Here is a selection of the latest evidence on violence against women and girls (VAWG):
CHILDHOOD VIOLENCE
Risk factors for childhood violence and poly-victimization (February 2019). This cross country analysis explores risk factors for childhood emotional (EV), physical (PV), sexual violence (SV) and polyvictimisation for children aged 13– 17 from nationally-representative Violence Against Children Surveys across six countries (Cambodia, Kenya, Haiti, Malawi, Nigeria, and Tanzania).
The results underscore that children often simultaneously suffer multiple forms of violence, with substantial heterogeneity of risk factors across countries, and a few notable trends.
Due to longer exposure, increasing age was associated with increased risk of lifetime SV among females and, to some extent, among males.
Associations with school enrolment were mixed among girls (protective in some settings and risky in others), consistent with existing literature.
Among boys, school enrolment tended to increase the risk of PV in half of the countries studied.
The lack of clear patterns across countries underscores the importance of context in understanding children’s experience of violence, as well as prioritising context-specific research on risk factors to inform prevention strategies.
HUMANITARIAN CRISES
Evidence from the 2014 Israeli Military Operation in Gaza (January, 2019). Using qualitative data from 21 group discussions and unique survey data from a representative crosssection of 439 women in the Gaza Strip, this study investigated how the Israeli military operation “Protective Edge” in 2014 influenced domestic violence, accounting for risk factors at different levels of the ecological model.
The results show that the military operation increased domestic violence. The analysis suggests that the mechanisms through which conflict increased levels of violence are displacement, a lowered ability of married women to contribute to household decision-making and reduced social support networks.
Risk factors for gender-based violence against Syrian refugees in Turkey (January 2019). This qualitative study explores risks of gender-based violence against Syrian adolescent girls and young women in Turkey, including how risks are shaped by displacement.
Syrian adolescent girls and young women expressed an increased sense of vulnerability to violence since their displacement. Women reported pressure to marry or work by their families, both of which they perceived to increase the risks of violence.
