When societies, institutions, communities or individuals support or condone violence against women, levels of such violence are higher.

Justifying violence

Suggesting violence is justified in certain circumstances, for example, believing that violence is justified if a woman cheats on her partner. 

Excusing violence

Attributing violence to external factors, for example, believing that rape results from men not being able to control their need for sex. 

Trivialising violence

Suggesting violence is not serious enough to warrant action, for example, believing that domestic violence is a private matter. 

Downplaying violence

Denying its seriousness, denying that it occurs or denying that certain behaviours are violence at all. For example, believing that women make up or exaggerate claims of domestic violence to support child custody claims. 

Shifting blame for violence

Shifting blame from the perpetrator to the victim. For example, believing that if a woman is raped while drunk, she is partly responsible. 

• Reform legal, policy and institutional systems and practices that implicitly or explicitly condone violence against women or reduce men’s accountability for violence.
• Shift community attitudes and social norms that justify, excuse, trivialise or downplay violence against women, and challenge the condoning of violence through ableist, racist and other discriminatory attitudes.
• Ensure all prevention initiatives include mechanisms to challenge social support for attitudes, beliefs, behaviours, systems and practices that justify, excuse, trivialise or downplay violence against women or shift blame from the perpetrator to the victim.
• Challenge racist, sensationalised or stereotyped depictions in the media that contribute to a culture that enables violence, contributes to victim-blaming and trivialises violence experienced by particular communities.