Impacts of the Indashyikirwa Program on Intimate Partner Violence in Syria

NCT06735417 | Active Not Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 2024-14-AlDaccache
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 1,200
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the Indashyikirwa program in enhancing women's empowerment and reducing Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) in conflict-affected communities in Northeast Syria. The intervention group will participate in the Indashyikirwa ("Agents of Change") program, which includes a comprehensive couples' training module and access to safe spaces. The control group will not receive the Indashyikirwa program. Both intervention and control groups are beneficieries of Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) support and Vocational Training (VT) to promote economic empowerment. The study employs a cluster-randomized controlled trial (cRCT) design. Out of 30 pre-identified villages, 15 villages were randomly assigned to receive the Indashyikirwa program and 15 villages will not receive the Indashyikirwa program. The villages were located within the same sub-districts to ensure a balanced geographic distribution of the intervention. Based on a power analysis with 80% power, at least 16 married couples from eligible SME and VT beneficiaries will be voluntarily enrolled in each village to receive the Indashyikirwa intervention. Similarly, 16 eligible SME and VT married couples from control villages will be enrolled using the same voluntary participation principle. To account for potential attrition, 20 couples per village will be initially enrolled, ensuring a robust sample size for analysis. This approach results in a total sample size of 600 couples (or 1,200 individual participants). The primary objective of this study is to assess the impact of Indashyikirwa program on key outcomes, including the reduction in IPV, transformation of gender norms, enhancement of women's empowerment, improvements in intra-household dynamics, economic benefits to the household. Data collection will involve structured surveys administered separately to both husbands and wives. Surveys will be conducted at four time points: baseline, 2 months post-intervention, 12 months post-intervention, and 24 months post-intervention.

Conditions

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV); Well-being/Quality of Life; Decision Making; Gender-Based Violence; Gender Equality; Gender Role; Empowerment

Keywords

Syria; Heterosexual couple; Gender transformative approach; Conflict settings; Randomised controlled trial; Couple curriculum

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Changes in intimate partner violence incidence over time

  Frequency of women experience or man perpetration of economic, physical, and emotional IPV as assessed by the standardized Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) in the past 12 months

  2 months, 12 months and 24 months post-intervention

• Changes in acceptability of wife beating over time

  Number of justifications for wife beating as assessed by the standardized Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) in the past 12 months, as reported by female participants

  2 months, 12 months and 24 months post-intervention

Secondary Outcomes (10)

• Changes in the level of conflict in intimate relationships over time

  2 months, 12 months and 24 months post-intervention

• Changes in the level of marriage satisfaction among couples over time

  2 months, 12 months and 24 months post-intervention

• Extent of relationship quality with the partner

  2 months, 12 months, and 24 months post-intervention

• Level of women involvement in intra-household decision-making

  2 months, 12 months, and 24 months post-intervention

• Extent of spousal support in women's business

  2 months, 12 months, and 24 months post-intervention

Other Outcomes (3)

• Changes in household earnings over time

  2 months, 12 months, and 24 months post-intervention

• Changes in household food security status over time

  2 months, 12 months, and 24 months post-intervention

• Changes in household coping strategies over time

  2 months, 12 months, and 24 months post-intervention

Study Arms (2)

Indashikirwa program

EXPERIMENTAL

The group will receive the Indashikirwa program, which includes: 1. Couple curriculum training for both husbands and wives. These sessions focus on promoting joint decision-making and transforming gender norm to promote healthier and more equitable relationships. 2. Establishment of safe spaces to foster community support and facilitate dialogue around gender-based issues.

Behavioral: Indashyikirwa program

Control group

NO INTERVENTION

This arm is the control group

Interventions

Indashyikirwa program BEHAVIORAL

Indashyikirwa training curriculum is delivered to heterosexual married couples in Syrian communities in Al-Hasakah governorate. The curriculum includes between 21 and 22 sessions, delivered to groups of up to 30 couples. Each week, participants will attend one session, lasting at least 3 hours. Topics covered include: gender, power imbalance, triggers for GBV, conflict management, building healthy relationships, and coping mechanisms for managing GBV-related triggers. The curriculum is designed to address both the wife and her husband and includes interactive exercises, take-home assignments, and reflections. The sessions are delivered by trained facilitators.

Also known as: Couple Curriculum

Indashikirwa program

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may not qualify if:

• Women who are unmarried, divorced, or widowed.
• Women who do not reside with their husbands in the same household.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• International Security and Development Center gGmbH: lead
• Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin: collaborator
• Syria Resilience Initiative (SRI): collaborator
• United Kingdom Foreign Commonwealth Development Office: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Syria Resilience Initiative

Al-Hasakah, Al-Hasakah Governorate, Syria

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Empowerment

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Social Behavior; Behavior

Study Officials

• Tilman Brück, PhD

  International Security and Development Center gGmbH

  STUDY CHAIR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Research program director

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 5, 2024
• First Posted: December 16, 2024
• Study Start: November 3, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): October 30, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): January 1, 2028
• Last Updated: December 16, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-12

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

SY (1)