Mainstreaming a Life Skills Education Programme Right to Play- Plus to Reduce Violence Against Girls in Pakistan

Summary

Right to Play-Plus (RTP-Plus) aims to address violence against women and girls by promoting changes in social norms among young people within the school environment. The project focuses on building the capacity of young people to identify harmful gender norms and prevent violence against girls and boys by incorporating Right to Play's play-based learning methodology and Aahung's Life Skills Based Education curriculum. The strategies employed include interactive, learner-centered methodologies, curricular activities, and the development of peer educators and junior leaders. Teachers play a crucial role as key influencers and delivery agents of the curricular content. The project emphasizes capacity development for teachers, challenging their social norms, strengthening their play-based methodologies, and improving their sexual and reproductive health and rights knowledge (SRHR). The ultimate goal is to equip teachers to effectively deliver a gender transformative curriculum, empowering young people to respond to and prevent violence.

The research question for this study is:

What is the effectiveness of an adapted play-based life skills education that incorporates a "whole school" approach in reducing sexual harassment and abuse, peer violence experiences, mental illness (including suicidal ideation), improving resilience, and promoting gender equity, SRHR knowledge in both home and public settings?

The research objective will be achieved through two-arm cluster randomized controlled trial (for girls-only, co-ed, and boys-only schools). The intervention arm participants will be able to participate in the adapted play-based life skills education intervention, which the Right to Play and Aahung will deliver. It will be provided to all eligible school children in grade 6. Moreover, a delayed intervention will be offered to the control arm upon completion of endline data collection after the comprehensive intervention is delivered in the intervention arm.

Conditions

• Mental Health
• Gender Based Violence
• Resilience
• Gender Equity
• Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Right to Play-Plus (RTP-Plus)

The comprehensive curriculum comprises of themes: "Social and Emotional Development" and "Sexual and Reproductive Health" will be delivered by school teachers who will receive training from Right to Play and Aahung. There will be 60 sessions for two years.

OTHER

Control

There will be no intervention given to control arm during two years of cluster randomised control trial (cRCT). However, a delayed intervention having teachers' training, will be provided to the control arm after the completion of endline for the duration of 3-4 months.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• George Washington University

  collaborator OTHER

• Aga Khan University

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

10 Years

Max Age

16 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-12-18

Primary Completion

2027-02-28

Completion

2027-05-31

Countries

• Pakistan

Study Locations