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Spotlight Initiative in Mozambique supported the innovative gender-based violence (GBV) data management system “InfoViolência”. This web-based application, designed for registering and managing GBV cases, represents a significant advancement in data collection and analysis. Launched in 2018 and piloted in 2021, InfoViolência allows the referral of survivors to relevant institutions, such as health services (Ministry of Health), justice administration (Prosecutors and Courts), and Centers for Integrated Care (coordinated by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Action).


"InfoViolênci…

To sustain long-term impacts beyond programming timeframes, it can be useful to focus efforts on establishing gender-equitable policies and mechanisms. For example, laws to end VAWG, gender mainstreaming policies, new gender bodies and mechanisms, and comprehensive sexuality education in national curricula.

In Ecuador, Spotlight Initiative programme has strengthened institutional gender units within various governmental departments, including the Ministry of Education and the Legislative Assembly, which has cultivated a sustained focus on gender issues in the government and ministries that…

Developing detailed sustainability plans with identified financing sources is key to taking forward the most important programming outcomes after closure of the initial programme. Some Spotlight Initiative programmes, such as those in Zimbabwe and Malawi, have conducted an in-depth analysis of programme and financial sustainability to identify which activities should be continued, discontinued, or adapted (adding some elements and dropping others).

In Zimbabwe, this analysis was followed up with the amount of capital needed to continue to implement desired selected activities in the future…

Spotlight Initiative relies on a multi-tiered and multi-sector governance structure at the global and programme levels to make decisions and steer work toward its objective of ending violence against women and girls. From the onset, Spotlight Initiative established a clear governance architecture and administrative arrangement, with three core functions: governance by global and country decision-making bodies, daily management and administration supported by dedicated teams, and implementation by the Recipient UN Organisations (RUNOs).


“A key good practice agreed across all Reference…

In Guyana, private sector companies are being encouraged and supported by Spotlight Initiative to use the Women’s Empowerment Principles. The first steps in the process included mapping private sector companies, NGOs, and governments that could benefit from the WEPs. Next, a series of webinars were held to increase awareness of the WEPs, which resulted in 18 organisations expressing interest in joining the programme and developing gender action plans and gender gap analysis tools. Currently, there are 1,600 signatories in the Latin American and Caribbean region. It was learned that additional…

In Mexico, domestic violence related calls to 911 sharply increased by 46% in the first few months of 2020 due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. There was significant demand for shelters and not enough rooms available. To respond to this, the Spotlight Initiative programme, the national government, local governments and a hotel corporation built a multi-stakeholder partnership to provide free accommodation in hotels for women experiencing violence as an interim strategy. This was a complex partnership due to the diversity of actors from the public and private sector. To address this, a…

In Zimbabwe and Malawi, Spotlight Initiative programmes supported the development of sexual harassment policies at multiple levels.

In Zimbabwe, in collaboration with the Zimbabwe Gender Commission, the programme filled a critical gap by supporting companies to develop gender-based violence and sexual harassment policies through the creation of the Strategy for the Elimination of Sexual Harassment and Gender-based Violence in the Workplace in Zimbabwe 2021-2025. This was developed through a consultative process with feedback from diverse stakeholders including the government, trade unions…

“Flowers in the Air” (“Flores en el aire. Cartografia para la memoria de victimas de feminicidios”) is an initiative established by Spotlight Initiative in 2021 to provide symbolic reparations, raise awareness and understanding, and help to provide justice for the families and friends of women and adolescents who have been killed through femicide.

This initiative worked with victims’ loved ones to map out the lives of these women. They did this by walking through places of significance to the memory of these women and used a digital tool to map these walks and document the memories…

Spotlight Initiative in Trinidad and Tobago connected new domestic violence legislation with healthcare services. The programme produced the National Clinical and Policy Guidelines on Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Violence, endorsed by the National Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal, Child and Adolescent Health Committee. The Guidelines help healthcare providers to respond to survivors’ physical, mental, and social needs and make sure they get appropriate follow-up care.

Quality and accessible data are critical to inform clinical and policy decision-making. Spotlight Initiative…

Through the Latin America Regional Programme, many countries in the region have made progress in strengthening the clinical management of sexual violence and intimate partner violence through virtual online courses co-designed and built with the ministries of health of 11 countries. Over 18,600 people have participated across six countries (Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico and Peru) in these training sessions, strengthening their capacities to develop and deliver programmes that address violence against women and girls and specifically sexual violence and intimate partner…