Know Violence in Childhood – India: Advocacy, communication and media engagement

Know Violence in Childhood (KVIC) is a global learning and advocacy initiative to stimulate coordinated action to end violence in childhood. It leverages available information about the prevalence of violence during childhood and develops strategies that help prevent such violence. As part of this global initiative, a multi-donor India initiative is being launched that will lead to the development of evidence-based guidance for action plans to prevent violence in childhood in at least two states in India.

This initiative has brought diverse stakeholders and partners in India together. Support from IDRC will supplement and complement commitments from other partners for this program, such as the American Jewish World Service, Oak Foundation, South Asian Initiative to End Violence Against Children (SAIEVAC), and state governments in the states of Jharkhand and Haryana. The initiative builds upon the legacy of a violence prevention initiative called Gender Equity Movement in Schools (GEMS) that was piloted in collaboration with the Jharkhand government and local organizations from 2013–16.

The current phase of the initiative will test policies and strategies that can be adapted to inform policymakers through strong evidence about the scale and nature of violence in childhood; support state governments with actionable inputs that can be integrated in strategies to prevent violence in childhood; and advocate findings from the programmatic work more widely. Among the activities are mapping and gap analysis of existing state-level institutions, initiatives, and mechanisms that address violence in childhood in Haryana and Jharkhand; developing a media communication and advocacy strategy for changing norms and generating greater commitment and social and political will to address violence in childhood; and informing public debates on ending violence in childhood. IDRC’s support will specifically contribute to communicating the findings through a strong media strategy that will inform public debates and state action.

IDRC has led a range of projects on sexual and gender-based violence. By partnering with the Washington-based International Centre for Research on Women in this initiative, IDRC will help to create space for linking the lessons learned from previous work to the new initiative and facilitate a wider coalition of researchers and practitioners working towards ending violence against both women and children.