Key Social Norms Take-aways The evaluation of the Communities Care program in Somalia offers rigorous evidence that collective reflection and community-driven action, rather than individual attitude change alone, can influence social norms around violence, family honor, and male entitlement. It also provides a validated social norms measurement tool that can be used in future violence prevention efforts. The findings underscore that even in conflict-affected environments, coordinated, theory-based, and participatory approaches can catalyze change at the community level.
Objectives The study evaluated the effectiveness of the Communities Care program in reducing harmful social norms associated with gender-based violence and increasing community confidence in survivor services in Mogadishu, Somalia.
Methods A longitudinal, community-based evaluation was conducted in two matched districts—one intervention and one control. Surveys were administered to randomly selected male and female residents (aged 15+) at baseline and endline over 24 months. The primary outcome was change in social norms, measured using the newly developed Social Norms and Beliefs about Gender-Based Violence Scale, with secondary outcomes including changes in personal beliefs and confidence in multisectoral gender-based violence response services.
Intervention Details Communities Care is a theory-driven, gender-transformative intervention that integrates gender-based violence prevention and response. It strengthens multisectoral response systems and uses 15 weeks of structured, facilitated dialogues among diverse community members to examine and shift social norms. Participants explore shared values, identify harmful norms, and commit to individual and collective actions to promote equality and prevent violence. Public declarations and widespread community engagement further reinforce norm change, with outreach activities including school visits, religious messaging, and media campaigns reaching thousands.
Results Participants in the intervention district showed significantly greater improvement in social norms related to responses to sexual violence, protecting family honor, and the belief in a husband’s right to use violence compared to the control group. The most pronounced shift was in norms around family honor. Confidence in gender-based violence services also increased significantly in the intervention district. However, there were no significant changes in personal beliefs.
Conclusions The Communities Care program successfully shifted harmful community norms around gender-based violence and improved perceptions of support services in a complex humanitarian context. This study demonstrates the promise of scalable, community-led strategies to transform norms and improve safety and well-being for women and girls.