The Innovation Lab - Ending Violence Against Women and Girls

Background:

The Executive Office was tasked with producing an NI Executive Strategy on Ending Violence against Women and Girls (EVAWG). Alongside a general ‘Call for Views’, TEO commissioned the ILab to undertake research on what academic research had been undertaken on VAWG specifically within the NI context including during the era of the Troubles. TEO sought to fully understand, consider and present to stakeholders the full body of evidence as part of their development of the strategy.

Objective:

The iLab research team aimed to summarise the evidence found through both secondary and primary research methods to support the development of the strategy.

What we did:

We conducted a literature review of academic articles focused first on NI and then broadening out to the ROI and to the rest of the UK. We delivered two academic showcase workshops to whom we invited researchers and community groups who work to support those affected by VAWG. The workshops provided an important opportunity for policy makers to discuss the issues with researchers and community workers.

Outcome:

We provided a summary of the findings from the literature review, highlighting gaps in the research, and provided a summary of the issues discussed throughout the workshops. The research undertaken by the iLab provided a strong, evidence-informed foundation for the development of the strategy.