Paper short abstract:

This paper offers a framework for mainstreaming a framework to end violence against women and girls (VAWG). In doing so it highlights the value of the anthropological imagination in understanding the multiple power relationships and discourses that prevent success.

Paper long abstract:

Sustainable Development Goal 5 states: 'Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls'. Within that goal are 9 targets whose common objective is to end gender inequality in all its forms, including violence against women and girls (VAWG). Two targets are focused on VAWG: 5.2 is Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls and 5.3 is Eliminate all harmful practices. There is ongoing debate on the targets, e.g. the need to remove any age caps, thereby to acknowledge that violence can and does occur at all stages of a woman's life, from earliest childhood into oldest age.

While there are many examples of programmes, polices and conventions to end VAWG, we argue that without a systematic model for mainstreaming an end to VAWG we will not see SDG 5 and its targets achieved.

There is no agreed, commonly applied approach to mainstreaming VAWG prevention into sectoral and multisectoral programmes addressing aspects of access to justice (ATJ). Such action can be aided by building partly on best practice, lessons learned and indeed failures of gender mainstreaming. Other guidance can be provided by the programmes supported by DFID, one of whose four pillars is addressing VAWG in all its manifestations, and other country, civil society and development partners dedicating to preventing and mitigating VAWG and to developing an evidence base to inform future action. This paper explores what a mainstreaming approach might look like and offer some practical examples of how and where it might be applied.