As global evidence and interest in the intersections between violence against children (VAC) and violence against women (VAW) continue to grow, researchers and practitioners from the VAC and VAW fields are seeking ways to better collaborate and thus ensure the best outcomes for survivors of both types of violence.
To meet these needs and identify key evidence gaps, the UN Special Programme on Human Reproduction (HRP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) together with the UNICEF Office of Research – Innocenti and the Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI) have collaboratively developed a research agenda for the intersections of VAC and VAW.
The research priorities have been developed using an inclusive process that promotes the diversity of voices, especially from low and middle-income country settings, which are closest to the communities most affected by both forms of violence and have often been excluded from setting research priorities.
The new research agenda will contribute to building knowledge in a more systematic way, ensure that research efforts make the best use of limited resources, and serve to monitor progress over time.
It will also inform the implementation of the multiagency RESPECT Women and INSPIRE frameworks, support WHO’s mandate through the global plan of action to strengthen the role of the health systems to address interpersonal violence, in particular against women and girls and against children, and promote coherence in the achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
