Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) is not inevitable—it is preventable. At its core, SGBV is a product of inequality, power imbalance, and harmful social norms. While responding to survivors is critical, long-term peace and justice can only be achieved through prevention and systemic change.
Understanding Prevention
Prevention means addressing the root causes of violence before it occurs. It involves transforming societal attitudes, empowering vulnerable groups, and building systems that protect and promote gender equity. It’s not just about stopping violence—it’s about creating environments where violence is never an option.
Key Strategies for Prevention and Eradication
- Education and Awareness
Promoting gender equality and respectful relationships from an early age is crucial. Schools, communities, and faith-based institutions must be involved in teaching about consent, boundaries, and dignity for all. - Community Engagement
Change begins at the grassroots. Involving local leaders, traditional institutions, and youth in dialogue helps challenge cultural beliefs that normalize violence and silence victims. - Strengthening Laws and Policies
Governments must enact and enforce laws that protect all individuals, especially women and girls. This includes clear legislation on rape, domestic violence, harassment, and child marriage. - Empowering Women and Girls
Economic empowerment, education, and leadership training for women and girls reduce vulnerability to abuse and increase their capacity to advocate for their rights. - Involving Men and Boys
Prevention must include men and boys as allies. Campaigns and mentorship programs can help them unlearn toxic masculinity and become champions for gender justice. - Accessible Reporting and Support Systems
Confidential, survivor-centered services like hotlines, safe shelters, medical care, and legal aid must be available and easy to access for all, especially in rural areas.
The Role of the Renaissance Foundation for Peacebuilders
At the Renaissance Foundation for Peacebuilders, we are committed to a future free from SGBV. Through our peace clubs, outreach campaigns, advocacy programs, and partnerships, we are working tirelessly to shift mindsets, empower communities, and support survivors.
We believe prevention is possible when we all work together—families, schools, faith communities, governments, and civil society.
What You Can Do
- Speak out against violence when you see it.
- Support survivors with compassion and confidentiality.
- Volunteer or donate to organizations fighting SGBV.
- Educate yourself and others about rights and responsibilities.
- Challenge harmful gender norms in your own circles.
Together, We Can End SGBV
Eradicating SGBV is not just a dream—it’s a duty. By preventing violence before it happens and ensuring justice when it does, we build a safer, stronger society for all. Let’s not wait for change. Let’s be the change.
