“Playing Safe” Against Gender-Based Violence: An Impact Evaluation of a Gender-Transformative Soccer-Based Program

Hernández W. · Journal of Child and Family Studies (2026) · DOI: 10.1007/s10826-026-03307-z

Resumen

Because partner violence often begins early in life, when prevention can have lasting effects, scalable interventions that reach both survivors and bystanders are needed. Sports-for-development programs offer such a platform. This study assesses the effects of Playing Safe, a soccer-based intervention in Lima, Peru, on gender norms, bystander behavior, and partner violence. The program comprised 33 weekly socio-sport sessions delivered over eight months to female and male children and adolescents aged 9–16, randomly assigned to treatment or control conditions (no intervention). Sessions addressed emotions, gender stereotypes, sexuality, and gender-based violence (GBV), with an emphasis on challenging harmful norms and fostering safe spaces. Intervention effects were estimated using analysis of covariance (19 treated and 173 controls). The intervention reduced partner violence experienced by female adolescents (-75%), though it increased acceptance of dating violence by 20%. Among children, the intervention increased injunctive gender-inequitable norms by 31%. This apparent contradiction can be explained by increased agency and self-protective behaviors, and heightened awareness of prevailing social expectations about gender. Moreover, bystander prevention decreased by 12%. This may be interpreted not as a reduction in prevention capacity, but as a change in the forms and opportunities for speaking up in contexts of power dynamics involving sensitive topics. These results are driven by increased empathetic concern (understanding when someone needs help and offering help spontaneously). Despite the study’s limitations (e.g., attrition), it highlights the importance of integrating socioemotional skills and a gender-transformative approach into sports for development to mitigate GBV. © The Author(s) 2026.