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Shifting Norms, Changing Behaviour, Amplifying Voice: What Works? 2018 International Social and Behaviour Change Communication Conference (Summit Report 2018)

The 2018 SBCC Summit took place from 16 – 20 April 2018 and was organized to better understand what works in shifting social norms, changing behaviours and in amplifying the voice of those who have most at stake in the success of development efforts. It was designed to wrestle with the profound issues of social justice and agenda setting that affect these decisions and included a wide range of participation from government, regional entities, academics, NGOs, CSOs, global agencies and the private sector working on development and health issues.

This report provides a taste of the 2018 Summit, some highlights of the weeklong event, a few lessons learned and food for thought for a 2020 Summit. More insights can be found in a special issue about the Summit published by The Journal of Development Communication.

How communications can change social norms around adolescent girls (ODI study, 2016)

A multi-year, multi-country study has been exploring the complex ways in which adolescent girls’ capabilities are shaped and/or constrained by gender-discriminatory social norms, attitudes and practices, and under what conditions positive changes may be brought about, particularly around norms and practices related to child marriage and education.

Evidence from this report showed that communications programmes could be an effective way of challenging gender-discriminatory attitudes and practices, reaching a variety of stakeholders with both broad pro-gender equality messages and messages on specific discriminatory norms. While no one approach was found to be more effective than others, programmes with more than one communications component and those integrated with activities other than communications were found to achieve a higher proportion of positive outcomes.

The study has been conducted by ODI in partnership with national research teams in Viet Nam, Nepal, Ethiopia and Uganda, commissioned by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) as part of a flagship programme on Transforming the Lives of Girls and Young Women.

Click here for full study.

Engaging men and boys in sanitation and hygiene programmes (IDS Frontiers of CLTS: Innovations and Insights 11, 2018)

This issue of Frontiers of CLTS shares and builds on the learning from a desk study that explores examples of men’s and boys’ behaviours and
gender roles in sanitation and hygiene (S&H). Of particular interest is the extent to which the engagement of men and boys in S&H processes
is leading to sustainable and transformative change in households and communities and reducing gendered inequality.

The review focuses on men and boys: how to engage them (or not), how to mobilise them as allies in the transformation of S&H outcomes and the
problems they contribute to and experience.

Click here for full publication.

Effectiveness of Community Dialogue in Changing Gender and Sexual Norms for HIV Prevention: Evaluation of the Tchova Tchova Program in Mozambique (Journal of Health Communication, 21:5, 554-563, 2016)

Abstract: Structural HIV prevention interventions have gained prominence as ways to address underlying social and cultural factors that fuel the HIV epidemic. Identifying theories that explain how structural interventions are expected to change such factors can substantially increase their success. The Tchova Tchova community dialogue program, a theory-based intervention implemented in 2009–2010 in the provinces of Zambezia and Sofala, Mozambique, aimed to change gender and sexual norms for HIV prevention. Through facilitated sessions, the program sparked critical thinking and open dialogue among participants. This article measures the program’s effectiveness based on a sample of 462 participants and 453 nonparticipants. The results show that the program was successful in producing changes in three of the underlying structural factors of HIV: gender attitudes, gender roles, and HIV stigma. The program was also successful in changing other factors associated with HIV infection, including HIV prevention knowledge, discussion of HIV between sex partners, and having multiple sex partners.

Click here for full paper.

Solutions brief: entertainment-education to address child marriage (Girls Not Brides, 2017)

Mass media has long been recognised as a way to prompt large-scale behaviour change. But can it change the norms and beliefs which perpetuate child marriage?

This brief takes a look at what entertainment-education is and its potential for addressing a complex social issue such as child marriage. It also contains a list of useful resources on the issue.

Click here for full brief.

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