A long-standing theory of change for prevention of violence against women activity is that, to decrease levels of violence against women across a population, multiple prevention efforts are needed, influencing people across settings and building a critical mass for change. This study sought to ‘stress test’ this theory against the literature and confirmed that multi-component prevention work is indeed more impactful than single component interventions. It found examples of coordinated, multi-component, place-based approaches that have resulted in population-level impact. Several conditions and criteria for achieving impact were identified, most notably with regard to adherence to quality design principles and adequate intensity of implementation.
The future development of a saturation model will require multiple prevention interventions, implemented in a coordinated way, to engender a mutually-reinforcing effect. It is anticipated that such an effect would not only lead to a reduction in both drivers and incidents of violence, but that it will do so to a greater extent than stand-alone activities, and that the impact will potentially extend to the whole population within a geographically-defined community or place.