Publication: Engaging Men to Transform Inequitable Gender Attitudes and Prevent Intimate Partner Violence: A Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial in North and South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo
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Date
2020-05-27
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2020-05-27
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Globally, one in three women worldwide report experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) in their lifetime. The study objective was to understand the effectiveness of Engaging Men through Accountable Practice (EMAP), a group-based discussion series which sought to transform gender relations in communities, on intimate partner violence (IPV), gender inequitable attitudes and related outcomes. Interventions engaging men have the potential to change gender attitudes and behaviours in conflict-affected areas. However, while EMAP led to changes in gender attitudes and behaviours related to perpetration of IPV, the study showed no overall reduction of women’s experience of IPV. Further research is needed to understand how working with men may lead to long-term and meaningful changes in IPV and related gender equitable attitudes and behaviours in conflict areas.
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Publication Engaging Men to Transform Gender Attitudes and Prevent Intimate-Partner Violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2020-12)Over a third of women in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have experienced physical or sexual intimate-partner violence (IPV) in the past year (2013-2014 DHS). In this context, the Africa Gender Innovation Lab (GIL) in collaboration with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) tested the effectiveness of the Engaging Men through Accountable Practice (EMAP) program. EMAP is a male-only discussion group intervention aimed to prevent IPV, and to transform gender attitudes and couples’ power dynamics; all male discussion groups are informed by and accountable to women’s groups in the community. The EMAP program significantly improved the quality of the couple relationships and led to changes in men’s behaviors that are often associated with IPV, like reduced alcohol consumption. Further, the study found that the discussion groups led to improvements in men’s gender equitable attitudes, reducing their support for violence against women and increasing their support for a woman’s right to refuse to have sex. Despite these changes on the journey to IPV prevention, female partners of male EMAP participants reported, on average, no change in the levels of IPV that they experienced.Publication Breaking the Cycle of Intimate-partner Violence(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-11-28)Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global problem and a widespread issue in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where nationally more than one third of women have reported experiencing physical or sexual violence in the past year (2013-2014 DHS). The Africa Gender Innovation Lab (GIL) tested the effectiveness of the Engaging Men through Accountable Practice (EMAP) program, a male-only discussion group intervention which aimed at preventing intimate partner violence (IPV) and promoting more egalitarian gender relations. EMAP was implemented by the International Rescue Committee (IRC). New analyses of the study data paint a nuanced picture of the impact of the intervention. The authors find that among men who were the most physically violent at baseline, the EMAP program was effective at reducing the probability and severity of IPV perpetration. Although zero violence is a necessary and critical goal when promoting gender equality, these results reinforce the importance of measuring the contribution of policies and programs to reduce IPV’s occurrence, in addition to measuring effects on primary prevention and cessation of violence.Publication The Unintended Impacts of an Intimate Partner Violence Prevention Program(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-01-22)This study evaluates the impact of an intimate partner violence prevention program in Rwanda, using a randomized controlled trial. The 22-week couples training program aimed to improve communication, shift gender attitudes, and promote gender equality. Randomizing at both the village and couple levels, the study finds that the program caused large, unexpected increases in intimate partner violence. Treated women reported 5 and 10 percentage points more physical and sexual violence than control women, respectively, and control women living in treated villages reported even larger increases of 11 and 17 percentage points. Evidence suggests that these increases stem from male backlash against perceived identity threats, as women’s more progressive attitudes and aspirations contrast with men’s pressure to maintain traditional norms, generating friction within households. Innovative measurement techniques and extensive robustness checks show that changes in reporting behavior cannot explain the results.Publication Intimate Partner Violence : Economic Costs and Implications for Growth and Development(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2013-11)Violence against women, recognized globally as a fundamental human rights violation, is widely prevalent across high-, middle-, and low-income countries. Violence against women has significant economic costs in terms of expenditures on service provision, lost income for women and their families, decreased productivity, and negative impacts on future human capital formation. The paper makes a major contribution to the discussion of economic implications of intimate partner violence (IPV) through its conceptual mapping of the links between IPV and economic growth based on a review of literature on their complex dynamics based on data from Vietnam. It reviews costing methodologies and identifies types of costs that potentially can be estimated given different degrees of data availability. The paper argues strongly for a focus on estimating impacts on productivity, which is a key driver of economic growth. It also calls for committed action by both national governments and The World Bank Group in terms of integrating IPV and violence against women and girls (VAWG) into national and sectoral development plans and Bank funding streams; strengthening national statistics offices to collect, manage, and analyze data on violence systematically and regularly basis; prioritizing multi-sectoral and inter-ministerial responses; and most importantly establishing a dedicated budget or funding stream for IPV and VAWG policies, programs, and interventions.Publication Gender Norms and Economic Empowerment Intervention to Reduce Intimate Partner Violence Against Women in Rural Côte D'ivoire : A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2014-03)Gender-based violence against women, including intimate partner violence (IPV), is a pervasive health and human rights concern. However, relatively little intervention research has been conducted on how to reduce IPV in settings impacted by conflict. The current study reports on the evaluation of the incremental impact of adding gender dialogue groups to an economic empowerment group savings program on levels of IPV. This study took place in north and northwestern rural Côte d Ivoire.
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