Safe at home: A mixed-methods, pre-post study to develop a family violence program model to prevent and respond to violence against women and children in the home in humanitarian settings

To date, the humanitarian community has largely focused on intimate partner violence and child maltreatment via separate and distinct interventions and strategies. While standalone programming can be effective, the effects of each type of programming can be magnified on other forms of violence in the home through a family violence approach. To fill this gap, the IRC conducted formative research in two countries, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Myanmar. The aim was to understand the factors that enable intimate partner violence against women, as well as the abuse, neglect and exploitation of children and other vulnerable household members, and how they are interrelated.

Following this learning, the IRC adapted programs for parenting and engaging men to better address shared drivers of violence in the home. A pre-post test was conducted in North Kivu, DRC. Significant, positive results were demonstrated in reductions in acceptance of harsh discipline, intimate partner violence, child maltreatment, and other outcomes. The IRC is now taking learning from this first iteration to adapt the Safe at Home approach and conduct a pilot randomized controlled trial in DRC to understand its causal impact on outcomes.