The co-occurrence of intimate partner violence (IPV) and violent discipline of children (or violence against children, VAC) is widely documented ^{1, 2, 3} , yet there is little research on effective, scalable strategies for sustained household violence prevention. Fatherhood programs can be an effective entryway to break this intergenerational cycle of violence by promoting positive gender norms, build parenting skills, and prevent harsh discipline and IPV. ^{4, 5} The REAL Fathers Initiative, a violence prevention initiative working with young fathers, was successfully tested through integration with early childhood development (ECD) programs and livelihood programs in Northern Uganda and Karamoja. The program builds on traditional structures of mentoring and advising to build skills, solve problems and establish positive behaviors. This project will scale up REAL Fathers in Northern Uganda and Karamoja through integration into ECD programs and document learning from scale up. Expansion of this effective VAC prevention program to more families, along with careful documentation of scale-up progress and lessons learned has the potential to significantly reduce violence and improve parenting practices while also contributing to the scale-up evidence base and, increasing global understanding of pathways to the elimination of VAC.

Related Project: REAL Fathers Initiative

Implementation Resources:

REAL Fathers:

1. REAL Fathers Initiative Implementation Guidelines for Adaptation and Use
2. REAL Fathers Initiative Mentor Training Curriculum
3. REAL Fathers Initiative Mentor Resource Sheets
4. REAL Fathers Initiative Women’s Group Session Guide
5. Resources for Measuring Social Norms: A Practical Guide for Program Implementers 

REAL Fathers + Early Childhood Development:

1. Mentor Group Discussion Guide for Less Literate Mentors
2. Mentor Home Visit and Group Meeting Protocol
3. Mentor Training Manual
4. Mentor Resource Sheets
5. Teaching Aides to Support Early Childhood Development

Scale Up and Advocacy:

1. REAL Fathers Scale Up Strategy
2. Scaling REAL Fathers: Brief Results — Volume 1
3. Lessons from REAL Fathers Advocacy: Brief Results — Volume 2
4. REAL Fathers Scale Up Potential: Brief Results — Volume 3
5. Adopting a Multicultural Approach to Scale Up: REAL Fathers in Uganda

Relevant Citations: 

1. Dalal K, Lawoko S, Jansson B. The relationship between intimate partner violence and maternal practices to correct child behavior: a study on women in Egypt. Journal of Injury and Violence. 2010; 2(1): 25-33.
2. Rada C. Violence against women by male partners and against children within the family: prevalence, associated factors, and intergenerational transmission in Romania, a crosssectional study. BMC Public Health. 2014; 14(129).
3. Hamby S, Finkelhor D, Turner H, Ormrod R. The overlap of witnessing partner violence with child maltreatment and other victimizations in a nationally representative survey of youth. Child Abuse and Neglect. 2010; 34(10): 734-43.
4. Leijten P, Melendez-Torres G, Knerr W, Gardner F. Transported versus homegrown parenting interventions for reducing disruptive child behavior: A multilevel meta-regression study. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 2016; 55: 610-7.
5. Levtov R, van der Gaag N, Greene M, Kaufman M, Barker G. State of the World’s Fathers: A MenCare Advocacy Publication. Washington, DC: Promundo, Rutgerse, Save the Children, Sonke Gender Justice, the MenEngage Alliance; 2015.

Uganda

KEY WORDS