Abstract: Submission #4

Abstract Violence against women (VAW) perseveres worldwide despite efforts made by various governments, civic organizations, communities and individuals to combat this social problem. In this article, I will explore the VAW mitigation strategies that target individuals and families. I problematize the social construction of gender that occurs in most patriarchal families since it favours men over women, inculcating male supremacy. Therefore, I will elicit participants’ views on what individuals and families can do to curb VAW within their communities. Heise’s (1998) ecological model of violence against women will underpin this study. The study places focus on the ontogenic level and the micro-level only, unearthing VAW mitigation strategies that focus on individual people and families in rural and urban areas of Lesotho. Based on the findings I will make recommendations on what social workers can do to building sustainable, resilient, and self-reliant families that are capable of combating VAW. Results are envisaged to assist policy makers to proffer relevant social policies that are informed by empirical research.