Evidence Generation
Asia
Evidence Generation
Asia
Read the academic paper here.
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant public health concern that has been exacerbated with the COVID-19 pandemic.1 Globally, about 1 in 4 women experience physical and/or sexual violence from an intimate partner in their lifetime.2 In Peru, around 1 in 2 women aged 15–49 report experiencing such violence, one of the highest rates in the world. Researchers, the IRC, and IPA developed and implemented the program “Hablemos entre Patas" (“Guy Talk,” henceforth HEP), a WhatsApp-based intervention targeting men in relationships. The program was inspired by the “Real Man Challenge”, an initiative developed by the IRC and IPA Uganda.
Over a 30-day period, male facilitators used WhatsApp to deliver daily behavioral challenges aimed at improving relationships. Each day's content focused on practical skills that men could immediately apply in their homes and relationships. The challenges covered four key areas: life at home including equal participation in domestic duties; communication and emotional regulation; joint decision making around finances; and sex positive communication including pleasure and consent. By breaking these skills into daily, actionable challenges, the program helped men gradually build healthier relationship habits.
Researchers working with the IRC and IPA Peru conducted a randomized evaluation to assess whether the HEP program was effective at reducing violence and changing men’s attitudes towards violence against women. The intervention took place in Peru and involved 2,700 men in relationships, who were randomly assigned to either receive the program and join a Whatsapp group of 50 members, or serve as a comparison group. In addition, researchers conducted a survey with the participants’ partners to assess relationship dynamics and potential IPV behaviors.
Hablemos entre Patas reduced sexual intimate partner violence (IPV) by 20 percent relative to the comparison group (9.1 percent vs. 11.4 percent).
Impacts were larger for participants in relationships with a history of IPV before the program, with sexual violence declining by 21 percent and severe violence (acts causing significant physical or sexual harm or fear) falling by 13 percent, based on partner-reported outcomes. Among participants, acceptance of violence as a way to resolve conflict declined by 3.9 percentage points.
HEP recruits participants through voluntary, anonymous digital enrollment. Data collected before the intervention revealed high rates of prior violence in these relationships, indicating that the program reaches men at elevated risk of committing IPV through self-selection, addressing a long-standing challenge for prevention policy.
Physical violence decreased with higher participation in WhatsApp groups, from 2 percent in less active groups to 9.5 percent in more active groups. This pattern is consistent with a role for peer influence while indicating meaningful reductions even at lower levels of participation.
Based on the positive results of the project, the Government of Peru is planning to expand the program. Due to its low-cost, accessibility for participants, and impact, this approach has high potential for successful adaptation and implementation in other contexts.
1. Agüero, Jorge M. 2020. “COVID-19 and the Rise of Intimate Partner Violence.” World Development 137 (September): 105217. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.105217.
2. World Health Organization, “Violence against women prevalence estimates, 2018”; Inter-American Development Bank, “Prevalence of violence against women among different ethnic groups in Peru,” 2023.
3. Garcia-Moreno, Claudia, Henrica AFM Jansen, Mary Ellsberg, Lori Heise, and Charlotte H Watts. 2006. “Prevalence of Intimate Partner Violence: Findings from the WHO Multi-Country Study on Women’s Health and Domestic Violence.” The Lancet 368 (9543): 1260–69. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(06)69523-8.
