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Analysis of the legal and policy landscape is a key first step in programme development. The Spotlight Initiative Pillar Guidance Note, recommends that, as part of pillar 1, all programmes assess the legislative and policy framework including customary/religious/indigenous laws. It proposes that programmes assess coherence with international and regional standards, gaps and inconsistencies in content, implementation weaknesses, existing investments and budget allocations as well as quality of monitoring mechanisms for enforcement of the laws. In 2020, over 13 Spotlight Initiative programmes…

Spotlight Initiative programmes have supported a number of different social empowerment interventions with women and girls, and sometimes also with boys, men and other family members. Key approaches and learning include:

Building safe spaces for women and girls to learn about their rights, build awareness on sexual and reproductive health, healthy relationships and GBV, learn life skills and vocational skills. See case study below on Malawi.
Strengthening social networks: Spotlight Initiative programmes in many countries, including in Malawi, Mozambique, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uganda…

Spotlight Initiative has focused on developing comprehensive VAWG prevention programmes that work across sectors and levels to address the root cause and drivers of VAWG and the norms, attitudes and beliefs that sustain violence. The key elements of its approach have included:

An overall strategy that combines a dedicated pillar on VAWG prevention (Pillar 3) as well as a focus on embedding prevention strategies across all other pillars of its work, including legal reform and institutional strengthening. Read more about the pillars of Spotlight Initiative
Selecting and designing prevention…

Spotlight Initiative has engaged in and supported a range of strategic work to influence changes in the structural environment which enables VAWG. This has included the following approaches and learning:

Working to influence high-level political leaders and local governments to support initiatives to end VAWG. For example, in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Nigeria, the Heads of State have officially expressed their strong support for the elimination of VAWG, signalling longer term priority and political commitment to this issue.
Supporting development of National Action Plans to end VAWG. To…

Strengthening and supporting women’s movements is is a key pillar of Spotlight Initiative (Pillar 6), and is mainstreamed across all other pillars. This commitment to support autonomous women’s movements and partner with and fund women’s rights organisations (WROs) stems from the recognition that these groups are best placed to design and implement transformative programming and advocate for policy and legal changes to advance gender equality and end VAWG. Key approaches and learnings about why and how to work with women's movements include:

Take and advocate for an evidence-based approach …

As the largest global effort to end VAWG, Spotlight Initiative was uniquely positioned to build a culture of learning and knowledge exchange across countries/regions that could be used to inform effective programming and policies on EVAWG across the globe. Key approaches and learning include:

Developing and implementing a robust Knowledge Management Strategy, which set out Spotlight Initiative's ambition to be an innovation platform for EVAWG, harnessing knowledge, solutions and expertise. Led by the Spotlight Initiative Secretariat at the global level, it outlined the key knowledge…

Spotlight Initiative uses a results-based management approach, which provides a framework to monitor objectives, track and report results, and evaluate the effectiveness of its programmes. Spotlight Initiative generates timely, accurate and reliable data from the Spotlight Initiative Performance Monitoring Framework (SPMF) using the online SMART platform, which helps to ensure that the right decisions are taken at the right time to adapt and improve programming.

All regional and country programmes are required to develop a:

M&E Plan – which describes major monitoring and evaluation…

Elevating ending VAWG on the political agenda: Spotlight Initiative works at all levels of government to elevate the strategic positioning of VAWG on the political agenda. It has directly engaged at the highest level with Prime Ministers and Heads of State to generate political will through the UN Resident Coordinators and included government co-chairs on National Steering Committees.

Strengthening capacity of government actors: Spotlight Initiative worked to strengthen capacities of key government ministries and agencies at local, subnational and national levels.

Strengthening laws and…

Spotlight Initiative has had a major focus on supporting legislative reforms in target countries and regions through a dedicated Pillar 1 on laws and policies. This has included the following approaches:

At a regional level, several regional programmes have worked to reform legislation, for example, the Africa Regional Programme supported a regional assessment on the status of enforcement of ending VAWG laws and policies. The Latin America Regional Programme worked with MESECVI, the Follow-up Mechanism to the Belém do Pará Convention to promote the InterAmerican Model Law to Prevent, Punish…

From its inception, Spotlight Initiative has sought to systematically address both the drivers of gender-based violence - through prevention work - and its impacts, through response work. Key approaches and learnings include:

Prevention programmes in each context should be informed by an analysis of the drivers of the specific form of violence. Spotlight Initiative has addressed various forms of VAWG, including intimate partner violence, sexual exploitation and abuse, child marriage and harmful traditional practices. Whilst all of these forms of violence are driven by gender inequalities…