Violence Against Women and Girls Across Pacific Small Island Developing States: A Scoping Review of Interventions and Outcomes

Prevalence of violence against women and girls (VAWG) is high in Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS), a geographically remote and culturally diverse group of states and territories. This scoping review examines interventions addressing VAWG in Pacific SIDS. Guided by PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews), we conducted a scoping review across 14 databases to identify peer-reviewed intervention studies published between 2010 and 2025. Thirteen studies satisfied the inclusion criteria. Twelve employed qualitative or participatory methods to evaluate small-scale community- or nongovernmental organization-led interventions, including faith- and family-centered programs, community mobilization, participatory co-design, arts-based approaches, training, and policy-focused analyses. Outcomes were predominantly proximal and perceptual, including increased awareness, attitudinal shifts, and relational transformation. Findings indicate that VAWG interventions in Pacific SIDS are relational, family-, faith-, and community-centered, reflecting local social structures. The focus on qualitative, process-oriented outcomes and the lack of standardized quantitative or long-term evaluations reveal structural constraints, including limited surveillance, disaggregated data, fragmented implementation, and legal responses. Addressing VAWG in Pacific SIDS requires a hybrid approach that combines Pacific-led epistemologies, global evidence, and coordinated actions across the health, legal, education, and social sectors. Ongoing investment in culturally relevant research, evaluation, and prevention infrastructure is vital to ensure effective, scalable responses.