Peer-reviewed article
Engaging boys as "Structured Allies" to prevent gender-based violence against girls: Results from the CARE Tipping Point Initiative in Nepal.
Yount KM, Durr R, Neogy S, Cheong YF ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study evaluated the CARE Tipping Point Initiative, which engaged adolescent boys as allies to prevent gender-based violence against girls in Nepal. Over 1,100 boys aged 12-16 were randomly assigned to a control group or one of two intervention programs and followed over time. The program showed modest effects on boys' reporting of witnessing non-contact sexual bullying and harassment, though results were mixed and interpretation is complicated by changes in reporting patterns.
Key points
- Boys in the TPP+ intervention group reported witnessing 0.42 fewer acts of non-contact sexual bullying and gender harassment compared to the control group
- Reports of witnessing non-contact harassment increased from 64% at baseline to 77% at follow-up across all groups, driven largely by increased reporting of sexual messages
- Reports of contact sexual bullying implausibly declined from 42% to 38%, suggesting possible under-reporting or concealment rather than genuine behavior change
- The study included 1,154 eligible boys across 54 clusters with 99% retention at follow-up
- Authors note that intervention studies should measure bystander motivation, self-efficacy, and actual behavior rather than relying only on witness reports
Limitations
The study relies on boys' self-reported witnessing of incidents rather than direct measures of their behavior or bystander intervention; implausible declines in contact harassment reporting and increases in non-contact harassment reporting suggest measurement or reporting issues that complicate interpretation of the true intervention effect.
Abstract
Global efforts to end violence against women and girls (VAWG) include engaging men and boys. The CARE Tipping Point Initiative in Nepal engaged men and boys as structured allies in girl-centered movement building to prevent VAWG, including sexual bullying and gender harassment (SBGH). We assessed whether this initiative in Kapilvastu and Rupandehi districts in Western Nepal affected adolescent boys' reports of ever witnessing SBGH of a girl by another boy. Eligible boys were unmarried, 12-16 years, and not intending to migrate over the next 24 months. 1,154 (93% of) eligible, consenting boys across 54 randomly selected clusters participated at baseline, and 1,143 (99.0% of) baseline participants were followed. Outcomes were ever witnessed acts of non-contact (0-7; 0/1) and contact (0-7; 0/1) SBGH of a girl by another boy or male peer. Difference-in-difference (DID) regressions were estimated to assess the unadjusted and adjusted average treatment effects on these outcomes for participants assigned to the Tipping Point Program (TPP), Tipping Point Plus Program (TPP+), or control. Reports of ever witnessing acts of non-contact SBGH increased from 64% at baseline to 77% at follow-up due to increased reporting of ever witnessing "writing sexual messages…about a girl." In adjusted models, boys in the TPP+ group ever witnessed 0.42 fewer acts of non-contact SBGH than did boys in the control group. Reports of ever witnessing acts of contact SBGH implausibly declined from 42% at baseline to 38% at follow-up, and this trend did not differ across study arm in adjusted models. Thus, compared to the control group, the TPP+ group may have reported smaller increases in ever witnessing acts of non-contact SBGH and more often concealed previously reported acts of non-contact SBGH ever witnessed. Future intervention studies should assess bystander motivation, self-efficacy, and behavior as direct measures of boys' allyship to prevent SBGH and VAWG.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- CARE Tipping Point Initiative engaging boys as 'structured allies' in girl-centered movement building to prevent gender-based violence; two versions tested: TPP and TPP+ (more intensive)
- Population
- Unmarried boys aged 12-16 in Kapilvastu and Rupandehi districts, Western Nepal; 1,154 enrolled, 1,143 followed (99% retention)
Key finding
Boys in TPP+ group ever witnessed 0.42 fewer acts of non-contact sexual bullying and gender harassment than control group in adjusted models