Background: This is a theory-based organizational case study and proof of concept of the application of serial dramas (i.e. soap operas) to reduce individual, couple and societal level risk factors for intimate partner violence (IPV).

Objective: This project sought to address the following risk factors for IPV (CDC): a. individual factors, e.g. anger; b. couple factors, e.g. marital discord and escalation; c. harmful social norms, e.g. gender inequality.

Method: A training manual, informed by Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura) and key elements of PREP (Markman et al), a researched-based marital skills program, was developed to guide program content. Serial drama writers and producers in Ethiopia were trained so they could apply research-based prevention methodologies to create culturally appropriate scenarios modeling gender equality to reduce harmful social and cultural risk factors, and modeling individual and couple behaviors that reduce risk of violence.

Results: This information was incorporated over the span of a year into an existing serial drama in the Amharic language in Ethiopia, with an audience of over 20 million listeners. The training was well received by the drama creators and audiences, and generated a request for expansion of this pilot into a full-scale drama dedicated to preventing family violence.

Conclusion: This highlighted the value of serial dramas as: a. medium for translating researched-based behavioral interventions that reduce risk of violence; b. a viable, cost-effective and culturally adaptable channel for disseminating and modeling behaviors that have been identified as factors that reduce the risk of IPV.

Background: Research on perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV) in middle and low-income countries is lacking, especially from the male perspective. The prevalence of IPV in Peru is one of the highest in the world with marked regional differences within the country. This study assessed regional differences in multilevel correlates of IPV perpetration by Peruvian men.

Methods: A secondary analysis of locally representative household survey data was performed for a sample of 2063 men from Lima and the Highlands region of Peru. Independent variables were self-reported by the men, and IPV was reported by their female partners in the same household. Differences in association of independent variables to physical and/or sexual IPV, emotional IPV, and no IPV (reference category) were assessed by multinomial logistic regression.

Results: Regional differences in perpetration and significant correlates of IPV were observed. The percent of men in the sample identified as perpetrators was 36.7% in Lima, compared to 52.7% in the Highlands. Overall, the strongest correlate of both physical and/or sexual and emotional IPV perpetration was machista attitudes. This association was strongest in the Highlands compared to Lima for both forms (adjOR=12.36 vs 4.16 for physical and/or sexual IPV and 7.5 vs 3.14 for emotional IPV, respectively).

Conclusion: Results confirm regional differences and previous quantitative/qualitative data that situate male perpetration of IPV on females in a context of gender inequality and power imbalance between men and women. These results can provide a target for culturally tailored interventions to prevent IPV perpetration in Peru.

Introduction. Despite the recognised importance of addressing the structural, normative, and interpersonal barriers that prevent women from seeking help following violence particularly in low and middle-income countries, there is limited, narrowly construable data on women’s help-seeking.

Methods. Using India’s 2015 Demographic Health Survey (DHS), we examined experiences of sexual, physical, and emotional violence and help-seeking after violence amongst 79,729 women aged 15-49 years. We conducted descriptive analyses and used logistic regression to examine the predictors of help-seeking adjusting for household and individual-level covariates. Analyses were weighted to account for survey design.

Results. The national prevalence of any type of violence among women was 30.4% (95% CI: 29.8-31.1); physical (29.4%), emotional (23.9%), and sexual (6.4%). Only 14.2% of women reported seeking help and among these women, sources of help-seeking included: a member of their own family (65.2%) or husband’s family (28.8%), a friend (14.5%), a neighbor (10.5%), the police (3.3%). Less than 2% of women sought help from a health professional, lawyer, religious leader, social service organization, or their husband. Help-seeking increased to 28.3% among women who experienced both physical and sexual violence. Experiencing injuries from violence (OR=3.07), husband/partner’s alcohol use (OR=1.62), and high spousal control (OR=1.22) were most significantly associated with help-seeking (p<0.001).

Conclusions. Despite a high prevalence of violence against women in India, few women report seeking help, particularly from any health or social service. Improvements to survey tools and continued efforts to study how health systems can better reach survivors of violence are urgently needed.