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All Spotlight Initiative programmes adopted a comprehensive theory of change and worked across all the Spotlight Initiative pillars to develop a comprehensive VAWG programme. The approach taken by Spotlight Initiative Mozambique was as follows:
To support legislation and policies to end VAWG (pillar 1), the Spotlight Initiative worked with the Government of Mozambique to reinforce legislation and policies and develop multiple legal and policy instruments. These instruments included the Multi-sectoral Mechanism for Prevention, Reporting, Referral and Response to Violence Against Children at…
Spotlight Initiative in Malawi developed the Kuwala Knowledge Management Platform, which facilitates information sharing, knowledge exchange and cooperation at technical and analytical levels on issues related to gender equality and violence against women and girls that have emerged from programme implementation.
One key feature of the platform is its ability to visualise month-to-month trends in violence, broken down by region and types of cases reported. This allows users to identify trends over time and spot increases, investigate the reasons behind the increase, and get resources to the…
The Spotlight Initiative Secretariat has also played a pivotal role in fostering cross-regional and intraregional knowledge exchanges by organising in person convenings.
The Global Learning Symposium (GLS), which took place in Mexico in 2022, drew over 200 participants from the United Nations, government, civil society and other stakeholders, and aimed to consolidate the gains made over the past five years of the Initiative. A total of 45 plenary and thematic sessions were organised, providing a space for deep reflection and sharing of results, lessons learned and best practices across…
In March 2022, Spotlight Initiative, through a partnership with the UN Trust Fund, created a multi-stakeholder online hub for global exchange called SHINE. SHINE Hub operates as a combined knowledge hub, community of practice and advocacy hub, and is the first online knowledge exchange hub that brings together government, civil society, the United Nations, the European Union and other practitioners for active engagement to end violence against women and girls, and in the co-creation of knowledge.
The platform is accessible in more than 50 languages. It supports the creation, collaboration…
The Kyrgyzstan Programme set up a Participatory Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting (P-MER) function, a joint monitoring mission to Osh and Naryn regions in April 2022 with a group consisting of 13 representatives from key ministries and departments of the Government of Kyrgyz Republic, including the Office of the President, 8 Civil Society National Reference Group members, 14 representatives of the UN implementing agencies of Spotlight Initiative and the Programme Coordination Unit (PCU) and four media representatives. All members of the team came together to agree on a common vision, plan…
In 2020, the Count Me In! Consortium and members of Civil Society Reference Groups (CSRGs) collectively developed a Civil Society Monitoring Toolkit. The Civil Society Reference Groups were established by Spotlight Initiative, engaging diverse women’s rights and feminist activists, subject-matter experts and marginalised groups from local to global levels advising on and monitoring the implementation of Spotlight Initiative’s programming, recommending changes, and holding Spotlight Initiative accountable for its commitments. Through independent monitoring and reporting, CSRGs are critical to…
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…
In Zimbabwe, Spotlight Initiative developed a highly effective whole-of-government and society approach to end VAWG. It worked with the Government of Zimbabwe, in partnership with a range of key stakeholders and partners, to develop a High-Level Political Compact (HLPC). Launched in 2021, the HLPC focuses on increasing political will, accountability, and action at all levels of government and society.
The HLPC and Spotlight Initiative in Zimbabwe have achieved notable progress in enhancing laws, policies and institutional support for addressing VAWG. Key accomplishments include the launch…
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…