There is growing global recognition that violence against women and violence against children, and in particular intimate partner violence against women and violence against children by parents or caregivers, intersect in different ways. As global evidence of and interest in these intersections continue to grow, strategies are needed to enhance collaborations across these fields and thus ensure the best outcomes for both women and children. In response, the Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI), the UNICEF Innocenti – Global Office of Research and Foresight, and the UNDP/UNFPA/UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction hosted by WHO’s Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health, partnered to coordinate a global participatory process to identify research priorities that relate to the intersections between violence against children and violence against women.

Identifying research priorities is important as it will help to advance our understanding of the intersections of violence against children and violence against women in a more structured way and help monitor progress to fill evidence gaps. Setting research priorities also contributes to building knowledge systematically and ensures that research efforts make the best use of limited resources. Furthermore, the research priorities will guide research efforts to: inform the implementation of the multiagency RESPECT Women and INSPIRE frameworks; support the efforts of UNICEF to respond to the gender dimensions of violence against children and of WHO to strengthen work across violence against women and violence against children; guide the SVRI grant making strategy; and promote coherence in research and programming for the achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.