What Works to Prevent Violence - Malawi Moyo Olemekeza

According to the 2016 Malawi Demographic and Health Survey, 42% of ever-married women aged 15 - 49 have experienced spousal physical, sexual, or emotional violence by their current or most recent spouse, and a third (33%) of ever-married women experienced at least one of these forms of violence in the 12 months before the survey. Overall, 41% of all women (whether they have ever been married or not) have experienced physical or sexual violence. Despite these high levels of violence against women and girls (VAWG), there are a limited number of evidence-based interventions focused on preventing VAW adapted and evaluated in Malawi.

The PKN programme in Malawi will implement two evidence based prevention models. The first is SASA! Together, the most recent revision of the SASA! Activist Kit, an evidence-based community mobilisation approach developed by Raising Voices in 2008. It aims to change social norms across the community, impacting how community members think about violence against women and about how they use their power in their intimate relationships and in the broader community. The institutional strengthening components create an enabling environment. The second is the MO approach which is a family-based, women's economic and social empowerment approach. It has been adapted from Zindagii Shoista, another evidence-based approach implemented and evaluated in Tajikistan, which comprises a combination of gender norm, behavioural change and income-generating activities.

This protocol outlines the parameters of an evaluation of the added effect of the economic empowerment component, MO, on levels of violence against women in aged 18-49 in two districts of Malawi that are also receiving SASA! Together.

The primary research question in this study is:

\- What is the additional value of adding a women's social and economic empowerment programme (MO) for (randomly selected eligible) households with a female aged 18-49 in a heterosexual couple in communities that are already receiving SASA! Together across two districts in Malawi (Balaka and Lilongwe)?

To answer this research question, the study will implement a 2-arm quasi-experimental cRCT designed to capture the added value of the MO program (intervention households) over the SASA! Together program (control households). Implementation of SASA! Together has begun in 7 GVHs across Chadza and Nkaya in April 2025. For operational ease, the research and implementation team will split their activities in GVH Nkaya into two sub-GVHs - Nkaya North and South - effectively giving us 8 GVHs.

• Indicator for Past year experience of physical violence from a partner (among women who have had an intimate partner in the past year) [Срок оценки: 12 months]
• Indicator for Past year experience of sexual violence from a partner (among women who have had an intimate partner in the past year) [Срок оценки: 12 months]
• Indicator for Past year experience of emotional violence from a partner (among women who have had an intimate partner in the past year) [Срок оценки: 12 months]
• Indicator for Past year experience of controlling behaviour from a partner (among women who have had an intimate partner in the past year) [Срок оценки: 12 months]
• Index for Acceptability of intimate partner violence (among all women and men separately). [Срок оценки: From time of implementation to endline assessment is 3 years]
• Index of Appropriate community response to women experiencing IPV in past year (among all women and men separately) [Срок оценки: From time of implementation to endline assessment is 3 years]
• Food Insecurity Index using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (among all women and men separately) [Срок оценки: 4 weeks]
• Index of Income Earned in the past 4 weeks (among all women and men separately) [Срок оценки: 4 weeks]
• Indicators of Mental Health [Срок оценки: From time of implementation to endline assessment is 3 years]
• Index of Women's equal decision-making power over the generation and use of income and assets (among all women and men separately). [Срок оценки: From time of implementation to endline assessment is 3 years]
• Index of Acceptability of women working outside the home (among all women and men separately). [Срок оценки: From time of implementation to endline assessment is 3 years]