A study published in The Lancet Global Health evaluated the impact of community mobilization on domestic violence against women and girls. Conducted over five years, the trial involved 48 clusters of households, where 24 clusters participated in intervention activities, including meetings of women’s, men’s, and youth groups to raise awareness and support survivors. Researchers surveyed nearly 7,000 women before and after the intervention to assess changes in domestic violence prevalence and community attitudes.

Results showed that 67.9% of women reported a decrease in tolerance for domestic violence. The prevalence of physical or sexual domestic violence dropped from 15.2% to 11.8% in the intervention group, while remaining stable in the control group. Gender-based household maltreatment also decreased slightly in both groups. Notably, the likelihood of women disclosing violence increased significantly in intervention clusters.

Despite these positive changes in disclosure and support access, the study could not definitively confirm a reduction in the overall prevalence of domestic violence due to measurement challenges. The research was funded by the Wellcome Trust and registered with multiple trial registries.