Preventing violence against women: what can we learn from extreme settings?

There are some countries where violence against women is accepted as normal in women's day-to-day lives. Such 'extreme settings' can teach us a lot about the psychology behind violent behaviour and how to prevent it. In this lecture, the ties between violence and gender inequalities, armed conflict, child abuse and other types of violence are explored. We also look at why violence against women is often accepted and how knowledge of extreme settings can help challenge this acceptance. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and rising rates of violence against women around the world, we urgently need new methods to prevent violence. Extreme settings may hold the answers for achieving this.