Assessment of Community Leader Knowledge and Attitudes about Violence Against Women in Timor-Leste

Abstract

This study reports findings from a survey designed to assess knowledge and attitudes about violence against women among community leaders in Timor-Leste. The survey was administered to 271 community leaders who participated in Health Alliance International’s Harmonia Activity, a project focused on ending violence against women by shifting attitudes and social norms to support the peaceful resolution of conflict in two municipalities, Ermera and Liquica. Participants reported levels of knowledge about violence and attitudes towards violence that were approximately in the midpoint of possible responses. Participants’ knowledge and attitudes differed significantly when disaggregated by gender and by education level. Men and participants with higher education levels reported being more knowledgeable about types and impact of violence and reported having attitudes less consistent with acceptance of violence and victim blaming compared with women and participants with lower education levels (p <0.01). In contrast, women reported having attitudes more consistent with equitable gender roles than those of male respondents (p <0.01). Findings support the timeliness of the Harmonia Activity, as there is potential for growth in both knowledge and attitude constructs among community leaders in these two project municipalities of Timor-Leste.