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There are several global and regional initiatives and key dates throughout the year which can provide a platform for campaigning and advocacy for the implementation of global and regional commitments. Aligning with these initiatives can amplify and strategically position programme messages within a wider, recognised framework of international efforts to address violence against women and girls. Key dates include:
February 6 – International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation
March 6 – International Women’s Day
June 19 – International Day for the Elimination of Sexual…
Even though many states are signatories to global and regional frameworks, there are often significant gaps in integrating the provisions into national legislation and implementing that legislation. There are therefore a number of mechanisms and actors working to support implementation. At a global level, the international community has an obligation to monitor the implementation of conventions and to step in when member states are unable or unwilling to protect their citizens and uphold their rights. For example, the Platform of Independent Expert Mechanisms on the Elimination of…
In addition to these international and regional frameworks which are focused more generally on violence against women and girls, it is also useful to understand relevant frameworks that address specific forms of violence.
For example, if a programme focuses on violence in the workplace, it is important to have a good understanding of the International Labour Organization’s Violence and Harassment Convention (No. 190) and its accompanying Recommendation (No. 206).
Likewise, programming on violence against women migrant workers could explore the relevant frameworks on labour migration…
International and regional frameworks establish norms, guidelines and legal obligations for countries to protect women and girls from violence. By understanding the frameworks focused on gender equality and ending VAWG, programmes can understand which frameworks a country is signatory to, analyse the degree of alignment as well as analyse gaps in national laws, policies and practices that may need advocacy efforts. Read more on how to analyse the national policy, legal and institutional environment.
Some of the most significant international frameworks that increase the protection standards…
In Uganda, responsibility for budgeting is shared across national, parliamentary, and district levels. Yet at the district level, where budgets are implemented, gender-based violence (GBV) was largely seen as the responsibility of a single office: the Community Development Office. This approach risked limiting resources for GBV, despite strong national policy commitments.
Spotlight Initiative brought together a wide range of district ministries, departments, and agencies, reframing GBV as a shared governance priority rather than a standalone social issue that was only the responsibility of…
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…
In a male-dominated political landscape, it can be especially challenging for women with disabilities to enter politics. In Zimbabwe, Spotlight Initiative identified low participation of persons with disabilities - especially women - in political processes or political leadership.
In response, Spotlight Initiative implemented a training programme to educate women and girls with disabilities about their human rights, how to engage in policy and law-making and how to advocate for and access legal and gender-based violence services if needed. In partnership with Leonard Cheshire Disability…
In 2022, the Spotlight Initiative Secretariat and the Global Civil Society Reference Group conducted global peer-learning workshops to exchange lessons and experiences on their monitoring work. Based on this, at least seven Reference Groups have produced Advocacy Scorecards, with additional scorecards in the pipeline.
The scorecards do not assess the impact of Spotlight Initiative programming and outcome results, but rather look at the extent to which Spotlight Initiative processes and systems support the participation, protection and involvement of civil society in general, and feminist…
Spotlight Initiative in Malawi helped contribute to strengthening the legal framework to protect women and girls from violence. A landmark achievement was the amendment of the Penal Code. The amendments included the redefining of the age of a child as a person under the age of eighteen years, and prohibiting sexual offences against children and persons with mental disabilities. The amendment, long advocated for by civil society, was propelled forward by the effective mobilisation of government ministers, demonstrating Spotlight Initiative’s role in bridging the gap between civil society’s…
In response to the alarming rise in femicides in Mexico, particularly in Chihuahua State, Spotlight Initiative worked to strengthen legal frameworks against gender-based violence. Despite existing laws like ‘Norma Oficial Mexicana’ and the General Law on Women’s Access to a Life Free of Violence, femicides continued to increase, driven by deep-rooted gender inequalities and weak law enforcement.
Spotlight Initiative undertook a comprehensive assessment of Chihuahua’s legal policies with Grupo de Accion por los Derechos Humanos y la Justicia Social A.C. (Action Group for Human Rights and…