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A programme strategy on violence against women and girls (VAWG) should be developed early in the design phase and set out the key programme approaches that will be adopted and how specific interventions and activities will be designed, implemented and evaluated. It is not always necessary or appropriate to design a new programme from scratch if there are options to build on your organisation's or partners' existing work to strengthen, expand, adapt or scale programming in your context. A robust programme strategy builds on the following key elements:

A contextual situational analysis…

A survivor-centred approach prioritises survivors' rights, ensuring they receive dignity and respect. By placing survivors at the centre, a programme can aid their recovery, minimise further harm, and support their empowerment. Survivors should be supported to have their voices heard and be involved and kept informed at every stage if programme design and implementation. This involves building a safe, trusting relationship and helping survivors regain control over their lives. VAWG programmes should be attuned to survivors' specific needs at each stage of the project cycle - this is known as…

Ending violence against women and girls requires the design and implementation of contextually relevant programmes. In terms of design, a programme that is successful in one context may not be appropriate in another due to the diverse needs and experiences of communities and the specific factors driving violence in those contexts. Nonetheless, where an effective programme approach is deemed appropriate to another context, it is possible to adapt the approach or model successfully to the new context provided sufficient time, resources and technical expertise are allocated for adaptation of the…

Spotlight Initiative has adopted a range of strategies across its country and regional programmes to anticipate, minimise and mitigate backlash and resistance in its programming. Key approaches and learnings include:

Conduct training and awareness raising to reduce the risk of backlash and resistance to EVAWG programming. In Uganda, Spotlight Initiative trained members of the Domestic Violence Coalition and Members of Parliament on how to understand and address backlash. In Argentina, the Spotlight Initiative developed evidence-based materials for families, teachers, clubs, journalists and…

Spotlight Initiative has engaged in programme scale-up through a variety of methods:

Scaling up training to ensure it reaches more stakeholders. For example, in Uganda in 2021, Spotlight Initiative scaled-up training on gender-responsive budgeting to ensure it could reach more government officials. As a result, the initiative expanded from national to sub-national levels.
Extending the reach of VAWG prevention approaches by implementing them with additional components. For example, in 2021, Spotlight Initiative in Uganda applied the SASA! approach in refugee settlements to raise awareness…

Spotlight Initiative was designed to shift from isolated, project-based efforts to a comprehensive well-funded approach for addressing VAWG, which is aligned with national development priorities and works to accelerate progress to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

It also marks a significant step in UN reform, using a whole-system 'One UN' approach that leverages coordinated and coherent funding and places women and girls at the centre of its efforts.

As one of the first large-scale initiatives focused solely on eliminating VAWG, Spotlight Initiative serves as a demonstration…

Plan for sustainability from the onset: Spotlight Initiative programmes considered the sustainability of interventions from the onset. Key approaches have included: ensure high-level engagement of government throughout implementation; support key national level interventions such as national action plans, advocacy for GBV budgets, capacity development of national institutions, and meaningful engagement of civil society at all levels.

Sharing lessons on sustainability: To sustain Spotlight Initiative’s momentum and results, the Secretariat has been sharing lessons and promising practices of…

There are several key principles which have guided Spotlight Initiative's approach to research on VAWG:

Ensure ethical data collection. The safety of women and girl participants should always be prioritised. This requires anonymising data, ensuring secure data storage, developing strong data-sharing protocols, and ensuring all those involved in the data collection, processing and dissemination process are trained on ethical research principles and survivor-centred approaches to research.
Use action-oriented feminist research approaches. This means that research should: focus on the…

A comprehensive theory of change: At the onset, Spotlight Initiative identified four key outcome areas that programming should work to strengthen in order to comprehensively address the root causes, drivers and consequences of VAWG:

A) Laws, policies and institutions (including data collection)
B) Prevention (including social norms change and women's economic empowerment)
C) Response (services for survivors and accountability of perpetrators)
D) Support to and partnership with women’s movements.

This theory of change provides a framework for stakeholders to select and adapt…

The Spotlight Initiative 2022 Global Annual Narrative Progress Report highlighted several cross-cutting lessons from the Spotlight Initiative’s experience of implementation:

A whole-of-society approach encourages collaboration among all stakeholder to collectively address violence against women and girls.
Engaging community structures and local authorities in community-centred approached promotes accountability, local ownership and long-term commitment, influencing positive shifts in attitudes and norms.
Strengthening skills across all grassroots movements, government, activists and…