Harmful Traditional Practices in Urban Settings: A Review of the Evidence on Prevalence and Effective Interventions

Harmful traditional practices (HTPs) are destructive practices, sustained by tradition, that negatively impact women and girls. While some evidence exists on HTPs broadly, relatively little is known about their prevalence and effective interventions to address them in urban settings. This brief surveys the evidence, identifies knowledge gaps, and makes recommendations for development partners.

Harmful traditional practices (HTPs) reduce women and girls’ ability to participate in economic, political, or social life. A form of gender-based violence, HTPs are practices, sustained by tradition in a variety of societies, that are harmful and destructive for the well-being of women and girls subjected to them and negatively impact development progress of their communities, countries, and regions. Although significant work has been done to understand the prevalence of and factors that perpetuate HTPs, related policies and interventions have often focused on rural communities. However, the available evidence suggests a more nuanced picture is necessary to understand the drivers of HTP in urban areas and the most effective interventions to address them.

Read the blog related to this brief: Understanding and Addressing Harmful Traditional Practices in Urban Settings

To address this gap, this paper reviews the available evidence on HTP prevalence and effective interventions in urban areas, focusing on the following three HTPs where research is of sufficient depth for such a review:

child, early, and forced marriages (CEFM)
female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) – the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons
female infanticide and feticide – the deliberate killing of an infant or the abortion of a fetus because they are female

This overview is intended to help donors, governments, non-governmental organizations, and researchers better understand the role of location, and particularly urban settings, on these three HTPs and to, in turn, inform policy, programming, and research agendas. The paper provides context, scope, and definitions; summarizes the available evidence on prevalence and effective solutions broadly and in urban areas; and calls attention to knowledge gaps that may merit further research and discussion. The review concludes that, despite evidence that some HTPs are prevalent in urban areas, there is limited rigorous evidence (i.e., evidence that meets specific methodological standards like peer review and the presence of a strong comparison group) on effective strategies and interventions to address them. Consequently, especially given rapid urbanization in many developing countries, there is an urgent need for greater attention by donors and their international, national, and local partners to understand and address HTPs in urban areas.