Social Norms
Our guide to key resources to support your workSocial norms are the unspoken rules that govern behaviours within a group, defining which behaviours are considered acceptable or desirable and which behaviours will be condoned, tolerated or condemned. VAW and VAC are sustained by norms that normalise and justify gender inequality and violence. This guide highlights key resources to increase your understanding on how harmful norms can be addressed to prevent VAW and VAC.
- Piecing Together the Evidence on Social Norms and Violence Against Women
- Social Norms and AYSRH: Building a Bridge from Theory to Programme Design
- Community-Based Norms Focused Interventions: Definition and Attributes
- Measuring Social Norms
- Applying Theory to Practice: Care’s Journey Piloting Social Norms Measures for Gender Programming
Multimedia resources
Social Norms Programmes
Key programmes that aim to prevent violence through social norms change
All social norms resources
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Prevention Stories
Lessons from Oxfam’s Bano Nayi Soch: Buno Hinsa Mukt Rishtey Campaign to Prevent Violence in India
Against the backdrop of India’s high rates of violence against women (VAW) and insufficient efforts to prevent it, in November 2016, Oxfam India launched the ...
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Practice Briefs
Shifting Social Norms in the Economy for Women’s Economic Empowerment
This document is a summary of the process and insights from the participants of a 2017 Practitioner Learning Group (PLG) on “Shifting Social Norms in ...
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Multimedia
Webinar: Tackling Gender Norms through Media
The power of the media to influence gender norms both towards greater equality and reinforcing discriminatory attitudes and behaviour has long been recognised. This webinar ...
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Working Papers and Reports
Community Activism Approaches to Shift Harmful Gender Attitudes, Roles and Social Norms
This evidence review evaluates the impact made through community activism across a range of settings—from rural areas and small towns of the Eastern Democratic Republic ...
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Working Papers and Reports
Redefining Norms to Empower Women: Experiences and Lessons Learned
This report documents CARE’s learnings in measuring social norms change through the Redefining Norms to Empower Women (ReNEW) project in Sri Lanka. Between 2014 and ...
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Research Basics
Quantitative Measurement of Gendered Social Norms
This guide by ALIGN gives an overview of quantitative approaches to measuring gendered social norms. It draws from existing practices in the field, such as ...
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Research Basics
Measuring Social Norms
This technical brief is useful to both researchers and programmers to understand what the social norms are, and how they are related to HIV and ...
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Working Papers and Reports
Social Norms and AYSRH: Building a Bridge from Theory to Programme Design
This document provides guidance to support programmers to implement norms-shifting approaches, specifically to improve adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health. It unpacks theory and ...
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Tools and Guidance
A Guide for Faith Communities to Prevent Violence and HIV
This guide by the Raising Voices adapts the SASA! Activist Kit to guide faith communities to come together to prevent violence against women and HIV. ...
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Study Summaries
Impact of Indashyikirwa in Reducing IPV in Rwanda
This is a summary of the impact made by the Indashyikirwa intervention in reducing the experiences and perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV) in rural ...
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Prevention Stories
Lessons from Oxfam’s Bano Nayi Soch: Buno Hinsa Mukt Rishtey Campaign to Prevent Violence in India
Against the backdrop of India’s high rates of violence against women (VAW) and insufficient efforts to prevent it, in November...
Study Summaries
The Do Kadam Barabari Ki Ore Programme: Engaging Boys to Prevent Violence in Bihar, India
This intervention, targeting boys and young men aged 13–21, provided gender transformative life skills education and sports–coaching in Patna district,...
Study Summaries
The Do Kadam Barabari Ki Ore Violence Prevention Programme: Women’s Intervention in Bihar, India
This intervention targeted married women in existing village-level self-help groups (SHGs) in Nawada, Bihar. It provided gender transformative learning sessions...
Programme Summaries
The Do Kadam Barabari Ki Ore (Two Steps Towards Equality) Programme to Prevent VAW in Bihar, India
The Do Kadam Barabari Ki Ore (Two Steps Towards Equality) Programme was implemented to better understand what works to prevent...
Programme Summaries
Bandebereho Couples’ Intervention to Promote Male Engagement in Rwanda
The Bandebereho (or “role model”) intervention was based on Program P and part of the global MenCare fatherhood campaign. It...
Study Summaries
Bandebereho Couples’ Intervention to Promote Male Engagement in Rwanda
The Bandebereho (“role model”) intervention, adapted from Program P, aimed to promote positive fatherhood and gender equality amongst expectant fathers...
Programme Summaries
The Safe Homes and Respect for Everyone (SHARE) Programme in Rakai Uganda
The Safe Homes and Respect for Everyone (SHARE) intervention was a multi-component intimate partner violence (IPV) and HIV prevention programme...
Prevention Stories
Holistic Youth Development as a Life Course Approach to Violence Prevention
Globally, research shows that there is a close association between boy’s childhood exposure to violence and the perpetration of intimate...
Programme Summaries
The Indashyikirwa Programme, Rwanda
The Indashyikirwa programme aimed to reduce intimate partner violence (IPV) and improve the wellbeing of survivors in selected communities in...
Study Summaries
Integrating IPV and HIV prevention: Impacts of the SHARE Intervention in Uganda
This study evaluated the Safe Homes and Respect for Everyone (SHARE) intervention, a multi-component IPV and HIV prevention program integrated...
Prevention Stories
Holistic Youth Development as a Life Course Approach to Violence Prevention
Globally, research shows that there is a close association between boy’s childhood exposure to violence and the perpetration of intimate...
Practice Briefs
Strengthening Prevention Work with Men and Boys in Community Settings
Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 makes a global commitment to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls in...
Prevention Stories
Why Engaging Religious Scholars in Dialogue Could Hold the Key to Ending FGM in East Africa
When Maryam Sheikh joined the Population Council to work on preventing female genital mutilation (FGM) among the Somali population of...
Programme Summaries
The Indashyikirwa Programme, Rwanda
The Indashyikirwa programme aimed to reduce intimate partner violence (IPV) and improve the wellbeing of survivors in selected communities in...
Study Summaries
Bandebereho Couples’ Intervention to Promote Male Engagement in Rwanda
The Bandebereho (“role model”) intervention, adapted from Program P, aimed to promote positive fatherhood and gender equality amongst expectant fathers...
Study Summaries
Integrating IPV and HIV prevention: Impacts of the SHARE Intervention in Uganda
This study evaluated the Safe Homes and Respect for Everyone (SHARE) intervention, a multi-component IPV and HIV prevention program integrated...
Programme Summaries
The Safe Homes and Respect for Everyone (SHARE) Programme in Rakai Uganda
The Safe Homes and Respect for Everyone (SHARE) intervention was a multi-component intimate partner violence (IPV) and HIV prevention programme...
Prevention Stories
How Bicycles Started to Shift Gender Norms in Zaatari Refugee Camp
Zaatari refugee camp in northern Jordan is the size of a small city. Home to some 80,000 Syrian refugees, the...
Webinars
The Indashyikirwa Couples Intervention to prevent VAW in Rwanda
Erin Stern will present an overview of Indashyikirwa, a community IPV prevention programme that was implemented by CARE Rwanda, Rwanda...
Study Summaries
The Do Kadam Barabari Ki Ore Programme: Engaging Boys to Prevent Violence in Bihar, India
This intervention, targeting boys and young men aged 13–21, provided gender transformative life skills education and sports–coaching in Patna district,...
