Understanding the scale and forms of violence against women in a specific community is essential to developing an appropriate coordinated response. This information will help to identify the prevalence and incidence of violence in the community, the number of victims/survivors that will likely need services, the type of services or interventions they will need and the profile of perpetrators at whom to target prevention and intervention programmes.
A key aspect of a situational analysis is an examination of the prevailing socio-cultural norms, attitudes and practices of men and women toward gender equality, gender discrimination and sexuality, and the prevalence of other social inequalities that intersect with violence against women. This knowledge will shed light on the root causes and risk factors for violence against women as well as the consequences in the particular community, and can be invaluable to informing the development of a coordinated response.
The most common forms of violence against women will inform the most appropriate partners in the coordinated response and the actions that should be taken. Evidence of the degree to which a population or community is affected by violence against women may also be crucial to secure political support and/or funding for the development of a coordinated response.