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Social Norms

Our guide to key resources to support your work

Social 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.

Multimedia resources

Video

Once Upon a Boy

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Video

Once Upon a Girl

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Infographic

Addressing Social Norms to Prevent GBV

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Webinar

Tackling Gender Norms through Media

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Social Norms Programmes

Key programmes that aim to prevent violence through social norms change

SASA!

Indashyikirwa

All social norms resources

  • prevention collaborative resources
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Training Curricula

Stepping Stones Training Manual Adapted for South Africa

Stepping Stones is a workshop series designed as a tool to help promote sexual health, improve psychological well-being and prevent HIV. The workshops address questions ...
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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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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...

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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,...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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