New program demonstrates success in reducing gender-based violence in Bangladesh
Most notably, spousal violence against women and girls dropped. Group sessions that included both men and women seem to have been the key intervention. ...
A new study by the Population Council and the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) found that an innovative program in Bangladesh has demonstrated a reduction in violence against women and girls. The Growing Up Safe and Healthy project, also known as SAFE, sought to improve sexual and reproductive health and reduce gender-based violence among women living in urban slums in Dhaka. The project ran from March 2012 to October 2013.
While it is illegal in Bangladesh for girls under age 18 to marry, more than 60 percent of Bangladeshi girls marry before they reach this age. Girls married early are particularly vulnerable to domestic violence, and legal and policy reforms to address gender-based violence have had limited impact. Research shows that less than 2 percent of married women in Bangladesh who have experienced physical violence seek any kind of remedy or service.
Young women and girls living in urban slums experience the highest rates of violence and poor sexual and reproductive health.
This is of particular concern in Dhaka, where the slum population is growing rapidly as young men and women migrate in search of employment. These young people face poverty, insecure living arrangements, frequent squatter evictions, weak social networks, the absence of civic society institutions, the lack of public services, and poor coordination among services.
SAFE wascreated to address some of the problems faced by young women and girls living in slums. The project provided access to health and legal services, interactive sessions with men, young women, and girls, and community-based awareness-raising campaigns to determine what combination of strategies, if any, would reduce violence faced by women and girls in urban slums.
SAFE evaluation methods
The SAFE programs rigorous evaluation explored sexual and reproductive health, gender-based violence, and marriage and childbearing outcomes. Participating communities were randomly divided into three intervention arms. Community campaign activities and health and legal services were present in all three arms.
The difference was the presence or absence of group sessions, and the goal of the evaluation was to determine the impact if any of including group sessions as part of the program. Arm A included sessions with men and women; Arm B included sessions only with women; Arm C had no group sessions. A baseline survey was conducted before SAFE was launched, and an endline survey was conducted following the conclusion of the program.
Evaluation findings
SAFE increased awareness about womens sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender-based violence, and rights and laws regarding marriage and dowry. In addition, it increased access to support services, including reproductive and maternal health and legal services. In communities that included group sessions with men, use of modem contraceptives increased and the proportion of marriages that involved dowry declined.
Most notably, spousal violence against women and girls dropped, said lead Population Council researcher Sajeda Amin. Group sessions that included both men and women seem to have been the key intervention. These proved most effective at reducing inequitable gender attitudes. In fact, with respect to economic violence (i.e., cases where women were denied money, food, clothes, medicines,. etc.), violence increased when only women participated in group sessions, but decreased when men were included in the intervention.
Lessons learned and policy implications
The evaluation identified several key factors that can explain SAFES success:
It is possible to improve sexual and reproductive health and reduce violence but, to be successful, interventions must integrate interactive group sessions, community campaigns, and services.
It is critical to target vulnerable women and girls and especially to reduce their isolation and build their confidence through group sessions and peer-support networks so that they choose to seek help when they do experience violence.
Working with men will significantly improve outcomes
Community campaigns are critical for promoting awareness about sexual and gender-based violence and improving knowledge about laws and the availability of legal services.
Future interventions that seek to improve sexual and reproductive health and reduce gender-based violence in urban slum settings can use these findings to guide program development. In particular, successful interventions should take an integrated approach, strengthen informal (such as peer networks) and formal (i.e., legal systems) support systems, and engage men in order to alter gender norms and change behaviors.
Source: Population Brief
