Violence against Women and Girls: Professional Development Reading Pack No. 32

This Governance and Social Development Resource Centre (GSDRC) reading pack links to and briefly summaries 8 readings that illustrate core elements of the challenges in addressing violence against women and girls (VAWG), described here as a profound public health issue and pervasive human rights abuse affecting more than one in three women globally. VAWG also adversely affects a country's human, social, and economic development and is a barrier to eradicating poverty and building peace. VAWG includes, but is not limited to: domestic and intimate partner violence (IPV), sexual violence (including rape), sexual harassment, emotional/psychological violence, sexual violence in conflict, sexual exploitation, and harmful practices such as female genital mutilation/cutting, honour killings, dowry-related violence, and child, early, and forced marriage. Research has shown that violence against women and girls is deeply rooted in gender inequality and social norms that condone violence and control over women; it is used as a tool to reinforce gender hierarchies and power imbalances between women and men.

Reflective of the increasing recognition that efforts to respond to survivors of violence must be complemented by holistic prevention efforts to prevent violence, the 8 readings that are the focus of this GSDRC resource explore: stronger enforcement of laws and policies to prohibit VAWG; improved access to comprehensive support for survivors; more holistic and longer-term investment in prevention, including shifting discriminatory social norms and engaging men and boys; and further evidence about what works to prevent VAWG, cost-effectiveness, and how efforts can be taken to scale.

The 8 annotated readings are accompanied by the following guiding questions:

• "How do the rates and patterns of violence against women and girls vary across setting and among different population groups? What makes some women more vulnerable to violence?
• What factors contribute to women's and girls' experiences of VAWG and how do they cut across multiple levels of society?
• What are some of the common elements of the most effective programmes and policies to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls?
• Men are the primary perpetrators of violence against women and girls, but they must also be part of the solution. How should men and boys be engaged in the agenda without marginalising women's voices or shifting key resources away from the women led organisations?
• How are the types, causes and solutions to violence against women and girls in conflict different or similar to violence in non-conflict settings?
• Given the scale of the problem, what more can be done to promote scale-up of interventions to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls, in both humanitarian and development programming?"

A list of, and links to, further resources on VAWG completes the reading pack. In addition, click here to view a related summary of "Social Norms and Violence against Women and Girls", a GSDRC webinar featuring the author of this reading pack, Emma Fulu.

GSDRC reading packs are commissioned by the United Kingdom (UK) Government's Department for International Development (DFID) for independent study and professional development use.