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Add to Preferred SourcesA UK aid project has dramatically reduced women’s experience of domestic and sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
A project working to challenge the social acceptance of violence against women and girls (VAWG) in the DRC saw women’s experience of domestic violence fall from 69% to 29% after two years of intervention – a drop of 58%.
Women’s experiences of sexual violence from a non-partner also reduced from 24% to 4% – a more than five-fold reduction.
Supported by UK aid, NGOs Tearfund and Heal Africa trained faith leaders and community volunteers in 15 rural and conflict-affected areas in Ituri province to challenge harmful attitudes which drive gender inequality, and to make violence against women and girls socially unacceptable in their communities.
Engaging with both men and women to challenge their traditional attitudes about gender and violence was key to achieving these results. At the start of the research, more than 50% of men and 43% of women surveyed said there are times when a woman deserves to be beaten. By the end, this proportion almost halved.
As well as women experiencing less domestic violence, the percentage of men reporting that they had carried out domestic violence dropped from 68% to 24%.
“Every woman and girl deserves the right to live without fear. That’s why UK aid is investing in the largest global study of its kind, to provide the evidence needed to help governments and international organisations end this abuse, save lives and build a better future for everyone,” said International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt.
The DRC project was part of the What Works to Prevent Violence Initiative. What Works is a flagship research programme from the UK Department for International Development (DFID), which is investing in projects around the world that seek to understand and address the underlying causes of violence and stop it from occurring.
Original source: DFID
Published on 13 March 2019