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As the largest global effort to end VAWG, Spotlight Initiative was uniquely positioned to build a culture of learning and knowledge exchange across countries/regions that could be used to inform effective programming and policies on EVAWG across the globe. Key approaches and learning include:
Developing and implementing a robust Knowledge Management Strategy, which set out Spotlight Initiative's ambition to be an innovation platform for EVAWG, harnessing knowledge, solutions and expertise. Led by the Spotlight Initiative Secretariat at the global level, it outlined the key knowledge…
Spotlight Initiative uses a results-based management approach, which provides a framework to monitor objectives, track and report results, and evaluate the effectiveness of its programmes. Spotlight Initiative generates timely, accurate and reliable data from the Spotlight Initiative Performance Monitoring Framework (SPMF) using the online SMART platform, which helps to ensure that the right decisions are taken at the right time to adapt and improve programming.
All regional and country programmes are required to develop a:
M&E Plan – which describes major monitoring and evaluation…
Elevating ending VAWG on the political agenda: Spotlight Initiative works at all levels of government to elevate the strategic positioning of VAWG on the political agenda. It has directly engaged at the highest level with Prime Ministers and Heads of State to generate political will through the UN Resident Coordinators and included government co-chairs on National Steering Committees.
Strengthening capacity of government actors: Spotlight Initiative worked to strengthen capacities of key government ministries and agencies at local, subnational and national levels.
Strengthening laws and…
Spotlight Initiative has had a major focus on supporting legislative reforms in target countries and regions through a dedicated Pillar 1 on laws and policies. This has included the following approaches:
At a regional level, several regional programmes have worked to reform legislation, for example, the Africa Regional Programme supported a regional assessment on the status of enforcement of ending VAWG laws and policies. The Latin America Regional Programme worked with MESECVI, the Follow-up Mechanism to the Belém do Pará Convention to promote the InterAmerican Model Law to Prevent, Punish…
From its inception, Spotlight Initiative has sought to systematically address both the drivers of gender-based violence - through prevention work - and its impacts, through response work. Key approaches and learnings include:
Prevention programmes in each context should be informed by an analysis of the drivers of the specific form of violence. Spotlight Initiative has addressed various forms of VAWG, including intimate partner violence, sexual exploitation and abuse, child marriage and harmful traditional practices. Whilst all of these forms of violence are driven by gender inequalities…
Prevention is one of the six key pillars of Spotlight Initiative. This pillar focuses on addressing the root causes of violence against women and girls, including discrimination against women and girls and gender inequality in the distribution of power/resources. The largest percentage of Spotlight Initiative’s investment across the six pillars was allocated towards prevention efforts. Key approaches and learnings from this work include:
Focusing on social norm change is a catalyst for change across multiple areas needed to end VAWG. Changing attitudes, behaviours, and social norms takes…
Spotlight Initiative places substantive focus on the role of social norm change as a catalyst for change across multiple pillars of its work. It recognises that social norms shape everyday expectations about people's behaviours and are embedded in formal institutions, laws and policies. Key approaches and learnings about understanding and transforming social norms include:
Supporting women’s movements and CSOs with the skills and resources to build a global movement for social change is also one of the most effective and sustainable ways of transforming social norms.
Use a holistic…
Spotlight Initiative has adopted a range of strategies across its country and regional programmes to anticipate, minimise and mitigate backlash and resistance in its programming. Key approaches and learnings include:
Conduct training and awareness raising to reduce the risk of backlash and resistance to EVAWG programming. In Uganda, Spotlight Initiative trained members of the Domestic Violence Coalition and Members of Parliament on how to understand and address backlash. In Argentina, the Spotlight Initiative developed evidence-based materials for families, teachers, clubs, journalists and…
Spotlight Initiative has supported multiple campaigns focused on ending VAWG across its country and regional programmes. Key approaches and lessons include:
Work with celebrities and opinion leaders to change public opinion around VAWG. For example, in Nigeria and Argentina, programmes worked with sports stars in football to denounce VAWG and promote respectful behaviour towards women. In Haiti, to launch the 2021 16 Days of Activism campaign, Spotlight Initiative hosted a concert with the singer and UNICEF Ambassador, Jean Jean Roosevelt, to denounce violence against women and girls.
Use…
Spotlight Initiative established a Global Capacity Development Strategy to underpin its efforts to deliver capacity development activities globally. This strategy sets out the principles that capacity development efforts should be built upon. These principles include: 1) integration across multiple levels of programming; 2) contextual and demand-driven; 3) founded on partnerships; 4) informed by feminist pedagogies; and 5) designed with sustainability in mind. This strategy also clarifies a unified purpose for capacity development, identifies examples of capacity strengthening approaches…