More Than a Dream: Supporting Peru in Preventing Violence Against Women and Girls

In 2020, Equality Institute supported a landmark international collaboration between Peru, Colombia, and Australia to strengthen efforts to prevent violence against women and girls (VAWG).

Through a learning exchange, strategic policy support, and the creation of a youth-focused animated video and educational resource, this initiative aimed to build national strategies, shift public narratives, and support the next generation to envision and co-create a world free from gendered violence. At the heart of this work was partnership: across countries, sectors, and generations. 

The Challenge

In recent years, Peru has taken important steps toward preventing gendered violence, including the development of its first National Strategy for the Prevention of Gendered Violence Against Women (Mujeres Libres de Violencia), along with Strategic Guidelines and a Conceptual Framework for national action.  

However, translating these strategies into action required more than policy development alone. A key challenge was how to build capacity, political will, and public understanding across the system, including at the local and community level. It was also critical to ensure these frameworks were relevant and understandable to everyday people, and especially to young people who can often be overlooked, but essential to long-term prevention. 

The Peruvian government sought support in strengthening their approach to VAWG prevention and ensuring that emerging strategies were evidence-based, collaborative, and grounded in public engagement. There was a need for tools that could bridge policy with public understanding, and spark both national and local commitment to ending violence against women.

The Solution

Building South–South Learning and Collaboration

In March 2020, Equality Institute organised and facilitated a learning exchange between 10 government and civil society representatives from Peru and Colombia, held in Naarm (Melbourne, Australia). Participants explored Australia’s whole-of-government approach to preventing VAWG and engaged with local councils, government agencies, and grassroots organisations. The exchange was designed to build capacity, share tools and technical expertise, and foster long-term relationships between regional leaders and advocates.  

Key feedback from participants included: 

• Inspiration from the work local councils were doing in communities, and the importance of securing commitment not only at national, but also local levels. 
• A recognised need for better access to data and guidance on how to use it to drive effective prevention efforts. 
• Deep appreciation for hearing visionary approaches to prevention and the responsibility and care shown by speakers and organisations across the program. 

Following the exchange, EQI and the Prevention Collaborative provided technical advice to support the development of Peru’s first National Strategy, Strategic Guidelines, and Conceptual Framework, all now featured in a public handbook of global prevention approaches. 

Creating Story-Driven Tools for Prevention

Recognising the need to communicate complex prevention policy in an accessible way, EQI partnered with the Peruvian Ministry for Women and Vulnerable Populations (MIMP), Peruvian production house Maia Films, and a youth advisory council to co-create a short animated video, More Than a Dream, aimed at young audiences in Lima, Peru. This was funded through an initiative by the Council on Australia Latin America Relations (COALAR). 

The animation follows Luisa, a teenage girl, and her best friend Alberto as they imagine a world free from gendered violence and consider the actions they can take to help make that dream a reality. It’s a hopeful, character-driven story that unpacks the complexity of gender-based violence in ways that are relevant, relatable, and emotionally resonant for young people. 

To deepen the impact of the video, an accompanying educational resource was developed by a education expert, designed for use in schools and youth workshops to support discussion and learning over time. The guide helps young people explore the causes of VAWG, recognise different forms of violence, and understand the role they can play in prevention. 

A Youth-Centred, Locally Led Approach

Throughout the process, meaningful collaboration and youth leadership were core principles. A youth advisory council helped shape the narrative and themes of the video. A young female creative led the illustration of the animation, who was engaged and mentored through local production company, Maia Films. And the final product was co-designed with MIMP to ensure alignment with national prevention priorities and reach.

The Impact

Policy to people: More Than a Dream is a creative communications tool that brings complex prevention policy to life — making it accessible and engaging for young people, while supporting the rollout of Peru’s national prevention strategy. 

Youth engagement: By focusing on a youth audience, the campaign taps into a critical prevention opportunity: reaching young people with messages of gender equality, consent, and healthy relationships before harmful norms are cemented. 

Cross-country learning: The Australia–Peru–Colombia exchange helped build meaningful international relationships, and contributed to Peru’s capacity to develop and deliver primary prevention strategies. This approach has inspired other regions, including Fiji. 

Creative capacity-building: Through partnerships with local creatives, educators, and government, the project helped build skills, ownership, and sustainability ensuring that the work lives on beyond the animation itself. 

Shared vision for change: Whether through policy, storytelling, or community-based education, this project reflects the power of global collaboration, feminist imagination, and evidence-based action to drive systemic change and support a new generation to dream bigger.