Dear Colleagues,

Prevention of violence against women and children is a critical challenge to public health globally, as well as a social and human rights issue cutting across geographical, socioeconomic, and cultural boundaries. A large body of literature has identified the underlying drivers of, and risk factors operating at multiple levels (individual, relationship, community, and societal) for, the high rates of violence against women and children. Quantitative and qualitative research has demonstrated the negative effects of violence on the mental and physical health of women and child victims, and the link between exposure to violence as a child and the risk of violence as a victim or a person perpetrating violence as an adult. The focus has mainly been on responses and services for survivors due to the devastating effects on victims. Yet, we now have a global commitment through the inclusion of direct Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) violence targets to be achieved by 2030 to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls (SDG Target 5.2). Also included is the elimination of all harmful practices of child, early, and forced marriage and female genital mutilation (SDG Target 5.3), as well as significantly reducing all of forms of violence and related death rates everywhere (SDG Target 16.1) and ending abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and all forms of violence against children (SDG Target 16.2). 

The SDGs constitute a powerful violence prevention agenda that requires input from evidence-based research on what works to prevent the root causes of violence, including gender-based discrimination, social norms, and gender stereotypes that perpetuate violence. Research is needed to demonstrate how to address the root and structural causes of violence from early childhood and throughout the life span. Much still needs to be learned about proven interventions to prevent violence, including robust evaluations of primary prevention programs to build the evidence-base. Also of key importance is to find implementable solutions for all cultures, socioeconomic groups, and areas of the world.

This Special Issue seeks research papers that contribute to our understanding of violence prevention within the full range of intimate, familial, community, and societal contexts. We will include contributions from prevention, policy, and/or activism perspectives addressing all forms and types of violence against women and children, e.g., sexual violence, domestic abuse, ‘honor’-based violence, prostitution, trafficking, and/or reproductive violence and abuse. We encourage the submission of prevention work targeting prevention with those who perpetrate violence against women and children, and work with men and boys as this helps to accelerate progress in prevention. We welcome original research papers using a range of study designs including systematic reviews and meta-analyses as well interdisciplinary work and multi-country collaborative research. Outcome data for program or intervention evaluations must include a comparison or control group. The aim of this Special Issue is to show the breadth of work to inform practice, policy, and future research in order to create violence-free families, communities, and societies.

Dr. Mathilde Sengoelge
Guest Editor

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• violence against women and children
• prevention
• intervention
• evaluation