Executive Summary
Gender-Based Violence (GBV) remains one of the most pervasive human rights violations worldwide. It affects women and girls disproportionately and undermines their health, dignity, security, and autonomy. Despite legal protections and awareness campaigns, GBV continues due to deeply rooted social norms, unequal power relations, limited reporting mechanisms, and lack of coordinated community response systems.
This project seeks to prevent Gender-Based Violence through a comprehensive community engagement approach. The program will work directly with community leaders, men and boys, women and girls, schools, local institutions, and law enforcement agencies to promote behavioral change, strengthen protection systems, and build safe community environments.
Over a period of 24 months, the project aims to reach 10,000 direct beneficiaries across selected rural and semi-urban communities. By promoting awareness, strengthening local protection mechanisms, and fostering positive gender norms, the project will contribute to reducing incidents of violence and improving community accountability.
Background and Rationale
Gender-Based Violence includes physical, sexual, emotional, and economic abuse, as well as harmful practices such as child marriage and harassment. According to global studies, a significant percentage of women experience some form of violence in their lifetime, often perpetrated by intimate partners.
Key factors contributing to GBV include:
- Patriarchal social norms and gender inequality
- Lack of awareness about rights and legal protections
- Economic dependence of women
- Weak reporting and support mechanisms
- Social stigma and fear of retaliation
Traditional interventions often focus only on survivors. While survivor support is essential, long-term prevention requires changing community attitudes and behaviors. Engaging community members, including men and boys, is critical to transforming harmful norms and building collective responsibility.
Community-based prevention approaches are effective because they:
- Address root causes of violence
- Encourage local ownership of solutions
- Strengthen informal and formal protection systems
- Promote accountability and bystander intervention
Therefore, this project emphasizes awareness, engagement, capacity building, and system strengthening to create violence-free communities.
Project Goal and Objectives
Overall Goal
To reduce the prevalence of Gender-Based Violence through community-driven prevention strategies and strengthened local response mechanisms.
Specific Objectives
- Increase awareness and understanding of GBV, rights, and legal protections among community members.
- Promote positive gender norms and behavioral change, particularly among men and boys.
- Strengthen community-based prevention and reporting mechanisms.
- Improve coordination between community groups, local authorities, and service providers.
- Enhance access to support services for survivors.
Target Beneficiaries
The project will target:
- Women and girls (ages 15–49)
- Men and boys (ages 15–40)
- Community leaders and influencers
- School teachers and students
- Local law enforcement officials
- Health workers and social service providers
Special focus will be given to marginalized and vulnerable groups.
Project Components and Activities
- Community Awareness Campaigns
- Awareness activities will include:
- Community meetings and dialogue sessions
- Street theatre and cultural events
- Information campaigns using posters, radio, and social media
- Distribution of educational materials
- GBV awareness days and community pledge events
- Topics covered will include:
- Understanding GBV and its consequences
- Legal rights and reporting mechanisms
- Gender equality and respectful relationships
- Importance of bystander intervention
- Awareness activities will include:
- Engaging Men and Boys
- Changing harmful gender norms requires active participation of men and boys. Activities will include:
- Male engagement workshops
- Peer education groups
- Positive masculinity campaigns
- Fatherhood and relationship education sessions
- Changing harmful gender norms requires active participation of men and boys. Activities will include:
- Formation of Community Protection Committees
- Community Protection Committees (CPCs) will be established and trained to:
- Identify and respond to GBV risks
- Provide confidential referrals to services
- Support awareness initiatives
- Monitor safety concerns
- Community Protection Committees (CPCs) will be established and trained to:
- School-Based Prevention Programs
- Schools play a vital role in early prevention. The project will:
- Conduct life-skills education sessions
- Introduce gender equality modules
- Train teachers on identifying and responding to abuse
- Establish safe reporting mechanisms within schools
- Schools play a vital role in early prevention. The project will:
Youth clubs will be formed to promote peer-led discussions and anti-violence campaigns.
- Strengthening Reporting and Referral Systems
- The project will collaborate with:
- Local police stations
- Health centers
- Legal aid services
- Women’s helplines
- Social welfare departments
- Activities will include:
- Capacity-building workshops for service providers
- Development of referral pathways
- Establishment of confidential reporting channels
- Creation of survivor support directories
- The project will collaborate with:
- Survivor Support and Counseling
- Although prevention is the primary focus, survivor support is essential. The project will:
- Provide psychosocial counseling
- Facilitate legal support referrals
- Support emergency medical assistance
- Offer economic empowerment linkages
- Although prevention is the primary focus, survivor support is essential. The project will:
Implementation Strategy
The project will follow a phased approach:
- Phase 1: Baseline Assessment (Months 1–3)
- Conduct community mapping
- Assess existing GBV trends and services
- Identify key stakeholders
- Establish partnerships
- Phase 2: Capacity Building and Awareness (Months 4–12)
- Launch community campaigns
- Train Community Protection Committees
- Conduct workshops for men, women, and youth
- Phase 3: Strengthening Systems (Months 13–20)
- Improve referral networks
- Train service providers
- Monitor reporting mechanisms
- Phase 4: Evaluation and Sustainability (Months 21–24)
- Conduct end-line assessment
- Document lessons learned
- Develop sustainability plans
- Transition responsibilities to community groups
Expected Outcomes
- Increased awareness of GBV laws and prevention strategies among 80% of participants.
- Improved attitudes toward gender equality among men and boys.
- Strengthened community protection mechanisms in targeted areas.
- Increased reporting of GBV cases due to improved trust in systems.
- Enhanced coordination among service providers.
Monitoring and Evaluation
A strong Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) framework will measure progress using both quantitative and qualitative indicators.
Key Indicators
- Number of community members trained
- Percentage of participants demonstrating improved knowledge
- Number of CPCs established
- Increase in reported GBV cases (indicating improved trust)
- Number of survivors accessing services
Data Collection Methods
- Baseline and end-line surveys
- Pre- and post-training assessments
- Focus group discussions
- Case documentation
- Monitoring reports
Regular progress reports will ensure transparency and accountability.
Sustainability Plan
To ensure sustainability beyond the project period:
- Community Protection Committees will be institutionalized.
- Local government partnerships will be strengthened.
- Schools will integrate gender equality modules into ongoing programs.
- Community leaders will continue advocacy efforts.
- Capacity-building efforts will empower local actors to independently lead prevention initiatives.
Ownership by community members will ensure long-term impact.
Budget Summary
- Staff salaries and training costs
- Awareness campaign materials
- Community meetings and workshops
- Capacity-building sessions
- Monitoring and evaluation
- Administrative expenses
Conclusion
Preventing Gender-Based Violence requires collective responsibility and sustained community engagement. Legal frameworks alone cannot eliminate violence without addressing underlying social norms and strengthening local support systems.
This project offers a comprehensive, community-centered approach that combines awareness, behavioral change, institutional strengthening, and survivor support. By engaging men, women, youth, leaders, and service providers, the initiative aims to create safe, inclusive, and equitable communities.
Investing in GBV prevention not only protects individuals but also strengthens families, enhances social cohesion, and promotes sustainable development.
