An intergenerational women's empowerment intervention to mitigate domestic violence: Results of a pilot study in Bengaluru, India

The prevalence of domestic violence is staggeringly high among young, married women in India. Building on evidence in support of family-focused and empowerment-based approaches to reduce women's risk of violence, we developed and pilot-tested a novel, intergenerational women's empowerment intervention. The program, implemented in antenatal care settings in urban low-income communities in Bengaluru, India, aimed to empower daughters-in-law and their mothers-in-law (MILs) with knowledge, skills, and social support critical to the mitigation of young women's experiences of domestic violence. Results of in-depth interviews with pilot study participants pointed to the feasibility, acceptability, safety, and potential effectiveness of our approach. Mobilizing key actors within the family, such as MILs, is an appropriate and potentially effective violence reduction strategy in certain cultural contexts. Given the high prevalence of domestic violence and its association with multiple major health concerns, we must prioritize the identification and testing of such strategies for violence prevention.