Engaging men to transform inequitable gender attitudes and prevent intimate partner violence: a cluster randomised controlled trial in North and South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo

INTRODUCTION: The study objective was to understand the effectiveness of Engaging Men through Accountable Practice (EMAP), a group-based discussion series which sought to transform gender relations in communities, on intimate partner violence (IPV), gender inequitable attitudes and related outcomes. METHODS: A two-armed, matched-pair, cluster randomised controlled trial was conducted between 2016 and 2018 in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Adult men (n=1387) and their female partners (n=1220) participated in the study. The primary outcomes of the study were female report of past year physical and/or sexual IPV and men's intention to commit violence. Secondary outcomes included men's gender attitudes, women's economic and emotional IPV, women's perception of negative male behaviours and perceived quality of the relationship. RESULTS: Men in EMAP reported significant reductions in intention to commit violence (β=-0.76; SE=0.23; p