Preventing violence against women

Violence against women and girls is rooted in gender-based discrimination and social norms and gender stereotypes. Given the devastating effect violence has on women, efforts have mainly focused on providing reprieve from trauma and related services for the survivors. However, the best way to stop any sort of violence happening against the fair gender is to ‘prevent’ it in the first place by addressing its root and structural causes.

Prevention should start early in life, by bringing in educational reforms so that young boys and girls develop respectful relationships and a sense of gender-equality. Working with youth is a “best bet” for faster, sustained progress on preventing and eradicating gender-based violence. While public policies and interventions often overlook this stage of life, it is a critical time when values and norms around gender equality are forged.

Solutions
Education for prevention
UN Women, in partnership with the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) has developed a global non-formal education curriculum to engage young people in efforts to prevent and end violence against girls and women.

A first of its kind, “Voices against Violence” is a co-educational curriculum designed for various age groups ranging from 5 to 25 years. It provides young people with tools and expertise to understand the root causes of violence in their communities, to educate and involve their peers and communities to prevent such violence, and to learn about where to access support if violence is experienced.

Working with men and boys
At a regional level, UN Women supports Partners for Prevention (P4P), a regional UN joint programme for Asia and the Pacific that provides new knowledge and technical support to prevent gender-based violence in the region. The programme’s long-term goal is to reduce the prevalence of gender-based violence in the region through behaviour and attitudinal change among boys and men, increase institutional capacity and facilitate policy enhancements. - Source UN Women

• Many NGOs work on providing relief to survivors of violence
• A paradigm shift is needed to stop gender-based violence
• The issue needs to be addressed at the grass root level by bringing in educational reforms
• To teach young minds to have respectful relationships and a sense of gender-equality