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In Indonesia, nearly 65% of migrant workers are women. Women migrant workers send remittances back to their countries of origin providing critical support for the health, education and wellbeing of their families. They also contribute to the economy in their host countries like Indonesia. Nonetheless, they often struggle to be recognised as formal workers and face discrimination exploitation and violence at the hands of employers, co-workers, partners, law enforcement officials and even frontline service providers. In Indonesia, there has been important progress with the passage of a law to…

In Timor-Leste, the percentage of the national budget allocated to the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls became a significant point of concern, following a drastic funding reduction between 2019 and 2020. In 2019, 0.6 percent of the budget (10.4 million USD) was allocated to gender equality initiatives. This was reduced to a mere 0.1 percent of the budget (1.4 million USD) in 2020. Reductions in budget allocated to gender equality initiatives have adverse consequences that impede the protection of women’s rights and safety, the advancement of policies and…

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…

The Spotlight Initiative programme 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 is the first comprehensive prevention strategy in the region and in Africa which is:

Informed by a literature review and a participatory approach to primary and secondary data collection and analysis to assess risk and protective factors; engaging stakeholders at national, county and community levels including Government ministries, law enforcement, the…

As part of Spotlight Initiative, UNFPA in Timor Leste mapped quantitative and qualitative data on violence against women and girls in order to inform capacity building and training on data literacy and gender statistics for civil servants. Specifically, data was collected in Dili, Bobonaro, Viqueque and Ermera and involved a literature review and secondary analysis of the 2015-2016 Demographic and Health Survey. The mapping reviewed types of violence (physical, sexual and emotional), demographic characteristics, behavioural factors, vulnerable groups, and help-seeking behaviour. Overall, the…

In Liberia, the Spotlight Initiative programme has a Comprehensive Prevention Strategy that was developed through a coordinated and multi-stakeholder approach reinforcing government, civil society, and community ownership. This strategy informs all efforts to prevent sexual gender-based violence (SGBV), harmful practices and promote sexual and reproductive health and rights, and supports implementation of the Rape Law, Domestic Violence Law, and government-led Anti-SGBV Roadmap that protects women and girls from violence. Some key elements of the strategy include:

Social behavioural…