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In Kyrgyzstan, Spotlight programme used a mobile game, “Mystery of Sary Kol”, to raise awareness of the dangers of child marriage, reaching over 39,000 players. This game was developed as a follow-up to the successfully designed and launched “Spring in Bishkek” mobile game in 2021, which focused on forced marriage. Both games were jointly designed with adolescent girls.

According to a survey of players of “Mystery of Sary Kol”, the game has significantly influenced players’ beliefs that child marriage is a crime (86% of players), improved the willingness of players to help a friend who…

In 2020, Spotlight Initiative worked with influential Christian and Muslim leaders in Mali to spread messages that condemn VAWG. The President of the High Islamic Council of Mali and the Representative of the Episcopal Conference of Mali appeared in a series of Spotlight Initiative-supported television and radio messages. Through these messages, these leaders denounced VAWG, citing religious texts that support respectful relationships. This campaign ran for two months. During this period, television messages were viewed 40,878,000 times and radio messages were heard 4,663,300 times. In…

Spotlight Initiative acknowledges the central role of journalists and their contribution to public discourse as well as the potential of this group to change existing narratives so that they support upholding and advancing women’s rights and gender equality. Through the support of six Spotlight Initiative programmes in 2021, 134 news outlets now have peer-validated news and media standards on ethical and gender-sensitive reporting. They join more than 600 media houses engaged by Spotlight Initiative that have committed to better reporting on VAWG.

Eight Spotlight Initiative programmes also…

Spotlight Initiative engages in many strategic partnerships at the global level, including with advocates and influencers, to challenge gender stereotypes and raise awareness of EVAWG work. Global Advocates for Spotlight Initiative, including actor Cecilia Suarez and South African Springboks Rugby Captain Siya Kolisi, have used their social media channels and participation in interviews and at panel discussions to champion work by Spotlight Initiative. Find out more about Ceclia’s support and engagement here and Siya’s personal reflections here. 

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The Central Asia and Afghanistan Regional Programme partnered with TikTok to launch regional campaigns to address harmful social norms around violence. Based on the multi-stakeholder evidence collected, the Spotlight Initiative programme partnered with five social media influencers and produced 15 TikTok videos. These videos were widely disseminated with an estimated target audience of 200,000 social media users, likely contributing to heightened awareness of, and an improved understanding on, the issues of gendered violence, harassment, gender stereotypes and discrimination.

Additionally…

Spotlight Initiative has partnered extensively with the media and arts and culture organisations to heighten awareness of healthy gender norms and behaviours and increase knowledge about the rights of women and girls, especially at the community level. 

In Malawi, for example, the programme collaborated with a private media company to raise awareness on eliminating VAWG. This included the promotion of positive masculinities through the HeforShe campaign across the six Spotlight Initiative programme districts in-country. Furthermore, to highlight the important role of activists during the 16…