Peer-reviewed article
Violence against women and girls research: Leveraging gains across disciplines
Kathryn Falb, Amber Peterman, Ragnhild Nordås, Anjalie Field, Roni Porat et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This is a research agenda paper on violence against women and girls that calls for transdisciplinary collaboration among researchers. While VAWG affects girls, the document focuses on adult women and women's health outcomes as its primary concern. The paper does not evaluate interventions or present evidence of what works to prevent violence.
Key points
- VAWG is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide
- Researchers working in silos has hindered progress in VAWG research
- Four recommendations: leverage diverse data sources, improve precision of definitions, address underreporting, and advance research ethics
- The document calls for transdisciplinary collaboration to accelerate prevention efforts
Limitations
This paper does not focus specifically on girls or evaluate any prevention interventions. It is a methodological commentary rather than an empirical study of what works to improve child well-being.
Abstract
Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide, linked to numerous health, economic, and human rights outcomes. Target 5.2 of the Sustainable Development Goals calls for elimination of all forms of VAWG; however, progress toward achieving this goal has been inadequate. A lack of sufficient data and evidence has hindered global efforts to meet this target and hold governments accountable for action. While there have been substantial advancements in VAWG research methodology over the past three decades, researchers from diverse disciplines tend to work in silos, inhibiting progress in VAWG research. To address this challenge, we offer four key recommendations to support researchers in expanding transdisciplinary approaches: 1) leverage insights from a variety of VAWG data sources, 2) improve precision of VAWG definitions and outcomes, 3) create strategies to address underreporting, and 4) advance research ethics and equity. We conclude with a call to action for researchers, institutions, and donors to advance transdisciplinary research and foster collaboration, learning, and cross-fertilization across scientific fields to accelerate VAWG prevention efforts now and for future generations.