Key takeaways

Learning objectives check

In this session, you were able to:

• Explain the links between gender inequality and VAW.
• Identify risk factors, protective factors, and situational triggers of IPV using the socio-ecological model.

Key takeaways

• No single factor is either necessary or sufficient to cause VAW, and there is no single path to perpetration. Instead, VAW has multiple, inter-related causes.
• These causes include underlying gender inequalities and unequal power relations, risk factors that increase the likelihood of violence occurring, and situational triggers that can precipitate an incident of violence at a specific moment. Understanding these causes, as well as protective factors, can help us better prevent violence.
• The socio-ecological model is a useful tool to identify the most salient factors contributing to VAW. When using this model, it is important to consider: the specific type of violence you’re addressing, the specific setting where you are trying to prevent violence, the age and circumstances of the individual, and whether you are focusing on perpetration or victimisation.
• Violence as an outcome is possible (what we call probabilistic) not definitive. Two people can have very similar factors at play, but experience different outcomes, especially if they live in different contexts, or have had different life histories.