What Works to Prevent Violence Against Adolescent Girls in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Violence against women and girls is a human rights and public health concern that can affect women at every stage of life, with adolescence presenting a heightened period of risk for girls. Evidence is urgently needed to understand what works to prevent violence against adolescent girls and young women, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

This systematic review synthesised evidence from evaluations of interventions to prevent violence against adolescent girls and young women in LMICs, published between January 2015 and November 2023. Searches were conducted in February 2023 in English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese. Researchers included any evaluation of a program measuring either reductions in violence against adolescent girls and young women or changes in behaviors, attitudes, and norms related to violence.

Twenty-eight articles met the inclusion criteria, representing evidence from 24 different interventions. Approximately half of these interventions took an education and life skills approach, and a quarter used an income or economic strengthening approach. The vast majority of evidence in LMICs comes from the Sub-Saharan African and South Asian regions, with little or none from Middle-East and North Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, or West and Central Asia.

Effective interventions tend to have multiple components and include meaningful engagement of young people through participatory learning techniques, which allow for critical thinking to build positive gender attitudes and nonviolent behavior. Programs that center on change of norms and values, including community-based programs and interventions working with adolescent boys and young men, are promising and require further research.

Authors: Chelsea Ullman, Flavia Dutra and Shanaaz Mathews