What we do

Spotlight Initiative is the United Nations high-impact initiative to end violence against women and girls.

We are the world’s largest targeted effort to end all forms of violence against women and girls.

Launched with a seed funding commitment of €500 million from the European Union, we represent an unprecedented global effort to invest in gender equality as a precondition and driver for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Spotlight Initiative is responding to all forms of violence against women and girls, with a particular focus on domestic and family violence, sexual and gender-based violence and harmful practices, femicide, trafficking in human beings and sexual and economic (labour) exploitation.

As a demonstration fund for action on the Sustainable Development Goals, we are demonstrating that a significant, concerted and comprehensive investment in gender equality and ending violence can make a transformative difference in the lives of women and girls.

Our interventions focus on four mutually-reinforcing programming pillars:

Laws, policies and institutions
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Promoting laws and policies to prevent violence, discrimination and address impunity by:

  • Advocating at all levels of government
     
  • Providing technical assistance and capacity building
     
  • Ensuring active and meaningful participation of women
     
  • Improving the quality, accuracy and availability of data on violence against women

Strengthening national government and regional institutions to:

  • Better inform decision makers
     
  • Develop fully-financed national action plans on ending violence against women and girls  
     
  • Promote gender-responsive ministries and ensure linkages across institutions on migration, disability, poverty, ethnicity, age, location, education, overall violence and conflict

Prevention
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Promoting gender-equitable social norms, attitudes and behaviours through:

  • Community-based prevention strategies
     
  • Mobilizing women, girls, men and boys at community level
     
  • Programming in formal and informal education settings
     
  • Engaging men and boys
     
  • Embracing women’s economic empowerment as a strategy for preventing violence

Response
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Making high-quality essential services for survivors of violence available and ensuring accountability for perpetrators by:

  • Ensuring services provided meet global standards
     
  • Building capacity of service providers
     
  • Improving service provider coordination and coverage

Supporting local civil society and women's movements
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Promoting strong and empowered civil society and autonomous women’s movements by:

  • Advocating for laws and policies that protect the participation of autonomous women’s groups
     
  • Ensuring civil society participation in development planning
     
  • Building capacity of civil society organizations
     
  • Deploying innovative financing mechanisms
     
  • Strengthening partnership and networking opportunities for civil society

Civil Society Engagement

As one of Spotlight Initiative’s most critical partners, meaningful investment in civil society is a key priority for the Initiative. Women’s organizations at national and local levels are the main partners of Spotlight Initiative across all outcome areas.

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