Reducing violence against women and girls in a time of crisis: an impact evaluation of a gender-based violence prevention program in Haiti
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN12311597 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN12311597 |
| Secondary identifying numbers | 091616 |
- Submission date
- 28/03/2024
- Registration date
- 02/04/2024
- Last edited
- 02/04/2024
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Other
Plain English Summary
Background and study aims
A 2013 World Health Organization (WHO) report on the global and regional prevalence of violence against women estimates that 35% of women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence at the hands of an intimate partner or a non-partner at some point in their lives. Interventions to prevent and respond to VAWG use multiple approaches to reduce violence. Recent reviews suggest that programs involving community mobilization are among the most promising and show significant evidence of reducing rates of IPV (Ellsberg et al. 2014). Community mobilization interventions aim to reduce violence at the population level through changes in public discourse, behaviors, and social norms regarding gender and violence. The principle aim of this study is to evaluate the combined effectiveness of community mobilization approach, using the SASA!, Power to Girls and Safe and Capable methodologies/resource packs, on preventing violence against women and girls (VAWG), as implemented by Beyond Borders (BB) in Haiti.
Who can participate?
Women and girls aged 15-64 years resident in selected communities within the intervention (La Valle) or comparison (Marigot) Communes
What does the study involve?
Three waves of cross-sectional data collection (quantitative and qualitative) within intervention and control communities where the intervention is a multi-level community mobilization activity about shifting power and reducing violence.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
There are no specific individual benefits but the overall benefits are increased local and international knowledge about what works to prevention violence against women and girls. The risks include potential distress from recounting experiences of violence and familial/societal consequences if experiences of violence are disclosed due to breaches in confidentiality.
Where is the study run from?
The Global Women's Institute at George Washington University (USA)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
August 2016 to July 2022
Who is funding the study?
Novo Foundation (Denmark)
Inter-American Development Bank (USA)
United Nations Trust Fund (USA)
Who is the main contact?
Maureen Murphy, maureenmurphy@gwu.edu
Contact information
Public, Scientific, Principal Investigator
2140 G Street, NW
Washington
20001
United States of America
 ORCID ID |
0000-0002-3507-7564 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +1 2029147251 |
| maureenmurphy@gwu.edu |
Study information
| Study design | Mixed-methods quasi-experimental community-based evaluation |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Interventional |
| Secondary study design | Non randomised study |
| Study setting(s) | Community |
| Study type | Prevention |
| Participant information sheet | Not available in web format, please use contact details to request a participant information sheet |
| Scientific title | A quasi-experimental evaluation of a community mobilization to reduce experiences of intimate partner violence among women and girls in rural Haiti |
| Study acronym | CMIPVH |
| Study hypothesis | Residing in a community receiving the Rethinking Power program will reduce reported experiences of past 12 months intimate partner violence amongst women and girls (VAWG) compared to women and girls living in communities that do not receive the Rethinking Power program |
| Ethics approval(s) |
1. Approved 04/11/2016, George Washington University (1922 F Street NW, Washington, 20052, United States of America; +1 202-994-2715; ohrirb@gwu.edu), ref: 091616-27827 2. Approved 24/01/2017, Comite National de Bioethique (National Bioethics Committee) (29, 1 avenue du Travail, Port-au-Prince, -, Haiti; +509 4432-8401; nfo@mspp.gouv.ht), ref: 161711 |
| Condition | Prevention of intimate partner violence in women and girls |
| Intervention | The intervention is a multi-level, community-based program that uses a community mobilization approach to change attitudes and social norms around gender and violence. The control was no treatment. The intervention was implemented over the course of a 4 year period and includes three components: 1. Originally developed by Raising Voices in Uganda, SASA! is a methodology implemented over the course of three to five years to mobilize entire communities to change social norms to prevent VAWG. Through benefits-based activism, gender power analysis, a phased process of change, and holistic community engagement, organization staff and a pool of community activists and leaders create a process of community-wide social norms change. The role of staff is largely to identify, train and support community-based activists and leaders throughout the entire phased process of change. Community-based activists and leaders become protagonists in the change process in their own communities. Community Activists are a diverse group of women and men who lead informal activities in their everyday lives that encourage their families, neighbors, and others to rethink how they use their power. Community Leaders are a group of religious and community leaders, service providers, business leaders, and other influential people who use their roles and platforms to influence and to lead by example, encourage other leaders to do the same, and establish a new normal in communities where violence is not tolerated. The engagement and support of these activists and leaders is central to community change. Each uses particular materials, such as discussion-based posters, comic strips, games, and dramas, to lead conversations in their own circles of influence. 2. Completing the SASA! methodology, Power to Girls combines girl-centered programming with a community-wide and school-wide social norms change process that highlights the role of parents and caregivers. Power to Girls is designed to (1) decrease violence against girls, (2) increase girls’ sense of safety, and (3) increase their freedom to make decisions; it does this by combining multiple violence-prevention strategies. Community based activists, leaders, girls' group mentors, and school personnel are identified, trained and supported by staff through the phased process of change. They, in turn, use engaging materials in their own circles of influence to create change, such as discussion-based posters, dramas, quick chats for parents and caregivers, girls' group mentor manuals, and school curriculum that is carefully connected to Haitian school curricula. 3. Safe and Capable is a resource pack designed to prevent violence against women and girls with disabilities by mobilizing the entire community to protect their rights and well-being. Safe and Capable includes tools and activities to help community members examine the power imbalances between women and men, girls and boys, and between people with disabilities and those without disability. Community groups and other stakeholders can use these resources to change what community members know, how they feel and what they do to prevent violence against women and girls with disabilities. |
| Intervention type | Behavioural |
| Primary outcome measure | 1. Past 12 months experiences of physical or sexual intimate partner violence measured using the WHO domestic violence module at baseline, 2 years and 4 years |
| Secondary outcome measures | 1. Past 12 months experiences of emotional or economic intimate partner violence measured using the WHO domestic violence module at baseline, 2 years and 4 years 2. Gender Equitable Attitudes using the WHO domestic violence module at baseline, 2 years and 4 years 3. Acceptance of Violence using the WHO domestic violence module at baseline, 2 years and 4 years 4. Experiences of non-partner sexual violence using the WHO domestic violence module at baseline, 2 years and 4 years |
| Overall study start date | 19/08/2016 |
| Overall study end date | 30/07/2022 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Population |
|---|---|
| Age group | Mixed |
| Lower age limit | 15 Years |
| Upper age limit | 64 Years |
| Sex | Female |
| Target number of participants | 6000 |
| Total final enrolment | 6500 |
| Participant inclusion criteria | 1. Be women aged 15 to 64 years old 2. Currently reside in one of the selected sites of the study (La Valle or the comparison communities) 3. Usually either live in the selected household, be visiting the household and been sleeping there for at least 4 weeks, or be working as a domestic servant in the household and usually sleeps there for at least 5 nights a week). |
| Participant exclusion criteria | 1. Be unable to speak one of the languages of survey administration; nor 2. Be mentally incompetent, seriously ill, or deaf. |
| Recruitment start date | 03/03/2017 |
| Recruitment end date | 30/07/2022 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- Haiti
Study participating centre
Port-au-Prince
None
Haiti
Sponsor information
University/education
2121 I St NW
Washington
20052
United States of America
| Phone | +1 (202) 994-1000 |
|---|---|
| gwomen@gwu.edu | |
| Website | http://www.gwu.edu/ |
"ROR" |
https://ror.org/00y4zzh67 |
Funders
Funder type
Charity
Private sector organisation / Trusts, charities, foundations (both public and private)
- Alternative name(s)
- NoVo
- Location
- United States of America
No information available
No information available
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | 01/09/2024 |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | Yes |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Available on request |
| Publication and dissemination plan | Planned publication in a high impact peer reviewed journal |
| IPD sharing plan | The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study will be available upon request from Maureen Murphy - maureenmurphy@gwu.edu. |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Protocol file | 16/10/2016 | 02/04/2024 | No | No |
Additional files
Editorial Notes
28/03/2024: Trial's existence confirmed by George Washington University.
