Effectiveness of school-based interventions in preventing violence against girls in low- and middle-income countries: Systematic review

Background Violence against girls remains a major public health challenge in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), and schools represent a critical platform for primary prevention. Objective To review the effectiveness of school-based interventions for preventing violence against girls in LMICs systematically. Methods Seven databases were searched from inception to April 5, 2025, supplemented by grey literature searches. Eligible studies were intervention trials or longitudinal observational studies with a control arm in LMICs reporting sex-disaggregated outcomes for school-based interventions targeting physical, sexual, emotional violence, bullying and cyberbullying against girls. Heterogeneity precluded meta-analysis; narrative synthesis and vote counting based on direction of effect were conducted. The review is registered with the Open Science Framework. Results Twenty-seven articles reporting 29 interventions met the inclusion criteria: 11 curriculum-based, seven multilevel, six single-component, and five multicomponent interventions. Evidence from curriculum-based empowerment self-defence programmes indicated the most consistent favourable effects on sexual violence victimisation. By contrast, multicomponent and multilevel interventions had broader but more heterogeneous potential to prevent victimisation and perpetration. Across intervention types, effects on bullying were predominantly favourable direction. Measurement of victimisation and perpetration was unbalanced, with sexual violence perpetration substantially underrepresented. No eligible studies were identified from the Central Africa, Caribbean, or Pacific Island countries. Conclusions School-based interventions show potential to reduce violence against girls, with curriculum-based approaches offering the most consistent short-term benefits in preventing sexual violence victimisation. Effectiveness of multilevel and multicomponent interventions remains heterogeneous, and evidence on sustainability and scalability is limited across intervention types.