A workshop, organized in collaboration with Partners for Prevention (P4P), UN Women and UNFPA, on prevention strategies around Gender-Based Violence (GBV), was conducted in Suva, Fiji on 3-4 December for UN personnel, government representatives and NGOs.  

The two-day workshop discussed ongoing initiatives in Fiji, considering global experiences and lessons learned in the work of Primary Prevention on GBV. It highlighted the unique strengths, experiences and areas of expertise of each organization to create an effective, comprehensive regional response to gender-based violence.

The objectives for the workshop were to deepen the participants understanding of Violence against Women and Girls, and the specific risk and protective factors related to different types of violence, and of prevention of GBV in the Pacific context. The workshop also included a review of prevention programming, monitoring and evaluation.

Facilitators of the workshop introduced the use of research and data to understand what needs to change, the risks and protective factors for victimization and perpetration, and why use of data is important to create programs and policies aimed at transformative change.

A Five Steps Guide for evidence and theory-based prevention programming prevention approaches was introduced.  It aims to stop violence before it starts, which is critical to decrease the overall prevalence of violence and to minimize long-term human, economic and public health costs of violence. The Five Steps Guide leads the practitioner through the formulation of effective GBV prevention programs that are grounded in evidence and theory.

The workshop introduced globally recognized prevention strategy and programs.  One project that achieved global recognition is the community based project of Stepping Stones, currently being implemented by the Foundation of the Peoples of the South Pacific.  Stepping Stones has provided a training package on HIV and AIDS, communication and relationship skills since 1995 where it was first launched by Strategies for Hope in Uganda. The training package enables work with women and men in communities through participatory methods on a range of issues such as HIV and AIDS, gender inequality, violence, and healthy relationships.    

The Change Project was also introduced as cutting edge research aims to bring to light the root cause of GBV and its relationship with masculinity. This initiative is driven by the fact that, in recent decades, violence has not decreased in Asia and the Pacific. The hope is that by understanding the root causes of violence more effective programming on Ending Violence against Women (EVAW) will be developed. Over 10,000 men and women are being surveyed in seven countries across Asia and the Pacific, providing a comprehensive and holistic picture of the social structures, underlying norms, attitudes and behavior causing GBV. 

At the end of the workshop, facilitators guided participants through working group discussions focused on various globally recognized and promising prevention programs and how those programs could contribute and be adapted into existing programing on GBV given the Fijian context.  As a result of the workshop, a national campaign is being developed between Foundation of the Peoples of the South Pacific, Empower Pacific, Save the Children and UN agencies.