Stories from the field demonstrate sport as a strategy to address gender-based violence and abuse.
When girls participate in sport, they challenge the core of GBV – inequity, patriarchy, and rigid gender roles. Beyond the social challenge, the application of sport in combating gender-based violence is practical. Physically when girls play, they become stronger and healthier. They develop a greater ownership and understanding of their bodies. The success a girl experiences on the sport field translates into her belief in herself off the sport field. The physical and emotional strength sport offers can be a positive force in reducing a girl’s risk of experiencing GBV.