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In Mali, Spotlight Initiative supported the establishment of 829 model husband clubs for married men aged 20-40 (Club des Maris – CDM) and men planning to marry, aged 14-24 (Clubs des Futurs Maris – CDFM). A Model Husbands club is a voluntary space that brings men together to collectively reflect and take action to become a model husband. The clubs were designed to be participatory, open spaces for discussion, and promoting the shared values of active listening, equality and respect. The model husband clubs were sites of thematic sessions and discussions, led by men in the group, to encourage…

Spotlight Initiative worked with Muslim religious leaders – and in partnership with Tajikistan’s State Agency Committee on Religious Affairs and the Regulation of Traditions, Celebrations, and Ceremonies (CRA)  to shifting attitudes, practices and norms to improve gender equality, promote healthy relationships, promote sexual and reproductive health and rights, and prevent gender-based violence (including domestic violence and early marriage). It trained 540 male religious leaders, including Imams using the ‘Healthy Lifestyle’ handbook and encouraged them to address these issues in sermons and…

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 has supported the review and reform of legal systems and frameworks to ensure that root causes, consequences and risk factors of violence against women and girls are comprehensively addressed and the specific needs of individuals facing intersecting forms of discrimination, such as LGTBQI+  individuals are effectively addressed.

In Liberia, Spotlight Initiative conducted a legislative review of the Inheritance Law, Rape Law and Domestic Violence Law with government officials and CSO representatives to ensure the inclusion of a comprehensive approach to targeting all forms…

The guide “I belong to me” was written and illustrated by African women from different backgrounds and parts of the continent in Spotlight Initiative's Africa Regional Programme (first phase). It was designed to promote discussion between African parents and their pre-adolescent children around African culture and Harmful Practices, such as Female Genital Mutilation and Child Marriage. It follows the story of an 11-year old girl called Saleema who travels to different cities across the continent where the main African policies on girls and women’s rights have been adapted, in order for her to…

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)…

In 2022, the Spotlight Initiative Latin America Regional Programme was able to map and collect more than 600 gender-based violence prevention strategies from 18 countries, generating important recommendations on effective GBV prevention strategies. Some of the recommendations include: 

Reinforcing critical approaches, intersectional analysis, and taking a multicultural dimension 
Identifying conditions and barriers of access to information and state actions and policies 
Enhancing sustainability and scaling up of processes, and leadership that promotes the building of social norms that…

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…

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…