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In Malawi, nearly half of all girls are married before their eighteenth birthday — child marriage rates are among the highest in the world. Spotlight Initiative in Malawi recognised that schools alone could not solve this problem, but identified them as a key stakeholder in prevention and response.  The programme was designed to be deliberately multi-layered. The Safe Schools intervention reached over 212,000 adolescent learners, teaching them how to detect and report sexual and gender-based violence and harmful practices. This led to the identification of 941 cases of child marriage with…

In Liberia, the prevalence of female genital mutilation (FGM) is 38.2% among women and girls aged 15-49 years old. FGM is usually performed by traditional birth attendants and/or ‘zoes’ who are elderly women believed to have mystical powers and are members of the ‘Sande’ secret society, an influential custodian of culture in Liberia. During the FGM initiation process, girls are also trained in ‘bush schools’ to prepare them for married life and discussions of these processes are considered taboo in society. In addition to the cultural significance of the practice of FGM, there are also…

In Liberia, Spotlight Initiative developed a partnership with nearly 450 traditional leaders to shift community perceptions and practices surrounding female genital mutilation (FGM). In Liberia, approximately half of women and girls aged 15 to 49 have undergone FGM, according to the 2013 Demographic and Health Survey.

“We have started to respect and value our wives, women and girls, treating them with love and care.” - Chief Wilfred Gahr, Co-Chairman for Administration of the Traditional Council of Chiefs and Elders of Liberia

By leveraging the influence and authority of traditional…