BRAC’s five years strategic plan (2016-2020) endeavour includes understanding existing gaps in the interventions and envisioning stronger interventions. Although BRAC’s six programs viz., CEP, HRLS, GJ&D, BEP, MF and HNPP have huge outreach across Bangladesh for creating awareness and taking action against VAWC, these programs have worked separately to combat the issue. The VAWC project intends to work on a comprehensive VAWC model that would bring coordination among the existing components or platforms functional in four programs to address the violence in three areas: protection, prevention and rehabilitation. This intervention of the coordinated approach is currently being piloted in Cumilla and Gazipur district of Bangladesh. After completion of the intervention, RED has conducted this study to see the impact of the intervention as well as the effectiveness of the coordinated approach that the program applied. The end line survey was focused on intimate partner violence as well as violence against children, and the qualitative part explored how the coordinated approach is working in the field through combining different program’s interventions. The quantitative survey found limited success of the program’s impact on intimate partner violence and violence against children that are deeply rooted in patriarchal ideology. However, the qualitative study found effectiveness and promising aspects of the coordinated approach in the areas of reporting, legal justice, preventing early marriage, linkage with local government, journalists and community leaders, and reintegration. Taking insights from both of the studies, the research recommends exploring new means for creating awareness on patriarchal ideology, scaling up the interventions on a long-term basis as well as more advocacy with government and local leaders.
Authors: Nath, Samir Ranjan; Ali, Rumana; Naomi, Sharin Shajahan; Upoma, Raihana Azim
Type: Working Paper
Year: 2018
