Sexual and gender-based violence
Our sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) work focuses on investments across three interconnected pillars. First, we support prevention efforts that address the root causes of violence and aim to stop it before it occurs. Second, we invest in support and response services that provide both immediate assistance and long-term care for survivors. Third, we promote access to justice by strengthening legal protections and accountability mechanisms to ensure survivors’ rights are upheld.
Our impact
Invested in more than
32 unique innovations
in 26 countries
Reached more than
1.7 million
people with supports that help them access prevention, assistance and access to justice
Improved the lives of more than
400,000
with direct services and interventions
Saved more than
200 lives
through critical support and protection services
Spotlight: Ujamaa Africa-Kenya
Preventing sexual violence through empowerment training
In Kenya, where 1 in 4 adolescent girls faces sexual assault during her school years, Ujamaa-Africa is proving that prevention is possible. Their Empowerment Transformation Training is a 6-week, 12-hour school-based program that teaches girls aged 10–19 boundary-setting, verbal assertiveness, and physical self-defence. Boys are also trained through the Hero in Me program to challenge harmful norms and intervene when they witness violence. Since 2019, with support from Grand Challenges Canada, Ujamaa has reached over 115,000 students, with more than 26,000 girls reporting they’ve successfully used the skills to protect themselves, and over 11,000 boys reporting that they’ve stepped in to stop assaults. The model is now being adapted for national scale-up in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the Teachers Service Commission.
Portfolio Breakdown
Our sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) work focuses on investments across three interconnected pillars:
Prevention:
Interventions that address root causes and prevent violence before it occurs
Support & response:
Services that provide immediate and long-term care for survivors
Access to justice:
Mechanisms to ensure accountability and strengthen legal protections
What We Measure
Measuring the prevalence of SGBV is inherently complex and sensitive, largely due to underreporting and restrictive legal definitions. Rather than relying on prevalence data, this portfolio tracks meaningful change across four key dimensions:
Women and girls:
Measuring change in relation to women’s agency. Questions typically centre on decision making in a household, access to services, communities and networks, change in knowledge, etc. School attendance, early marriages and pregnancies are metrics often tracked for younger girls.
Men and boys:
Measuring change in relation to men’s attitudes and behaviours – Identifies the extent to which boys or men agree with a set of statements or beliefs on the role of men and women in a household.
Family and community:
Measuring change in relation to community attitudes and norms. We seek to capture the social acceptability of violence and gender-based norms which encourage it.
Use and quality of services:
Measuring change in use and quality of services. Given the importance of survivors accessing effective support, both in terms of their own recovery and access to justice, but also in terms of creating a deterrent for potential perpetrators, this can be an important area in which to track change.
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