preventing violence against women · 2017-07-14 · what do we know about gender-based violence?...
TRANSCRIPT
Preventing Violence Against Women
LORI HEISE, PHD
Director, Gender Violence and Health Centre
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
What do we know about gender-based
violence?
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is the most common form of
violence in women’s lives, even in areas of armed conflict
Health effects of violence are long term and cumulative
Types so violence (physical, sexual, emotional) frequently
overlap
“Life Burden” of violence
Perinatal/
Maternal
Health
Sexual&
Reproductive
Health
Noncommunicable
DiseasesSomatic
Conditions
DISABILITY DEATH
Mental Health
Problems
Limited Sexual &
Reproductive Control
Health Care
SeekingInjury
Physical Trauma Fear & ControlPsychological
Trauma/ Stress
Intimate Partner Violence
SUBSTANCE USE
4.5x more likely to attempt suicide
Violence is preventable
SASA! – A community
mobilization program
based on promoting
shared power
between women and
men reduced IPV by
52% over 3 yrs
UJAMAAKenya
Girls randomized to
receive self-defense and empowerment training had a 62%
lower rate of rape than non-participants, 10.5 months post
intervention.
Violence is preventable
Give
DirectlyKenya
Unconditional cash
transfers led to a 30-50% reduction in reports of physical IPV
and a 50-60% reduction in forced sex within marriage
Violence is preventable
The origins of violence are multi-causal
Infectious disease Heart Disease
The origins of violence are multi-causalEcological Model
• Genetic
endowment
• Developmental
history
• Beliefs, behaviours
Macrosocial Community WomanRelationshipConflict Arena
The Man
IPVThe Man
Economic structures
Religious ideologies
Consumerism
Gender regimes
Market ideology
Honor cultures
poor communication
marital conflict
Life history
Gender socialization
Genetic endowment
0
20
40
60
80
100
perc
en
tag
e
Percent of women physically or sexually abused by a partner in the past 12 months
Levels of partner violence vary greatly between
settings
WHO Multi-country Study on Domestic Violence & Women’s Health
3.7%53.7%
14.89.3
Even within regions and neighborhoods, variation is
profound
010
20
30
40
6.48
17.15
36.52
11.77
18.09
8.87
1.11
Pe
rce
nt
of
co
mm
un
itie
s/c
lus
ters
Percent of women in cluster reporting partner violence
Sao Paulo
Permanbuco
Percent of clusters/neighborhoods reporting different levels of IPV
What accounts for the geographic
differences in levels of partner violence?
Ecological analysis
Explores which higher order factors predict the average level of partner violence in that setting
Asks: “Why does this population have this particular level of partner violence?” as opposed to asking, “Why did this particular woman get beaten?
Heise and Kotsadam, Lancet Global Health, May 20th, 2015
Explanatory domains
Women’s achieved status
Secondary & tertiary school completion
Rate of child marriage
Level of gender inequality
E.g., ratio of male to female completion of secondary & tertiary school
SIGI ownership index
Inequality in family law (SIGI)
M/F ratio earned income
Norms
Acceptability of wife beating
Male control of female behavior
Acceptability of divorce
Economic participation & rights
Women’s economic rights (WECON measure of CIRI Human Rights Database)
Women in formal waged employment
Women working for cash
Political participation and rights
Women’s political rights
Share of women in national parliaments
Log GDP per capita
Women’s status
and gender inequality
correlate with
levels of IPV
All associations are in
the hypothesized direction, except political rights
Key factors
Level of acceptability of IPV
Level of male authority over female behaviour
Gender discrimination in ownership rights (property, land) –strongest factor from inequality domain
Inheritance and family law also appear important
Proportion of women in formal labour force
The same factor can operate differently at
a population versus individual level
In many countries, women who are employed have a higher risk of violence on average than those who are not employed (individual level risk)
BUT: Countries with a greater proportion of women in the labor force, have lower rates of violence than countries with fewer employed women (population-level determinant)
Gender-related factors appear to have a greater impact in settings with higher levels of IPV
Developmental Life course
DevelopmentalLife course
Geneticendowment
Relation-ship
Family & Work Life
Community
Macro-Level
Laws, Policy
Institutions
Social norms
Socioeconomic
conditions
Primary Prevention of Partner Violence
Genetic endowment
Relationship Skills▪ Improve communication▪ Build skills in conflict resolution▪ Promote joint decision-making▪ Reduce triggers
Transform Norms• Promote critical reflection• Challenge specific norms through
staged strategies• Build new positive norms• Use theory-informed media and community mobilisation
Exposure to violence in Childhood
▪ Parenting education▪Training in non-violent discipline▪Child abuse prevention▪Support for children who witness violence▪ Early intervention for conduct problems
Eliminate Gender Disparities•Reform marriage & family law•Equalize women’s access to property and inheritance•Liberalize divorce •Eliminate Child marriage•Remove barriers to property, credit and business ownership
Reduce alcohol availability &
binge drinking
▪ Reduce outlet density▪ Regulate promotion, advertising, drinking age▪ Alternative livelihoods for traditional producers▪ Services for addiction
Empower women and Girls
▪ Ensure girls complete secondary school▪ Increase women’s access to and control over assets ▪ Create safe spaces and strengthen social support▪ Build knowledge and critical thinking skills
Elements of successful programmes
Multiple, mutually reinforcing
components
Informed by theory and evidence
Derived from well conceptualised
theory of change
Engages both men and women
(either together or sequentially)
Incorporates specific strategies for
diffusing impacts beyond the core
group
Include explicit skills building elements
and opportunities to practice them
