Addressing specific forms and settings

  • Programmes sometimes tend to address violence against women and girls in a general manner, without acknowledging that different and specific forms of violence may require specific strategies (such as dating violence as opposed to violence against a woman by her husband), also tailored to the particular settings in which they occur (such as within the home, in and around schools, on streets, in markets and public spaces, at places of employment, or in detention facilities, etc.) and to how various population sub-groups (adolescents, indigenous, disabled, rural, HIV-positive, displaced, etc.) might experience or be affected by it differently.
  • Interventions should be based on a clear understanding (via research and data collection) on the specific context in which violence takes place for effective programme design and implementation, with knowledge about specific forms, settings and population groups affected. For example, sexual abuse against women and girls with disabilities requires particular attention, since such violence may not be well-documented or adequately addressed by laws and policies, and tailored approaches for this group may be non-existent or incipient. Participatory assessments are a sound method of grasping the specific manifestations and context of violence against women in the area and community where programme implementation is planned.