What are some of the challenges?

Last edited: October 31, 2010

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There is a lack of comparable indicators and instruments, especially on the prevalence of forms
of violence. It is therefore hard to make comparisons across regions.

Many studies measure processes and outcomes but not impact. Many also measure change at the
individual level but not at the community level.

Different kinds of interventions (policy and legal reforms, strengthening health, legal, security
and support services, community mobilization, awareness raising campaigns), and different
contexts require different evaluation tools and methods.

It is difficult to determine specific contributions of strategies to an observed outcome or impact,

especially with complex, multisectoral or integrated interventions.

It is difficult to define what success means or looks like with specific interventions.

Rigorous statistical methods are frequently not used.

Monitoring and evaluation plans often lack clear, appropriate conceptual frameworks.

Interpreting data is often challenging and requires significant capacity or an expert.

Sufficient resources are often not allocated towards monitoring and evaluation which may cost as
much as 10 to 40 percent of the entire budget depending on the goals and objectives of the
programme, scope and type of intervention and activities.

Certain evaluation methods that are commonly employed to assess impact of interventions may
be unethical in the context of violence against women.

(Above from Gage and Dunn 2009, Frankel and Gage 2007, Watts 2008, Heise and Ellsberg
2005)

 
Ethical conduct: Concern for the protection of human rights and the safety of women and
girls should be an absolute priority in all interventions and all efforts to monitor and
evaluate the situation regarding violence against women.

The Association of Women in Development’s (AWID) action-research initiative to develop

principles and tools for conducting monitoring and evaluation of women’s rights and gender
equality programmes has published a preliminary paper Capturing Change in Women’s
Realities: The Challenges of Monitoring and Evaluating Our Work (2009). For a quick
snapshot of the challenges outlined in the paper, see the summary.

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Programming Essentials, Monitoring & Evaluation

Why is monitoring and evaluation important?

why is monitoring and evaluation important?

Last edited: October 31, 2010

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Monitoring and evaluation are critical for building a strong, global evidence base
around violence against women and for assessing the wide, diverse range of
interventions being implemented to address it. At the global level, it is a tool for
identifying and documenting successful programmes and approaches and tracking
progress toward common indicators across related projects. Monitoring and
evaluation forms the basis of strengthening understanding around the many
multi-layered factors underlying violence against women, women’s experiences
with such violence, and the effectiveness of the response at the service provider,
community, national and international level.

This is critically important because while the global evidence base on the
proportion of women having ever experienced various forms of abuse is strong,
evidence on what kinds of strategies are effective in preventing such violence and
offering adequate support to victims and survivors is still weak. This is especially
relevant in resource poor areas, where difficult decisions need to be made with
respect to funding priorities.

At the programme level, the purpose of monitoring and evaluation is to track

implementation and outputs systematically, and measure the effectiveness of
programmes. It helps determine exactly when a programme is on track and when
changes may be needed. Monitoring and evaluation forms the basis for
modification of interventions and assessing the quality of activities being
conducted.

Monitoring and evaluation can be used to demonstrate that programme efforts

have had a measurable impact on expected outcomes and have been
implemented effectively. It is essential in helping managers, planners,
implementers, policy makers and donors acquire the information and
understanding they need to make informed decisions about programme
operations.

Monitoring and evaluation helps with identifying the most valuable and efficient
use of resources. It is critical for developing objective conclusions regarding the
extent to which programmes can be judged a “success”. Monitoring and
evaluation together provide the necessary data to guide strategic planning, to
design and implement programmes and projects, and to allocate, and re-allocate
resources in better ways.

(Adapted from Gage and Dunn 2009, Frankel and Gage 2007)

For initiatives addressing violence against women, monitoring and evaluation is more than a
costing or cost-effectiveness exercise. It is a way of ensuring women and girls are able to live
their lives free from violence and abuse.
What can be learned in general from monitoring and evaluation of initiatives on violence against
women?
What interventions and strategies are effective at preventing and responding to
violence against women and girls?

What puts women at greater risk than others

What services are needed to help women and girls recover from violence?

What could be the role of different sectors in addressing and preventing violence?

What other factors (social, economic, political, cultural etc.) play a role in
perpetuating vulnerability to violence or hindering access to services?
What kinds of investments produce more promising results/ how much do they
cost? (Adapted from Watts 2008)

What can be learned about specific interventions from monitoring?

Are the proposed activities being carried out in the manner outlined? Why/ why
not?

What services are provided, to whom, when, how often, for how long, in what
context?

Are services accessible? Is the quality adequate?  Is the target population being
reached?

Are women being further harmed or endangered because of the intervention?

Have there been any unforeseen consequences as a result of the activities?

Are activities leading to expected results?

Do the interventions or assumptions need to be amended in any way?

What can be learned about specific interventions from evaluation?

The outcomes that were observed?

Whether the intervention is making a difference?

If yes, what actual difference the intervention is making; how it is making this
difference and for whom.

The extent to which the intervention is responsible for the measured or observed
changes.

The unforeseen consequences, if any, that resulted from the intervention?

 
What are some important questions that an evaluation can help answer?
Is the intervention feasible and acceptable?
Did it have an impact?

Why or why not? How and for whom did it have an impact?

Are the results credible?

Is it affordable and cost effective?

Can the cost be compared with alternatives to investment?

Is it replicable to other settings?

Where is it replicable? Where is it not replicable?

Are the results likely to be generalizable?

Can it be scaled up? That is, can the intervention be adapted, replicated or built
on to increase its reach or scope (for a larger population or a different region)?

If yes, how can it be scaled up? What aspects can be scaled up?

(Adapted from Watts 2008)