Launching VAMOS! to help prevent violence against women

This International Women’s Day, we’re helping to challenge social norms to reduce the threat of violence against women

According to federal government data, Piauí is one of the Brazilian states with the highest levels of violence against women and girls (VAWG). Challenging the social norms which embed and legitimise this behaviour is crucial for helping to combat this violence. Working together with the sub-national government in the state and the World Bank, we are building the capacity of key stakeholders in Piauí state to effectively respond to VAWG.

In an initiative funded through the Umbrella Facility for Gender Equality (UFGE), a multi-donor fund managed by the World Bank’s Gender and Development Group, we have adapted the well-regarded SASA! toolkit for prevention of violence against women for use in Brazil. Originally developed by the NGO Raising Voices for use in Uganda, the toolkit is oriented around community-level activism, engaging with men and young people to strengthen prevention of VAWG.

During the adaptation process, we translated the training materials from English to Brazilian Portuguese, focusing in particular on making the materials culturally appropriate to be used in the region. Following a training carried out last summer in Piauí using a draft adaptation, the VAMOS! toolkit is ready for launch.

The Government of Piauí is officially launching the toolkit this International Women’s Day, 8 March, during an event in Piauí’s capital of Teresina. In the following weeks, we will lead a mini-pilot implementation of VAMOS! in two Piauí locations, Teresina and Cocal de Telha, to raise awareness of the toolkit and test real-life implementation.

Photo:  Kleber Cordeiro/Shutterstock.com

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