The SVRI, with support from GIZ, launched a special funding window to support former SVRI Grant Partners to conduct a six-month research project on gender-based violence and thus strengthen evidence-building in Southern Africa (SADC region). The seven resulting projects were guided by the priorities outlined in the Africa Shared Research Agenda.

Background

Despite increasing global recognition of gender-based violence (GBV) as a critical public health and human rights issue, this has not resulted in adequate investment to build the field. Recent research reveals that funding for GBV research and programming remains disproportionate to the scale of the issue, resulting in significant knowledge gaps around effective interventions and prevention strategies. Globally, the investment in GBV research and evidence generation is insufficient, and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region is no exception.

To guide research funding more strategically, SVRI and UN Women, through an extensive consultative process with hundreds of regional stakeholders, developed the Africa Shared Research Agenda (ASRA). This participatory initiative identified 49 priority research questions across five domains, addressing regional needs and amplifying underrepresented perspectives. ASRA provides a critical framework for SADC researchers, funders, and policymakers to plan research, secure funding, and prioritise evidence-based solutions.

Building on this foundation, SVRI, with funding from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, launched a special funding window to support previous SVRI Grant Partners to conduct a six-month research project and strengthen evidence-building in the SADC guided by the priorities outlined in ASRA. This initiative aligns with the region’s Regional Strategy and Framework of Action for Addressing Gender-Based Violence (2018–2030) and aims to catalyse progress in GBV prevention across the region.

The project is supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), through the “Partnerships of Prevention of GBV in Southern Africa (PfP)” regional component (GIZ Botswana and SADC).

Outputs

Seven research projects were commissioned as part of this initiative. These projects were conducted across the region and include two systematic reviews, spanning diverse topics such as technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV), school-based prevention, community responses, and risk factors for violence for young people. 

1. TFGBV Prevention and Response Interventions – Emory University

This systematic review and accompanying Evidence Gap Map provide an overview of TFGBV prevention and response interventions to assess which approaches are working. The review includes only studies with quantitative evaluations with a control group. It does not include studies based solely on qualitative evaluations or quantitative studies without a control group. The review found 37 such studies on TFGBV interventions, and only two were from LMICs.  

Most interventions focused on prevention, delivered either in-person or online, and often targeted youth. The types of violence studied included cyber dating abuse, hate speech, grooming, child sexual abuse material, and online harassment, though newer forms like sextortion and doxxing were not covered. Results differed substantially across types of TFGBV.

Interventions on CSAM and hate speech perpetration tended to show positive effects, whereas interventions on cyber dating abuse and grooming (perpetration or victimisation) tended to show null effects. Future research should expand to understudied forms of TFGBV, include diverse populations, test longer-term impacts, and increase research in low- and middle-income countries. 

2. Preventing GBV in Schools – Stellenbosch University

This systematic review and accompanying Evidence Gap Map collate available research on school-based gender-based violence (GBV) prevention programmes in 50 low- and middle-income countries – 15 of them in the SADC region – to identify which approaches are being used in educational settings.

Results suggest that programmes mainly focus on knowledge and attitudes, leaving major evidence gaps around broader strategies such as laws and governance, school governance, creating safe environments, parenting support, and economic strengthening. 

3. Walking School Bus Pilot in South Africa – Human Sciences Research Council

This brief examines how the Walking School Bus (WSB), an intervention model designed to make school travel safer for learners in high-risk areas, evolved after the pilot, highlighting factors that shaped sustainability and community perceptions. The WSB addressed gaps between learner transport policy and rural realities, where many children still walk unsafe distances to school.

Findings show it is a practical, low-cost intervention that improves safety, psychosocial well-being, and school readiness. After the pilot ended, the WSB shifted from a stipend-supported, daily programme to a volunteer-led model operating twice a week. Over time, it expanded beyond supervised walking to include homework help, reading clubs, and informal aftercare, evolving into a broader system of community-based support.

The study suggests community-based initiatives remain viable when they meet locally recognised needs and deliver meaningful benefits, but these often require long-term funding to be sustainable long-term.

4. IPV Risks Among Adolescent and Young Mothers in South Africa – Centre for Social Science Research

This study examines the risk and protective factors shaping intimate partner violence (IPV) among adolescent and young mothers, who face overlapping vulnerabilities such as early pregnancy, HIV risk, and social disadvantage. Adolescent and young mothers are at a high risk of experiencing IPV, but also other types of familial, interpersonal, and community violence. These other experiences of violence, especially community violence and emotional abuse at home, make adolescent and young mothers more vulnerable to IPV.

More work is needed to understand these compounding forms of violence and the causal pathways through which these effects occur. Working at the intersection of preventing violence against women and violence against children is critical for the safety and well-being of adolescent and young mothers and their children. 

5. Technology-Facilitated Sexual Violence in Higher Education in South Africa – South African Medical Research Council & University of Exeter

This study investigates how and why male students in South African higher education spaces perpetrate TFGBV against women peers, focusing on the social and digital dynamics that shape these behaviours. Using interviews with male students, it explores emerging forms of online harm within higher-education settings. 

6. Motherhood and IPV Decision-Making in Botswana – Botswana Gender Based Violence Prevention and Support Centre

This study explores community perceptions in Botswana of the role of children and motherhood in women’s decisions to remain in or leave abusive intimate relationships. It examines the social norms and contextual factors shaping these choices to better inform GBV prevention and support efforts.

7. Impacts of Comprehensive Sexuality Education in Rural Madagascar – Projet Jeune Leader

This study explores how a comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) programme in rural Madagascar influences school climate, safety, and experiences of violence, drawing on perspectives from students, teachers, and CSE educators. It examines the broader educational and social impacts of delivering CSE in low-resource settings where evidence has been limited.