1.11.5 Preventing and Responding to Intimate Partner Violence

Preventing and responding to intimate partner violence requires long-term, comprehensive collaboration between many parts of society, not just the individual perpetrator or survivor.

The following strategies have demonstrated effectiveness:

1. Reforming civil and criminal frameworks;

2. Organizing media and advocacy campaigns to raise awareness about existing legislation;

3. Strengthening women’s civil rights related to divorce, property, child support and custody;

4. Building coalitions of government and civil society institutions;

5. Building the evidence base for advocacy and awareness;

6. Using behavior-change communication to achieve social change;

7. Integrating a focus on intimate partner violence into sexual and reproductive health services;

8. Promoting the social and economic empowerment of women and girls;

9. Building comprehensive services to respond to intimate partner violence survivors in communities;

10. Engaging men and boys to promote non-violence and gender equality;

11. Providing early-intervention services to at-risk families; and

12. Influencing knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of young people through life-skills programs such as classroom-based dating violence prevention programs.