“Media campaigns have proven successful in increasing knowledge of intimate partner violence and influencing attitudes towards gender norms, but less is known about their ability to reduce violent behaviour, as it is difficult to measure potential changes in levels of violence associated with media interventions.” – WHO, 2009. Promoting Gender Equality to Prevent Violence against Women
Unfortunately, only few evaluations of VAW campaigns are available to the general public. Hence, little is known about the impact of campaigns in terms of an actual reduction of the prevalence of violence against women and girls. This is only partly due to the complexity of change in violent behaviour. A second factor is the dearth of quality evaluation reports that are disseminated so as to share learning.
Issues related to evaluations of campaigns to end VAW
- Most high quality evaluations that have been published are from the “Global North”, i.e. USA, Europe, Australia. Few “Southern” campaigns have published their findings. Among them are “Sexto Sentido” (Puntos de Encuentro, Nicaragua), Soul City (South Africa), “Is this justice?” (Breakthrough, India, February-April 2007) linking HIV/AIDS and gender-based violence, “We Can” (Oxfam, South Asia, since 2004) on VAW, the ADFM campaign on the Moroccan family code and the 16 Days campaign in the Andean region (UNIFEM, 2004-2007). See all below.
- Campaigns focusing on institutional change related to VAW rarely publish evaluations. All evaluations quoted below assess behaviour-change campaigns.
- Most common are outcome evaluations by independent research or consulting agencies that focus on the link between exposure to campaign communications on the one hand, and knowledge/awareness, attitude and behaviour-change on the other hand.
- Most evaluations use a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods, predominantly relying on quantitative surveys based on convenience samples and focus group discussions with members of the target audiences. The full range of methods, especially those suitable to media campaigns is seldom exploited. Academic evaluations tend to be more sophisticated and creative but may fail to deliver practical results that can serve other campaigners.
- Only few evaluations examine precisely the factors that caused the observed outcome.
Available evaluation reports on campaigns to end VAW:
16 days of activism in the Andean Region: Pesántez-Calle, Nidya (2008): Campaign Of 16 Days Of Activism Against Gender Violence, 2004-2007, Evaluation Document, UNIFEM.
Is this Justice? Multi-Media Campaign to Reduce Stigma Against Women Living with HIV/AIDS: Summary of Campaign Evaluation, Breakthrough, India.
Bursting the Bubble website campaign for teenagers: Young People’s Views: Learnings from Burstingthebubble.com, Domestic Violence Resource Centre Victoria, Australia, 2005.
Domestic Violence Campaign – Malta Case Study, Baldacchino, C., Local Councils Association, Malta.
Freedom From Fear Campaign: Gibbons, Leonie/Paterson, Donna: Freedom from Fear. Campaign against Domestic Violence: An innovative Approach to Reducing Crime, Australia, 2000. Paper presented at the Conference Reducing Criminality: Partnerships and Best Practice convened by the Australian Institute of Criminology, in association with the WA Ministry of Justice, Department of Local Government, Western Australian Police Service and Safer WA.
It’s against all the rules: Hubert, Carol (2002): Violence against Women: It’s against all the rules, Evaluation of the NSW Statewide Campaign to Reduce Violence against Women, Violence against Women Specialist Unit, NSW Attorney General’s Department, 2002.
WE CAN Campaign, South Asia, Oxfam: Michaela Raab (2009): The We Can End All Violence against Women Campaign in Oxfam Novib Policy and Practice, available on demand request from Oxfam Novib. Download the external evaluation.
MyStrength Campaign by Men Can Stop Rape Washington, D.C. and the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault: Kim, Allegra & White, Mina (2008): Evaluation of California’s MyStrength Campaign and MOST Clubs: Summary of Preliminary Findings on Attitudes and School Climate, California Department of Public Health Epidemiology and Prevention for Injury Control Branch.
New Family Code Campaign (Morocco) - ADFM (2007): Post-test qualitatif de la campagne de communication ADFM.
One Man Can campaign: Colvin, Christopher J., (2009): Report on the Impact of Sonke Gender Justice Network’s “One Man Can” Campaign in the Limpopo, Eastern Cape and Kwa-Zulu Natal Provinces, South Africa, Sonke Gender Justice Network.
Raising Voices Program Tools: Ruff, Simonne (2005): Evaluation Report. Raising Voices Program Tools, prepared for Raising Voices.
Rheingold, Alyssa A. et al. (2007): Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse: Evaluation of a Community Media Campaign, in Child Maltreatment, 12 (4), pp.: 352-363.
Somos diferentes, somos iguales, Sexto Sentido, Puntos de Encuentro (Nicaragua): Puntos de Encuentro, CIDS/UNAN León, PATH, Horizons Program (2008): Propiciando cambio personal y social alrededor del género, sexualidad y VIH: Evaluación de impacto de la estrategia de comunicación de Puntos de Encuentro en Nicaragua. Also available in English.
Stop it Now! Vermont available as a case study on Tools of Change.
University Campus Campaign on Sexual Violence (USA) - Potter, Sharyn J./ Moynihan, Mary M./ Stapleton, Jane G./Banyard, Victoria L. (2009): Empowering Bystanders to Prevent Campus Violence Against Women. A Preliminary Evaluation of a Poster Campaign, in Violence against Women, 15(1).
Zero Tolerance Poster Campaign (Edinburgh, England) - Kitzinger, Jenny (1994): Challenging Sexual Violence Against Girls: A Social Awareness Approach, in Child Abuse Review, 3, pp.: 246-258.
Stop Violence Against Women Campaign (global) - A Synthesis of the Learning from the Stop Violence Against Women Campaign 2004-10, Amnesty International, 2010.