In Ecuador, building women's economic autonomy to combat gender-based violence

MORONA SANTIAGO, Ecuador -  In the city of Macas, Spotlight Initiative supported indigenous Shuar women and women of Mestizo origin to learn new business skills, while also enhancing their ability to prevent gender-based violence.

Women joined workshops where they learned how to design and improve business plans, calculate costs, raise the quality of their products and ensure the sustainability of their production line, helping to strengthen their economic independence and bolster the financial security of their families.

This training incorporated knowledge on women's rights, protection mechanisms and violence prevention pathways, with the goal of helping them to recognize and respond to risky situations. 

Community networks that transform

Beyond individual knowledge, the women have built community support networks that expand their social and economic resilience. 

As one participant put it: “Now we not only know how to grow our business, we have also learned to say no to violence.”

These networks will also contribute new data on how economic autonomy affects and reduces violence, a critical step for evidence-based policymaking.

Results that transcend

Spotlight Initiative is implemented in Ecuador by UN Women, UNFPA and UNDP with funding from the European Union and the Italian-Ecuadorian Fund for Sustainable Development (FIEDS). It reaffirms that investing in women not only transforms incomes and contributes to development, but saves lives and strengthens communities.

In Macas, Spotlight Initiative is working with women's groups to demonstrate that economic autonomy, violence prevention and women's leadership are inseparable for building a more just, equal and violence-free country.