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Spotlight Initiative was designed to shift from isolated, project-based efforts to a comprehensive well-funded approach for addressing VAWG, which is aligned with national development priorities and works to accelerate progress to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
It also marks a significant step in UN reform, using a whole-system 'One UN' approach that leverages coordinated and coherent funding and places women and girls at the centre of its efforts.
As one of the first large-scale initiatives focused solely on eliminating VAWG, Spotlight Initiative serves as a demonstration…
Plan for sustainability from the onset: Spotlight Initiative programmes considered the sustainability of interventions from the onset. Key approaches have included: ensure high-level engagement of government throughout implementation; support key national level interventions such as national action plans, advocacy for GBV budgets, capacity development of national institutions, and meaningful engagement of civil society at all levels.
Sharing lessons on sustainability: To sustain Spotlight Initiative’s momentum and results, the Secretariat has been sharing lessons and promising practices of…
There are several key principles which have guided Spotlight Initiative's approach to research on VAWG:
Ensure ethical data collection. The safety of women and girl participants should always be prioritised. This requires anonymising data, ensuring secure data storage, developing strong data-sharing protocols, and ensuring all those involved in the data collection, processing and dissemination process are trained on ethical research principles and survivor-centred approaches to research.
Use action-oriented feminist research approaches. This means that research should: focus on the…
A comprehensive theory of change: At the onset, Spotlight Initiative identified four key outcome areas that programming should work to strengthen in order to comprehensively address the root causes, drivers and consequences of VAWG:
A) Laws, policies and institutions (including data collection)
B) Prevention (including social norms change and women's economic empowerment)
C) Response (services for survivors and accountability of perpetrators)
D) Support to and partnership with women’s movements.
This theory of change provides a framework for stakeholders to select and adapt…
Spotlight Initiative has provided a range of mobile and remote services across contexts. As a result of Covid-19, it increased the number of remote services provided across its programming, applying lessons learned from across contexts to strengthen delivery and innovation. Key approaches and learning include:
Provide support through mobile clinics offering multiple services to all women and girls. Spotlight Initiative programmes have funded clinics open to all women and girls, not only survivors, in Mozambique, Niger, Haiti and Belize. These have offered coordinated sexual and reproductive…
Spotlight Initiative takes a coordinated approach to supporting the reintegration of survivors, recognising the need for multiple, complementary interventions. Key approaches and learning include:
Addressing economic, social and psychological needs: For example, as happened in Malawi, Spotlight Initiative ensured that livelihood and financial support programmes are complemented by the establishment of survivor support groups and advocacy efforts within the communities to which survivors are returning or joining.
Working with community members and survivors through the establishment of…
Spotlight Initiative has prioritised the provision of mental health and psychosocial support in both its prevention and response work. Key approaches and learning include:
Producing technical guidance on how to mainstream MHPSS into programme and service design and delivery. This seeks to apply the latest evidence and learning on MHPSS into prevention work, as well as quality response services.
Ensuring MHPSS needs assessments inform capacity building and programming. By conducting a needs assessment, the information collected can provide a profound understanding of the struggles with…
Spotlight Initiative takes a multi-sectoral approach to establishing safe spaces, to ensure that survivors - and other women and girls - have access to a variety of services including financial aid, legal aid, economic empowerment opportunities, sexual and reproductive health information, psychosocial support and counselling, and opportunities to develop skills to challenge harmful gender norms safely.
Spotlight Initiative builds safe spaces in collaboration with communities and service providers, especially health and justice services. Part of these efforts involves empowering and training…
Spotlight Initiative has ensured access to justice programmes that reflect holistic definitions of justice, informed by the experiences of survivors and communities. For example, in addition to supporting survivors to access and navigate both formal and informal legal systems, they have also supported communities to establish reparative memorials in honour of those killed through crimes of GBV. See case study below. Other key approaches and learning include:
Supporting justice sector leaders and decision-makers to understand the seriousness and impacts of GBV. For example, programmes have…
Spotlight Initiative seeks to take a feminist approach to partnerships. Feminist partnerships are grounded in trust and solidarity, shaped by context and a commitment to addressing power imbalances. They actively confront exclusions, embrace complexity, and prioritise investments in long-term capacity. These partnerships require powerholders to be willing to adapt systems, consider gendered risks, and provide the flexible, high-quality funding that enables change.
Spotlight Initiative has partnered with women’s rights organisations (WROs) at national and local levels across all outcome areas…