Advanced Search

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, 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…

Spotlight Initiative in Malawi supported a Safe Space Mentorship Programme (SSMP). The programme supported girls and young women from 10 to 24 years old, through a weekly programme that ran for 6 months, addressing sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), gender-based violence (GBV), harmful practices, referral pathways, and life skills. It aimed to empower young women and girls to recognise that violence is illegal, a violation of human rights, and to build the skills to sensitively challenge harmful social norms and behaviours that perpetuate violence against women and girls (VAWG)…

Spotlight Initiative in Liberia developed a Comprehensive Prevention Strategy for the prevention of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and harmful practices through a coordinated and multi-stakeholder partnership. It was the first comprehensive prevention strategy in the region which is:Informed by a literature review and a participatory approach to data collection and analysis to assess risk and protective factors. The process engaged stakeholders at national, county and community levels including Government ministries, law enforcement, the judiciary, health service providers…

Spotlight Initiative in Honduras supported the ‘Cure Violence’ model – a transformative approach aimed at reshaping social norms to address femicide and violence against women and girls. Honduras has the highest femicide rate in Latin America at 4.3 cases per 100,000 women in 2024, with a culture of impunity where most of these crimes go unpunished. This UNICEF-supported initiative mobilised communities to change social norms in areas affected by gang violence and trafficking. It used ‘violence interrupters’ to lead community dialogues and efforts to identify and prevent instances of violence…

In Spotlight Initiative's first phase of programming in Liberia, the programme developed a Comprehensive Prevention Strategy through a coordinated and multi-stakeholder approach reinforcing government, civil society, and community ownership. This strategy informed all efforts to prevent sexual gender-based violence (SGBV), harmful practices and promote sexual and reproductive health and rights. It was designed to support the implementation of the Rape Law, Domestic Violence Law, and government-led Anti-SGBV Roadmap that protects women and girls from violence. Some  elements of the strategy…