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What works to prevent & respond to violence against women and girls in conflict and humanitarian settings?: Evidence brief

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By Maureen Murphy, Diana Arango, Amber Hill, Manuel Contreras, Mairi MacRae & Mary Ellsberg

1. Summary

Women and girls are at increased risk of violence in conflict and humanitarian crises due to displacement, the breakdown of social structures, a lack of law enforcement, the potential further entrenchment of harmful gender norms, and the loss of livelihood opportunities for both men and women in the community, among other reasons. Despite this, little is known about the prevalence of violence against women and girls (VAWG) during times of conflict and humanitarian emergencies. The existing evidence base is weak, with many studies employing non-probability sampling methodologies or under-powered sample sizes. However, the available evidence suggests that VAWG, particularly intimate partner violence (IPV), is a considerable problem during times of conflict and humanitarian crises.

In addition to this lack of prevalence data, there is little robust evidence on what works to prevent and respond to VAWG during conflict and humanitarian emergencies. Promising practices are, however, beginning to emerge. While few rigorous evaluations have been conducted in these settings, the available evidence suggests that the most successful programmes are multifaceted, address underlying risk factors, and actively engage all community members (not only survivors and/or perpetrators). Key areas for further study include: assessing effectiveness and identifying best practices for service delivery for survivors as well as rigorous evaluations of prevention programmes including multi-component interventions and economic empowerment programmes.

Overall, the available evidence on VAWG in conflict and humanitarian settings raises key questions for practitioners and policy-makers. While further evidence and measurement is needed on exactly how conflict and displacement affect different forms of VAWG, the available evidence suggests that the types of VAWG prevalent in conflict and humanitarian settings are not dis-similar to VAWG in non-emergency settings – with violence perpetrated by an intimate partner the most common form of violence facing a woman. As such, approaches that have had success in decreasing VAWG in non-conflict settings, and target underlying unequal gender norms and practices, may also be applicable in conflict and humanitarian settings. These programmes will need to be adapted to humanitarian contexts (e.g. camp settings, urban displacement, mobile populations etc.) and to address some of the drivers of VAWG that are particularly acute during times of crisis, such as extreme poverty, through particular emphasis on economic empowerment and communication/conflict management skills. More rigorous research, both on the effect of conflict and humanitarian crises on VAWG and the types of interventions that are effective in preventing and responding to violence, is still needed in order to increase our understanding of VAWG, during times of conflict and humanitarian crises.

Access "What works to prevent violence against women and girls in conflict and humanitarian crisis: Synthesis brief" here.