Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of her Department’s programmes on ending violence against children.

DFID is committed to reducing violence through dedicated investments to protect children, alongside interventions embedded in wider development and humanitarian programming.

All DFID programmes, including those preventing violence against children, are subject to high levels of scrutiny to ensure they are effective and are making the best possible use of resources to maximise impact on poor people’s lives. Before approval is given to DFID programmes to begin implementation, a business case will go through a robust design and assurance process, based on HM Treasury’s five case model. All DFID programmes are then subject to continuous monitoring and an annual review process that assesses results achieved and value for money.

DFID has invested in rigorous evaluations of interventions to prevent violence against women and children across 12 countries in Africa and Asia through its What Works to Prevent Violence Programme. This has demonstrated significant reductions in violence. For example, a school-based programme in northern Afghanistan led to a 50% reduction in children’s peer violence and corporal punishment at school.