VoxDev Development Economics S6 Ep28: Can storytelling reduce violence against women and children?
Jul 16, 2025
Amber Peterman, a UNICEF staff member and edutainment advocate, discusses the transformative power of storytelling in reducing violence against women and children. She shares insights from her recent review that highlights how engaging narratives can challenge harmful practices like FGM and child marriage. Peterman explores successful interventions in countries like Vietnam and Senegal, demonstrating edutainment's potential to shift community norms and promote pro-social behavior. The conversation reveals both the effectiveness and challenges of utilizing entertainment as a tool for social change.
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Recent Edutainment Research Scope
- Recent rigorous quantitative studies mostly date from 2019 onward and evaluate edutainment in low/middle-income countries.
- They measure attitudes, norms, and violence behaviors to assess edutainment's impact.
Edutainment Effectiveness and Challenges
- Edutainment shifts attitudes in 71% of studies and reduces violence behaviors in 64%, showing promising effects.
- Some increase in reported violence may result from better awareness or willingness to report.
Vietnam Web Drama Reduces Violence
- A Vietnamese university web-based serial drama reduced young men's sexual violence up to one year later.
- This example shows edutainment's potential in changing perpetrator behavior.