Oxfam’s Creating Spaces and Amplify Change projects aimed to reduce violence against women and girls, foster women’s economic empowerment and shift social norms to promote women’s and girls’ rights. Following the socio-ecological model on violence prevention, both projects applied a multi-pronged, multi-stakeholder approach, at the individual, household, community and societal/institutional levels. Local partner organizations, with support from Oxfam country offices and Oxfam Canada, implemented both projects.

Women and girls experiencing intimate partner and family violence are often financially dependent on their abusers, and thus disempowered to change their circumstance. The devastating economic impacts and lockdowns associated with COVID-19 have only exacerbated matters, leading to a significant global rise in cases of violence against women and girls and an unpaid care burden on women and girls.

Global evidence affirms that strengthening women’s economic autonomy is fundamental to breaking the cycles of violence. However, these efforts can be futile and even increase harms to women if the structural barriers and fundamental norms that drive gender inequalities and violence at the household, community and workplace remain intact.