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 consequences of this violence? What is known about the key causes, patterns and dynamics of the specific type(s) of VAWG? 
• Key drivers and risk factors: What are the key risk factors and drivers for the specific type of VAWG within the context? Are these similar to other contexts, or previous programming examples? Which programme approaches have proven effective in addressing or preventing these risk factors? 
• Existing or past programming, and learning: What does the evidence and lessons learned show? What existing or previous programmes are there in this context, or globally, related to the specific type(s) of VAWG? What prevention strategies have worked to address the specific type of VAWG? Looking at previous examples, could these work within the context? 
• Resources and expertise: Does the organisation and/or potential partners have the expertise to implement the prevention strategy? What capacity building, if any, would be needed? Is there time and budget available to design, adapt, implement and evaluate a programme? What are others doing in this context? 
• Women and girls’ perspectives: What do women and girls see as the main risks of the specific type(s) of violence? And intersectional women’s movements? Have they been consulted on the prevention strategy? What do they see as the biggest opportunities and challenges to preventing VAWG in their contexts? What is their past experience of trying to do so? What are their recommendations for dealing with specific communities, and with backlash? What does this analysis look like for the most marginalised women and girls? 

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: 

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 community-led and owned solutions which are already well-adapted and integrated into the context.

Comprehensive programme design entails address the following: Ensuring survivor-centred programming efforts, reaching marginalised groups, setting up effective governance mechanisms, ensuring adequate resourcing and investment for programming, and building effective partnerships. It is also important to review lessons learned from prior VAWG design and implementation to inform the planning process for implementing prevention work, including how to scale EVAWG programmes and improve programme sustainability. 

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 governments and organisations to implement RESPECT strategies.

• Strategy R: Strengthening relationship skills and promoting healthy relationships 
• Strategy E: Empowerment of women, including life skills, economic empowerment, safe spaces and mentoring
• Strategy S: Ensuring service provision and access, including to prevent the recurrence of violence
• Strategy P: Reducing poverty including via economic transfers, labour force interventions and micro-finance 
• Strategy E: Ensuring environments are made safe, such as schools, workplaces and infrastructure 
• Strategy C: Preventing child and adolescent abuse including through parenting interventions and whole-of-school approaches.
• Strategy T: Transforming attitudes, beliefs and social norms including through community mobilisation, and media campaigns 

These evidence reviews are also really useful sources to understand evidence based strategies:

• Kerr-Wilson et al (2020) What Works to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls: A rigorous evidence review of interventions to prevent violence against women and girls. 
• Prevention Collaborative (2021). Brief 3: Evidence-based programmes to prevent violence against women. Prevention Essentials.

When considering the application of a successful prevention approach or model from another context, it's important to tailor that programme to the specific setting and target population(s), and within the context of existing prevention work. This adaptation process involves modifying the design or implementation of the approach to fit the context and strengthen existing work, while ensuring key elements that contributed to its success are retained, a process which typically spans 9 to 12 months. Investing resources in this process is crucial to avoid the risks associated with ineffective interventions and potential harm. Engaging with the original programme creator or designer is also important. Seeking their guidance and technical assistance regarding fidelity, adaptation and lessons learned ensures a more robust and informed adaptation process. This collaboration helps in maintaining the integrity of the original programme while tailoring it effectively to your specific context. Read more about adapting a programme to context.

When prevention programmes are implemented in communities and institutions, people become more aware of the harmful nature of VAWG and women and girls are often more likely to want to report violence, seek help and services. It is therefore really important that programme teams map existing response services and ensure that there are referral mechanisms in place to support survivors to access the services they need and want. This is sometimes called working across the prevention-to-response continuum.