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GBV Task Force

Examining Comprehensive Sexuality Education in Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Response Efforts

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Why

  • Explore the linkages between gender-based violence (GBV) prevention and response interventions and comprehensive sexuality education (CSE).
  • Learn about UNESCO’s efforts to integrate GBV prevention into its revised guidance on CSE, International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education: An Evidence Informed Approach.
  • Highlight the existing evidence base, lessons learned, and promising practices from implementing CSE as part of comprehensive GBV prevention and response programming.

Join the Interagency Gender Working Group (IGWG) GBV Task Force for a virtual event, Examining Comprehensive Sexuality Education in Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Response Efforts, on December 5 from 9:30-11:00 a.m. EST.

Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) is backed by three decades of empirical and scientific evidence and has been linked to specific health outcomes like increased use of contraception and reduced GBV. It teaches the skills needed to develop healthy relationships and can be a critical component of a holistic approach to prevent GBV among young people.

Explore how CSE is being integrated within global GBV prevention and response programming, including how it can be leveraged as part of GBV prevention and response to strengthen this programming. We will look at the role of GBV in CSE curricula, existing evidence around the effectiveness of integrated interventions, and opportunities to strengthen these approaches. Attendees will come away better equipped to consider the potential to integrate CSE within existing and new GBV prevention and response efforts, identify where investments are needed to improve these efforts, and better understand the relationship between CSE curricula and GBV prevention and response.

First, representatives from UNESCO will present on how the organization’s updated International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education: An Evidence Informed Approach was revised to enhance and expand key concepts to include GBV components. Next, a panel of experts will discuss evidence, insights, and lessons learned from programs integrating CSE ​into GBV prevention and response efforts​, and future opportunities and investments needed.

Panelists include: 

  • Avni Amin, Technical Officer, Violence Against Women, World Health Organization (Moderator) 
  • Shamah Bulangis, Co-chair, Transform Education, Philippines
  • Jeannie Ferreras, National Programme Officer Gender and Youth, UNFPA, Dominican Republic
  • Sheena Hadi, Executive Director, Aahung, Pakistan
  • Remmy Shawa, Senior Project Officer- Health Education, UNESCO, South Africa

Time will be reserved at the end of the event for audience questions. We look forward to seeing you there!

Questions or feedback? Please contact the IGWG team at igwg@prb.org

Register here 

What Works to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls: New Evidence, New Opportunities

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With one in three women globally experiencing physical and/or sexual violence in her lifetime—a figure worsening during the COVID-19 pandemic—improved understanding of and investments in effective violence prevention solutions are urgently needed.

What Works to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls, a program funded by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) from December 2013 through March 2020, worked in 15 countries across Africa and Asia to build the evidence base on drivers of violence against women and girls (VAWG) and what works to prevent VAWG. What Works found that violence is preventable and generated rigorous evidence of effective interventions.

On Sept. 29, 2020, the IGWG brought together presenters from the What Works consortium to share groundbreaking findings from this body of research, discuss the implications for policy and practice, and explore what it all means in the era of COVID-19. Participants learnt about program strategies that, when adapted to local context, are proven to dismantle patriarchal social norms, reduce VAWG, and improve reproductive health outcomes.

Presenters included:

Professor Rachel Jewkes
Executive Scientist, South African Medical Research Council
Former Consortium Director, What Works to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls
What Works to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls?

Dr. Andrew Gibbs
Senior Specialist Scientist, South African Medical Research Council
The Impact of Stepping Stones and Creating Futures on Intimate Partner Violence, Livelihoods, and Sexual and Reproductive Health Outcomes

Samantha Willan
Capacity Development Specialist and Gender Based Violence Researcher, South African Medical Research Council
Young Women’s Reproductive Decisionmaking and Agency in South African Informal Settlements

Emily Esplen
Social Development Adviser, Violence Against Women and Girls
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

Addressing Gender-Based Violence Through Cash Transfer Programming Part II

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Addressing Gender-Based Violence Through Cash Transfer Programming Part II: Supporting Adolescent Girls and Working in Humanitarian Settings

Click here to view a recording of the event.

More money, less violence? This event was the second part in the IGWG’s Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Task Force series on the use of cash transfer approaches to address GBV and other reproductive health outcomes.

Part II of this series delved more deeply into the specifics of cash transfers for addressing GBV. What are the strengths and shortcomings for this type of intervention to reduce GBV? How have cash transfers been incorporated into GBV programs in humanitarian settings? What are the considerations for applying cash transfer interventions to reduce GBV when working with adolescent girls?

Panelists and Presentations

This event built on Part I, held on September 17. That event introduced cash transfer approaches, highlighted some of the evidence around the effectiveness of cash transfers for addressing GBV, and sparked a discussion of the pathways through which cash transfer programming can affect violence-related outcomes. More information from that event is here.

Addressing Gender-Based Violence Through Cash Transfer Programming

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The Gender-Based Violence Task Force of the Interagency Gender Working Group Presents

Addressing Gender-Based Violence Through Cash Transfer Programming

 Monday, September 17, 2018

This event series brings attention to the intersection between economic empowerment interventions―specifically cash transfers―and gender-based violence (GBV) and reproductive health outcomes. This webinar was the first of a two-part series.

This part focused on sharing the latest evidence on cash transfers as an effective intervention for preventing GBV, specifically intimate partner violence, in developing countries. Other topics covered include how cash transfers can affect violence-related outcomes through casual pathways.
Panelists and their presentations included:

  • Kathy Lindert of The World Bank Group
    • “Designing & Delivering Cash Transfers: Overview” PowerPoint (2.6 MB)
  • Lori Heise of Johns Hopkins University
    • “Reducing Violence at Scale: A Mixed Methods Review of Cash Transfers and Intimate Partner Violence in Low- and Middle-Income Countries” PowerPoint (2.3 MB)
    • “Reducing Violence at Scale: A Mixed Methods Review of Cash Transfers and Intimate Partner Violence in Low- and Middle-Income Countries” PDF Paper (550 KB)
  • Audrey Pettifor of the Gillings School of Global Public Health
    • “Cash Transfers Can Reduce Intimate Partner Violence Among Adolescent Girls” PowerPoint (1.8 MB)

A recording of the event can be found here.

Addressing Gender-Based Violence Through Cash Transfer Programming Part I

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Addressing Gender-Based Violence Through Cash Transfer Programming Part I

View presentations and the event recording here.

This series, hosted by the Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Task Force of the Interagency Gender Working Group (IGWG), explored the use of cash transfer approaches (an economic empowerment strategy) to address GBV and other reproductive health outcomes. Moving from theory to practice, the event included presentations on results from recent evidence reviews, as well as promising programmatic examples of cash transfer interventions and their impacts.

Part I of the series, on September 17, provided an introduction to cash transfer approaches and feature the latest evidence on cash transfers as an effective economic empowerment strategy for preventing GBV, specifically intimate partner violence. Presenters also explored the causal pathways through which cash transfer programming can affect violence-related outcomes in low- and middle-income countries, including among adolescent girls.

Panelists and their presentations included:

  • Kathy Lindert, World Bank, “Designing & Delivering Cash Transfers: An Overview”
  • Lori Heise, Johns Hopkins University, “Reducing Violence at Scale: A Mixed Methods
    Review of Cash Transfers and Intimate Partner Violence in Low- and Middle-Income
    Countries”
  • Audrey Pettifor, Gillings School of Global Public Health, “Cash Transfers Can Reduce
    Intimate Partner Violence Among Adolescent Girls”

Keep an eye out for Part II of this series, which will take place in late October. This event will focus on design and implementation features of cash transfer approaches that are effective at improving GBV outcomes, including specific work in humanitarian settings.

Continuing the Dialogue from SVRI: New Developments and Future Directions in GBV Work

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In Commemoration of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence
IGWG’s Gender-Based Violence Task Force Presents

Continuing the Dialogue from SVRI: New Developments and Future Directions in GBV Work

View presentations and the event recording here.

The recent Sexual Violence Research Initiative Forum (SVRI) in Brazil brought together over 450 researchers, activists, service providers, funders, survivors, and other stakeholders from around the world. Conference participants heard a wealth of new evidence, innovations, and initiatives on preventing and responding to gender-based violence (GBV).

The GBV Task Force has invited panelists involved in SVRI as presenters, organizers, and/or participants to share some of the insights and highlights from the conference and lead a discussion on remaining challenges and priorities for future GBV research and programming.

Panelists will include:

  • Elizabeth Dartnall, Research Manager at SVRI;
  • Amy Bank, Senior Advisor at Puntos de Encuentro;
  • Esther Spindler, Research Officer at Georgetown University’s Institute for Reproductive Health; and
  • Manisha Mehta, Senior Program Officer at Wellspring Advisors.

Space is limited; please RSVP to Laura Bloom at lbloom@prb.org.