The prevention of violence against women and girls through changes in behaviours, practices and attitudes is a core strategic priority of the UN Trust Fund, and one of the three outcome areas in its Strategic Plan 2021-2025.
Between 2021 and 2024, an average of 80% of initiatives supported by the UN Trust Fund per year included strategies to prevent violence against women and girls.
In the same period, grantee partners engaged 39,261 community leaders, 7,325 faith leaders, 11,843 traditional leaders and 16,702 youth leaders to publicly advocate for changes in behaviours, practices and attitudes towards violence against women and girls, including changing harmful practices.
Almost 361,000 women and girls were supported between 2021 and 2024 to build skills and capacities in self-efficacy, agency, assertiveness and self-confidence through support from UN Trust Fund grantees (for example, through economic and social empowerment initiatives as a protective factor against violence against women and girls). An average of 316 evidence and/or practice-based methodologies, approaches or models were developed and/or implemented every year to achieve or advance changes in behaviour and social norms aimed at preventing violence against women and girls through UN Trust Fund grantees.
For instance, in 2024, Leap Girl Africa used podcast and in-person sessions with couples in Cameroon to foster dialogue and reflection within intimate partnerships, helping challenge harmful beliefs about gender roles and redefine what healthy, equitable relationships can look like. The intervention led to measurable shifts in social norms and reported rates of emotional and physical intimate partner violence nearly halved within three months. Jan Sahas in India established balika panchayats (girls' councils) that engaged 1,542 girls in leadership development, equipping them with legal literacy and negotiation skills. They also conducted awareness sessions for men and boys addressing issues such as consent. School-based programmes reached 23,498 students.
The prevention of violence against women and girls through changes in behaviours, practices and attitudes is a core strategic priority of the UN Trust Fund, and one of the three outcome areas in its Strategic Plan 2021-2025.
Between 2021 and 2024, an average of 80% of initiatives supported by the UN Trust Fund per year included strategies to prevent violence against women and girls.
In the same period, grantee partners engaged 39,261 community leaders, 7,325 faith leaders, 11,843 traditional leaders and 16,702 youth leaders to publicly advocate for changes in behaviours, practices and attitudes towards violence against women and girls, including changing harmful practices.
Almost 361,000 women and girls were supported between 2021 and 2024 to build skills and capacities in self-efficacy, agency, assertiveness and self-confidence through support from UN Trust Fund grantees (for example, through economic and social empowerment initiatives as a protective factor against violence against women and girls). An average of 316 evidence and/or practice-based methodologies, approaches or models were developed and/or implemented every year to achieve or advance changes in behaviour and social norms aimed at preventing violence against women and girls through UN Trust Fund grantees.
For instance, in 2024, Leap Girl Africa used podcast and in-person sessions with couples in Cameroon to foster dialogue and reflection within intimate partnerships, helping challenge harmful beliefs about gender roles and redefine what healthy, equitable relationships can look like. The intervention led to measurable shifts in social norms and reported rates of emotional and physical intimate partner violence nearly halved within three months. Jan Sahas in India established balika panchayats (girls' councils) that engaged 1,542 girls in leadership development, equipping them with legal literacy and negotiation skills. They also conducted awareness sessions for men and boys addressing issues such as consent. School-based programmes reached 23,498 students.