation. However, programmes on violence against women and violence against children often fail to address adolescent girls’ unique needs. Yet adolescence is a promising entry point for…

Working with the media provides a unique opportunity for programmes to work at scale to increase awareness of violence against women and girls (VAWG) and address and challenge societal attitudes and norms which drive it. With careful planning and content, the media can amplify important messages to change norms and behaviour, encourage dialogue, and help influence legislation and public policy. However, this needs to be done carefully to avoid reinforcing harmful social norms that contribute to gender inequality and VAWG through stereotypical representations. It is important for media…

Women’s rights organisations (WROs) are at the forefront of efforts to address violence against women and girls (VAWG) and are often the first responders in situations of crisis. They have pioneered innovative approaches that have been effective in supporting survivors, such as women-led police stations, family courts, and shelters.

They have engaged in community-level work to raise awareness of VAWG and promote changes in the attitudes, behaviours and norms that sustain violence. With their deep knowledge of the needs and priorities of women and girls, they are uniquely placed to develop…

Setting up effective programme governance involves establishing structures, processes, and guidelines to ensure that an ending violence against women and girls (EVAWG) programme aligns with its objectives, stays on track, and manages risks effectively. The process to establish governance mechanisms is also an opportunity to take a more transformative approach to programming - for instance, agreeing on shared feminist principles around programme governance and ways of working. Engaging civil society in programme governance fosters national ownership of EVAWG work, as does the development of…

Women and girls who are marginalised due to one or more intersecting identities or statuses (e.g. race, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, physical ability, migration status and language) face unique challenges that increase their risk of experiencing violence. It is important to make specific provisions for VAWG programmes to reach and actively engage marginalised groups of women and girls in ways that meet their specific needs. This includes work to remove the formal and informal barriers that marginalised women and girls face in accessing programme activities and services, which is…

The effectiveness of programmes to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls (VAWG) depends both on good design - where interventions are designed and adapted for the types of violence, context and population - and on high-quality implementation. Research and learning from a wide range of VAWG programmes globally has highlighted a number of core elements of effective implementation including: adequate time and resources, robust organisational capacity, political will, coordination across stakeholders, adaptation of interventions for the specific context, well-trained and…

Operating as ‘One UN’ involves bringing together the expertise, experience, and capacities of the entire UN family to work more effectively and efficiently. It is a central pillar of UN Reforms and is particularly important for addressing the complex challenge of ending violence against women and girls (EVAWG). Spotlight Initiative has been an ambitious attempt to deliver EVAWG programming through an empowered Resident Coordinator, a new generation of UN Country Teams, and enhanced inter-agency coordination, offering valuable lessons about how to operate as one UN and amplify the UN system's…