The making of sexual violence

Women and girls around the world experience staggering levels of rape and other forms of sexual violence.This violence devastates lives, unhinges communities, and hampers greater social and economic development. While the severity, frequency, and purpose of this violence can broaden during times of conflict or emergency, its foundations are laid during “peacetime,” as is underscored by the extreme levels of violence observed consistently across the globe. Yet it is only in recent decades that policymakers, researchers, and programmers have begun to pay closer attention to this urgent violation of human rights and barrier to sustainable development.

This report presents an overview of five study sites of the International Men and Gender Equality Survey (IMAGES), presents findings related to men’s self-reported perpetration of sexual violence, investigates seven domains of possible influences on men’s sexual violence perpetration and provides actionable lessons and recommendations.