Key Social Norms Take-aways This article offers important preliminary insights into how social norms around violence against women and girls can begin to shift in conflict-affected settings. While full evaluation data were not yet available, early findings from the Communities Care program suggest that participatory, community-driven dialogue processes can open space for challenging norms related to male entitlement, family honor, and silence around violence.
Objectives The Communities Care program aimed to strengthen community-based care for survivors of sexual violence and to shift harmful social norms that perpetuate violence against women and girls in conflict-affected settings. The broader goal was to transform community values to promote dignity, equality, and non-violence.
Methods The Communities Care program used a theory-driven approach grounded in public health and feminist principles. It incorporated a structured 15-week facilitated dialogue process alongside community-led actions and multisectoral service strengthening. To evaluate social norms change, UNICEF partnered with Johns Hopkins University to develop and pilot a survey tool measuring personal beliefs, normative expectations, and empirical expectations regarding gender-based violence. Monitoring and qualitative data were also collected throughout implementation.
Intervention Details Piloted in Somalia and South Sudan, the program was implemented in four conflict-affected communities with support from national and international NGOs. It engaged participants in age- and gender-segregated group discussions led by trained community members. These dialogues focused on building trust, exploring core values, discussing norms around gender and violence, and planning collective actions. Public events, media messaging, and advocacy efforts reinforced the dialogues, while training was also provided to over 600 service providers to improve survivor-centered care.
Results Preliminary data from Somalia showed significant improvements in attitudes in intervention communities compared to controls. Participants reported increased disagreement with violence-justifying norms, including male entitlement and family honor as reasons to silence survivors. Monitoring also revealed improved personal beliefs, more gender-equitable behaviors, and increased public dialogue. In South Sudan, participants described changes such as men sharing household tasks and sending daughters to school. Service providers also demonstrated improved survivor care and reduced stigma.
Conclusions Communities Care offers promising evidence that social norms around violence can be transformed through structured dialogue, community leadership, and strengthened services. The program illustrates the potential of participatory, context-sensitive approaches to create safer, more equitable environments even in fragile and emergency settings.