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Spotlight Initiative supported the Ministry of Social Solidarity and Inclusion (MSSI) to scale up the Hametin Familia parenting education programme to new locations, namely the municipalities of Ermera and Viqueque between 2019 and 2023. The parenting programme utilized group sessions to build knowledge, attitudes and practices of parents and caregivers, equipping them with the skills to better support the well-being and development of their children. Spotlight Initiative's roll out of Hametin Familia also included home visits, offering peer support for conditional cash transfer recipient…
In 2021, Spotlight Initiative established the Pacific Feminist Community of Practice (PacFemCOP). This was moderated by DIVA for Equality in Fiji. It involved a co-creation process between 20 CSOs and around 80 activists from across the region. Through PacFemCOP, these activists were able to document feminist best practice from across the region, including topics such as feminist approaches to gender, ecological and climate justice; elimination of VAWG; how to mobilize, organize and action for change; feminist approaches to economic justice; SOGIESC; bodily autonomy and integrity; and sexual…
In Timor-Leste, the percentage of the national budget allocated to the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls was a point of concern, following a drastic funding reduction between 2019 and 2020. In 2019, 0.6 percent of the budget (10.4 million USD) was allocated to gender equality initiatives. This was reduced to a mere 0.1 percent of the budget (1.4 million USD) in 2020. Reductions in budget allocated to gender equality initiatives have adverse consequences that impede the protection of women’s rights and safety, as well as equitable access to education, healthcare…
Spotlight Initiative (led by UNICEF), in partnership with faith-based organisations (FBOs) and civil society organisations (CSOs), launched the Parenting for Childhood Development (P4CD) programme in six provinces of Papua New Guinea. The P4CD consisted of a series of training workshops for parents and caregivers of children aged 3-10 years in the selected communities based on a curriculum adapted for the context. Spotlight Initiative reached over 23,000 people through this activity.Six modules were delivered over 6-12 weeks and covered the following topics: educating parents on children’s…
In 2019, Spotlight Initiative programmes conducted a contextual analysis across the Pacific region to better understand the policy and legal context that contributed to high rates of VAWG. This analysis showed that domestic violence legal frameworks exist in the form of Family Protection Acts in countries such as Samoa and Fiji. However, sexual and reproductive coercion was not criminalised as a form of domestic violence. In some countries, there were also discrepancies between different laws and policies, due in part to a lack of coordination between government ministries when developing new…
Spotlight Initiative, with World Vision and the national CSO Psychosocial Recovery and Development in East Timor (PRADET), designed and tested a model for empowering and providing psychosocial support to girls and adolescents who are survivors or at risk of sexual gender-based violence (GBV) in Timor-Leste. The process was informed by a mapping exercise in Ermera municipality, which sought to identify specialised survivor-centred services for adolescents outside of the capital, and involved 1,049 adolescents (522 boys and 527 girls) who provided insights on their specific sexual and…
In Uganda, following the delivery of capacity strengthening sessions with government stakeholders, host and refugee communities advocating for EVAWG and the safety of women, new commitments were made in Yumbe District, which had a high prevalence rate of teenage pregnancies. Local authorities advocated for police to adequately investigate and bring perpetrators of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) to justice. In Adjumani District, a GBV ordinance is being pushed for by district women councillors (women caucus) and has received support by the local chairperson.
Additionally, through ‘security talks’…
As part of Spotlight Initiative, UNFPA in Timor Leste mapped quantitative and qualitative data on violence against women and girls in order to inform capacity building and training on data literacy and gender statistics for civil servants. Specifically, data was collected in Dili, Bobonaro, Viqueque and Ermera and involved a literature review and secondary analysis of the 2015-2016 Demographic and Health Survey. The mapping reviewed types of violence (physical, sexual and emotional), demographic characteristics, behavioural factors, vulnerable groups, and help-seeking behaviour. Overall, the…
In Timor-Leste, Spotlight Initiative addressed growing concerns about reductions in the national budget allocation for gender equality. Following a significant budget cut from 0.6% (US$10.4 million) in 2019 to 0.1% (US$1.4 million) in 2020, Spotlight Initiative actively engaged with different levels of government and civil society organisations, both to increase the allocation of the budget for preventing and ending VAWG, as well as to improve stakeholder engagement with the budgeting process.
“It is hard to understand the state budget specially to analyse it from a gender perspective. The…
In the Pacific Island of Vanuatu, Spotlight Initiative partnered with relevant government ministries and stakeholders to address critical gaps in young people’s knowledge about sexual and reproductive health. Working closely with the Vanuatu Ministry of Education and Training’s Curriculum Development Unit, Spotlight Initiative helped to develop and revise the curricula on Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) and Family Life Education (FLE) to meet international standards. The updated curriculum (available in both English and French) has nine components that focus on human rights, sexual…