Final Evaluation: Eradicating Violence against Women and Girls and Improving Access to Justice for Maya Rural Women through Culture-based Community Interventions (Guatemala)

Location: Guatemala

Grantee: Women’s Justice Initiative

Grant Period: February 2016 – January 2019

Grant Amount: $110,000

The project “Eradicating Violence against Women and Girls and Improving Access to Justice for Maya Rural Women through Culture-based Community Interventions” was implemented by the Women’s Justice Initiative to reduce gender-based violence in the indigenous-majority municipality of Patzún in Guatemala. The project sought to:

• ensure that local women and girls who have experienced gender-based violence have improved access to the services they need;
• train police officers and community leaders to better support survivors of gender-based violence;
• improve women’s access to legal support; and
• change harmful social norms in Patzún that help perpetuate gender-based violence.

Main findings of the evaluation:

• The project achieved its main goals, improving women’s and girls’ access to justice in Patzún municipality.
• Community leaders in 15 of the 16 communities engaged by the project developed action plans to reduce the incidence of gender-based violence.
• Local communities adopted a set of inter-institutional protocols to facilitate coordination between service providers and improve the support provided to women and girls.

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