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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 Uganda, Spotlight Initiative supported the SASA! Together – a community mobilisation approach that supports communities to create positive and sustainable changes in the norms that perpetuate violence against women and girls. SASA! Together is a revised version of the original SASA! Approach, developed by the Ugandan NGO Raising Voices. New features of SASA! Together include a distinct focus on intimate partner violence, strategies that reach across the whole community, and more support for organisations and communities to sustain change.  

The SASA! Together methodology focuses on…

Spotlight Initiative worked with UNFPA and the Family Planning Association of Trinidad and Tobago (FPATT) to implement the Collaborative HIV Prevention and Adolescent Mental Health Programme (CHAMP). This supported young people and adult caregivers across three regions of Trinidad and Tobago. This programme was established with a view to addressing HIV prevention but, through community engagement, reduced the likelihood of youth engaged in the programme responding to peer pressure to engage in adolescent sexual activity.  

Spotlight Initiative trained around 25 community leaders as…

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 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…

Data shows that children in Papua New Guinea commonly experience physical and/or verbal abuse and/or neglect from their parents/caregivers. The levels of abuse are higher for disabled and adopted children. In addition, many children witness violence between their parents and among other family members. The Spotlight Initiative (led by UNICEF), in partnership with faith-based organisations (FBOs) and civil society organisations (CSOs), launched the Parenting for Childhood Development (P4CD) programme in six provinces of Papua New Guinea. This programme consisted of a series of training…

In Mali, Spotlight Initiative supported the establishment of 829 model husband clubs for currently married men aged 20-40 (Club des Maris – CDM) and men planning to marry aged 14-24 (Clubs des Futurs Maris – CDFM). A Model Husbands club is a voluntary space that brings men together to collectively reflect and take action to become a model husband. The clubs are participatory and open spaces for discussion, sharing and decision-making built on the values of active listening, equality and respect. The six thematic sessions are built on a gender transformative approach, are led by men in the…

This programme worked with Muslim religious leaders – and in partnership with Tajikistan’s State Agency Committee on Religious Affairs and the Regulation of Traditions, Celebrations, and Ceremonies (CRA) - with a view to shifting attitudes, practices and norms to improve gender equality, promote healthy relationships in families, promote sexual and reproductive health and rights and prevent gender-based violence, including domestic violence and early marriage. It trained 270 Imams using the ‘Healthy Lifestyle’ handbook and encouraged them to address these issues in sermons and through their…

The guide “I belong to me” was written and illustrated by African women from different backgrounds and parts of the continent. It is intended to promote discussion between African parents and their pre-adolescent children around African culture and Harmful Practices, such as Female Genital Mutilation and Child Marriage. It follows the story of an 11-year old girl called Saleema who travels to different cities across the continent where the main African policies on girls and women’s rights have been adapted, in order for her to discover there is legitimacy and power in her voice. The book…

Spotlight Initiative, in consortia with World Vision and the national CSO Psychosocial Recovery and Development in East Timor (PRADET), designed and tested a model for empowering and providing psychosocial support to girls and adolescents who are survivors or at risk of sexual gender-based violence (GBV) in Timor-Leste. The process was informed by a mapping exercise in Ermera municipality, which sought to identify specialised survivor-centred services for adolescents outside of the capital, and involved 1,049 adolescents (522 boys and 527 girls) who provided insights on their specific sexual…