Cima Evidence Brief #02: What Works in School-Based Prevention of Violence Against Girls?

Evidence from 71 studies shows that schools can play a central role in preventing violence against girls. Across studies, interventions produce meaningful and policy-relevant improvements in students knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to violence against girls, and they also reduce the prevalence of violence, although effects on prevalence tend to be smaller. Impacts are consistently positive across regions where results are on par with those found in higher-income countries. Among the different approaches, social norms theory approaches show the strongest impacts, followed by bystander models, behavioral interventions, and gender-transformative approaches.