Ayisethu Bujri, 40 and her husband Idrissa Bujri in Kolinvai village, Northern Ghana on Friday, August 13, 2010. Image credit: ActionAid

The Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Helpdesk is a research and advice service for the Department for International Development (DFID) and all other UK Government departments. The Helpdesk is run by a Social Development Direct – led consortium that includes ActionAid, International Rescue Committee (IRC), Womankind Worldwide, and the Institute of Development Studies (IDS).

The VAWG Helpdesk offers rapid desk research, analysis and advice for DFID UK Government policy advisers and programme staff. It also supports DFID country offices on design, implementation, review and evaluation of VAWG programmes. The service maintains a roster of senior VAWG experts – both international and national – to give ‘hands on’ advice on VAWG programming in DFID focus countries.

The VAWG Helpdesk produces regular publicly available resources:

• In-depth publicly available Guidance Notes on best practice in VAWG programming and policy engagement. Topics to date include: Addressing VAWG through security and justice programming; Addressing VAWG in education programming; Addressing VAWG through economic development and women’s economic empowerment programmes; Addressing VAWG through health programming; and Shifting Social Norms to tackle VAWG.
• A quarterly publicly available Evidence Digest on the latest evidence in the field of violence against women and girls – this invaluable resource provides DFID advisors, programme staff, and development practitioners with a manageable summary of the latest research, policy and news, and DFID programme updates on VAWG.

You can find the latest resources, and subscribe to receive future resources by email at: http://www.sddirect.org.uk/our-work/vawg-helpdesk