This evidence digest examines available documentation on three main issues: 1) whether and how targeted school-based GBV prevention and response initiatives can reduce boys’ perpetration of violence, in the present and into adulthood; 2) whether and how targeted school-based GBV prevention and response initiatives can decrease exposure to violence for girls, both in the short and long term; and 3) any evidence of improvements in educational outcomes for children who participate in school-based GBV prevention and response programs. The research is presented in the form of an annotated bibliography that is organized in three main sections according to these topics. Each section begins with an overall summary of the findings for the specific topic, followed by the bibliographic entries presented alphabetically by author.
The bibliography comprises the results of a preliminary online desk review of research published globally over the past 15 years, with particular attention to case studies and programs in low- and middle-income countries. It covers early childhood to tertiary education and examines both curriculum-based interventions and broader systemic efforts involving school policy, leadership, and teacher training. The interventions also include primary prevention with students–that is, efforts that tackle harmful gender norms and the root causes of GBV to prevent violence from occurring in the first place—as well initiatives aimed at increasing protective behaviours of teachers and students; raising awareness of students about their rights; and improving student access to GBV support services.