Young people’s experiences with an empowerment-based behavior change intervention to prevent sexual violence in Nairobi informal settlements: A qualitative study

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Date

2021

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Johns Hopkins University

Abstract

Young people in sub-Saharan Africa face one of the world’s highest burdens of sexual violence. Previous impact evaluations indicated that a 6-week empowerment-based behavioral intervention in Nairobi informal (slum) settlements can reduce sexual assault. This qualitative study investigated girls’ and boys’ experiences of the intervention to identify potential mechanisms of change.We conducted a qualitative study in Nairobi slums with students (aged 15–21 years) who had participated in 2 parallel school-based curriculums called IMPower (girls) and Your Moment of Truth (boys) at least 1 year ago. Data were collected via 10 focus group discussions (5 for boys, 5 for girls) with 6–11 participants in each and 21 individual in-depth interviews (11 boys, 10 girls) that explored participants’ experiences of the intervention and their suggestions for improvement. Findings were analyzed using thematic network analysis guided by empowerment theory.

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Keywords

Gender-based violence (GBV), Public health, Human rights violations, Young people, Informal settlements, Nairobi

Citation

Kågesten, A. E. et al. (2021). Young people’s experiences with an empowerment-based behavior change intervention to prevent sexual violence in Nairobi informal settlements: A qualitative study. Global Health: Science and Practice , 9(3). 508-522. https://doi.org/10.9745/GHSP-D-21-00105