Gender Dialogue Groups plus Village Savings — IRC's Randomised Pilot on Partner Violence in Rural Côte d'Ivoire

Between 2010 and 2012 the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Yale University tested whether adding 'gender dialogue groups' to village savings and loan associations could reduce intimate partner violence (IPV) in rural northern and north-western Côte d'Ivoire. In 24 villages, 934 partnered women (513 treatment, 421 control) were randomised by public lottery to savings only or savings plus eight biweekly sessions of 1.5-2.5 hours, co-facilitated by a man and a woman, attended by women and their male partners and built on the Stages of Change model.
Results were mixed. Intent-to-treat effects on physical and/or sexual IPV were not significant (OR 0.92, 95% CI 0.58-1.47), but economic abuse fell sharply (OR 0.39, p<0.0001) and acceptance of wife-beating fell (beta -0.97, p=0.006). Among couples who attended at least 75% of sessions, past-year physical IPV fell from 15.4% to 7.5% (aOR 0.45, p=0.04), though adherence was not randomised.
The authors flag limits: a pilot likely underpowered, self-reported outcomes, possible contamination between arms, and post-election violence that delayed delivery to about eight months before endline. It is a useful, honest example of a norms-plus-economics model with promising secondary results and an unproven headline effect.

Read the full analysis: https://poverty-action.org/publication/gender-norms-and-economic-empowerment-intervention-reduce-intimate-partner-violence