Kore Global’s 16 days blog series

Part 1 - How social impact innovators can address VAWG: practical insights on impact pathways

In November 2021, Kore Global undertook a review for Grand Challenges Canada, to help improve impact measurement for their portfolio of innovations that aim to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG). We created a broad theory of change to identify change pathways related to prevention and response of VAWG, developed based on a review of existing ToCs from a range of other organisations. We developed guidance on how to measure VAWG related changes along each pathway, with a focus on quantitative measurement approaches. And we provided guidance on how to plan, conduct and oversee safe and ethical collection of data on VAWG. 

This blog is part 1 of a 3-part blog series on how social impact innovators can better address VAWG. In each blog, we will share practical insights for impact investors and social impact enterprises that have emerged from a review of evidence on how to address VAWG and measure progress safely and effectively. Part 1 focuses on what we have learned about impact pathways; it presents 3 key insights and describes 4 main impact pathways.

Insight 1: There is a two-way relationship between VAWG and gender inequality, with VAWG being rooted in - and fuelled by - gender inequality, patriarchal norms and gendered power relations. At the same time, gender inequality is held in place by the perpetration and fear of VAWG.  

Insight 2: Understanding change in relation to VAWG requires understanding the multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and marginalization that compound risk for some women and girls and result in varied experiences of violence.

Insight 3: Effective prevention of and response to violence is achieved through four interconnected pathways, focusing on: 1) women and girls; 2) men and boys; 3) communities and families; and 4) services and institutions. While the first and fourth of these pathways are often emphasized in terms of prevention and response, the second and third are critical for addressing VAWG as a product of and a contributor to gender inequality. 

Let’s look at each of these four pathways in turn. 

Women and girls: as a result of interventions, we expect to see short-term changes in knowledge and understanding of what constitutes VAWG, as well as how to access services, how to report and how to access social and economic assets. These changes are expected to result in women and girls to be empowered to express their equal worth, autonomy and agency across all areas of their lives, including within their intimate relationships, families, households, workplaces and wider communities. 

Men and boys: short-term changes as a result of interventions focus on underlying masculinities and attitudes towards violence, perceived equality of women and girls, sexual consent and understanding of how societal expectations of how men ‘should’ behave are detrimental to themselves as well as women and girls. In the medium-term, this results in men and boys demonstrating greater emotional awareness and resilience, and expressing themselves in ways that are non-violent. 

Family and community: expected short-term outcomes as a result of interventions focus on the pervasive attitudes that result in VAWG being tolerated. Outcomes focus on building knowledge and capacity of community groups to strengthen their role in ending VAWG, as well as shifting attitudes and understandings of masculinities, bodily autonomy and what constitutes VAWG. In the medium term, these changes are expected to result in relatives, friends, colleagues and wider community members becoming active allies in promoting gender equality and ending VAWG, intervening when they witness violence or threatening behaviour and actively demonstrating a lack of tolerance for violence, including the use of social sanctions for perpetrators. 

Services and institutions: in the short term, change is expected in fostering political and institutional will and commitment and building the capacities of service providers and decision makers to deliver responsive services to women and girls. Furthermore, it is expected that the capacity of women’s rights organizations will be strengthened in order to hold decision makers accountable. In the medium term , these changes are expected to result in survivor-centred reporting mechanisms and support services (medical, safety, legal, psychosocial, livelihoods) that are well resourced, accessible and consistently delivered to safely meet survivors’ needs. Alongside this, justice systems operate appropriately and effectively to punish perpetrators of VAWG and act as a deterrent to others. 

We have a beautiful visual of this ToC that includes more details, so if you are interested please do reach out to us and we will send it to you!

Watch out for our next blog, which we will release tomorrow, that focuses on measuring change along these four pathways.