A National Evaluation Framework: Preventing Violence against Women and Girls through Male Engagement

This national evaluation framework (NEF) is created "to provide guidance for organizations seeking to clarify intended impacts and outcomes resulting from gender-based violence [GBV] prevention programming."


The National Community of Practice (NCoP) of Canadian organisations working on gender violence and White Ribbon Canada collectively created the NEF to offer sample indicators across four levels of change and eight outcome areas in order to support organisations in measuring what works to create male engagement programming to respond to and prevent violence against women and girls. (See Related Summaries below for more on the process of its creation and on strategic objectives, challenges, and enabling factors.)


The NCoP developed a NEF diagram (page 10 and captured in the image above) from its review of practices and outcomes amongst its organisations that "seeks to visually depict the process of change involved in engaging men and boys in GBV prevention." It shows four levels at which the NEF measures change - the community, organisational, social, and individual levels. The concentric rings allow for diagramming change in: awareness-raising, knowledge and understanding, attitudinal change, skill development, behavioural change, gender-equitable peer interaction and support, partnerships and coalition building, and advocacy for GBV prevention. Systemic change, capacity development, and time are shown as directional, leading to future sustainability, when there are adequate resources, commitment, and knowledge exchange, supporting progress towards the long-term goal: reduced incidence of GBV.

The framework (page 11) has the 8 outcome areas listed below, along with examples of outcome indicators from the four levels of change: community capacity, organisational capacity, social capacity, and individual capacity.

• Outcome Area #1: Awareness-raising - for example, under the outcome: "Men and boys have an increased awareness of GBV issues", data might be collected on the level of media coverage of GBV or the number of male social groups discussing GBV issues.
• Outcome Area #2: Knowledge and Understanding
• Outcome Area #3: Attitudinal Change
• Outcome Area #4: Skill Development
• Outcome Area #5: Behavioural Change - For example, under the outcome: "Men and boys have increased leadership skills to promote gender equality and prevent violence against women and girls", a qualitative measurement might be examples of leadership taken by individual men and boys to prevent violence against women and girls.
• Outcome Area #6: Gender Equitable Peer Interaction and Support
• Outcome Area #7: Partnerships and Coalition Building
• Outcome Area #8: Advocacy for GBV Prevention

NCoP members creating the NEF are: Alberta Council for Women’s Shelters (ACWS), Broadway Neighbourhood Centre, Centre d’accueil et d’accompagnement francophone des immigrants du Sud-Est du Nouveau-Brunswick (CAFI), Changing Ways, Chrysalis House Association, Les EssentiElles, Nova Vita Domestic Violence Prevention Services, Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada, and Students Commission of Canada.