From Awareness to Action ? Experimental Evidence on Challenges in Reducing School-Related Gender-Based Violence Through a Multi-Component Program in Zambia

Sophia Friedson-Ridenour, Wei Chang, Menaal Fatima Ebrahim, Anu Jose, Tara Bedi, Michael King, Musama Obbie, Kahilu Samuyachi, Carla Z Glave Barrantes and Yenny Chavarria Garcia

No 11245, Policy Research Working Paper Series from The World Bank

Abstract: School-related gender-based violence remains widespread in low- and middle-income countries, yet rigorous evidence on effective prevention strategies is limited. This study evaluates the Empowerment Pilot, a multi-component program designed to address school-related gender-based violence in Zambian secondary schools. Employing a mixed- methods approach, the study draws on quantitative data from a cluster randomized controlled trial involving more than 4,467 students across 90 schools, alongside qualitative research. The findings show that violence is prevalent, gendered, and normalized in schools. Although the program increased student discussions about violence, it did not reduce overall levels of violence. Implementation challenges and limited diffusion beyond club participants further limited program impact. The study highlights significant institutional and cultural barriers to reducing school-related gender-based violence and underscores the need for comprehensive, schoolwide strategies that strengthen accountability and address underlying social norms perpetuating violence in resource-constrained contexts.

Date: 2025-10-29
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-exp
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/0997033 ... e68-58a17959563c.pdf (application/pdf)
Our link check indicates that this URL is bad, the error code is: 404 Not Found (https://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099703310292539392/pdf/IDU-dfef41a9-b854-476e-9e68-58a17959563c.pdf [302 Found]--> http://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/099703310292539392/pdf/IDU-dfef41a9-b854-476e-9e68-58a17959563c.pdf [301 Moved Permanently]--> https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/099703310292539392/pdf/IDU-dfef41a9-b854-476e-9e68-58a17959563c.pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:11245

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in Policy Research Working Paper Series from The World Bank 1818 H Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20433. Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Roula I. Yazigi ().