Imoact
Evaluating the VPF
In 2020, the ISS evaluated the VPF to document its methods, principles, practices, and impacts in addressing violence against women and children. The evaluation aimed to explain how the forum operates and achieves results, potentially guiding the development of a model for multi-sectoral dialogue on complex social issues like violence prevention. The findings, available here, highlight that the VPF is effective through six key mechanisms: Awareness, Agreement, Access, Trust, Ability, Healing, and Confidence.
In 2023 researchers from the Institute for Security Studies built on the 2020 evaluation by undertaking case study research to assess how NGOs, researchers, government officials and their institutions benefitted or were challenged by the Violence Prevention Forum.
Convening and facilitating a multisector dialogue - a how to guide
This guide is for individuals or organisations convening multi-stakeholder forums, government officials who chair coordinating forums, and civil society organisations facilitating networks.
How to start and sustain a community dialogue to solve local problems
This guide emerged from the experience of the community dialogue that started in 2021 between the communities of Touwsranten and Hoekwil in the Southern Cape. The monthly dialogue meetings bring together people from Touwsranen and Hoekwil, adjacent communities divided by Apartheid-era spacial planning. The aim of the dialogue it to build a safe and prosperous community for all who live in the areas, and to build bridges across lines of race, class and nationality. The guide is intended for individuals and organisations who wish to initiate dialogue in their own communities to solve local problems.
Community dialogue for safety and prosperity
The communities of Hoekwil and Touwsranten on South Africa’s Garden Route have been engaged in an ongoing dialogue process to improve safety and increase the prosperity of all residents since August 2021. The dialogue brings residents together across class, race and nationality. This assessment reveals the achievements and challenges of the process. The dialogue has provided a space where community members can communicate directly with police officials and learn more about how the police work. Improved relations with the local police have had positive results, particularly in the immigrant community. The assessment found that participants want the dialogue to deal with one issue at a time, as taking on too much proved to be ineffective.