At the center of change: Spotlight Initiative highlights progress in the fight against gender-based violence
When it comes to protecting women and girls from gender-based violence, change happens when they are “at the center of every decision,” according to Erin Kenny, Global Coordinator of the Spotlight Initiative, a United Nations-European Union partnership aimed at addressing all forms of abuse against women and girls.
Since 2017, Spotlight has been working to prevent violence, sexual and gender violence (GBV), as well as feminicide, human trafficking and labor exploitation.
Around the world, one in three women has experienced physical or sexual violence, and in many places this figure is even higher.
These are some of the initiative’s key developments highlighted in a report that focuses on its innovative approaches and sustained achievements over the past seven years.
Finding empowerment in Zimbabwe
In Zimbabwe, rural women with disabilities come together to defend their rights.
In Zvimba, Ndakaitei Matare, mother of one and president of a support group for people with disabilities, knows firsthand the challenges of living with a disability and has faced barriers to education, assistive devices and economic opportunities from a young age.
Through a partnership between Spotlight and the government, Ndakaitei and other women with disabilities have found empowerment, raising awareness through disability support groups about gender-based violence, rights and inclusion.
“We are capable of doing a lot if we come together and work together,” he said, a testament to how knowledge and community can transform lives.
Access to justice for women
Since then, access to justice for survivors of sexual violence has improved significantly. Victim Friendly Courts now offer safe spaces for women and children, and the Judicial Services Commission continues to support survivors with transport and food subsidies and has expanded three more courts with breakout rooms.
Supporting child survivors in Haiti
A teenage survivor of gender violence is recovering in Haiti.
In the summer of 2023, Taina* was kidnapped and held captive for a week by a Haitian gang.
She recalled being held in a residence where two men raped her one after another, describing it as a “nightmare week.”
While others were also held captive, she was the only minor.
Thanks to Spotlight, Taina received medical, psychological and social support, housing, microfinance and income generation training, assistance with school expenses and emergency relocation.
“In this environment, I could finally breathe,” Taina said.
Now she looks to the future with determination, dreams of being a police officer and plans to resume her studies while taking courses in beauty treatments and cooking.
Address sexual violence
More than one in three Haitian women has suffered violence from their partner or husband. Nearly 30 percent of women of childbearing age have experienced physical violence, nearly half by an intimate partner. 12 percent have experienced sexual violence, including many girls between 15 and 17 years old.
Support the rights of female migrant workers in Thailand
Migrant workers like Namwaan* need support to ensure safe and decent jobs.
Namwaan* left Myanmar in 2003 to seek a better life in Thailand.
The first job he found was in a textile factory. He recalled working long hours for little income. “I had to work 12 to 16 hours a day for only 70 baht ($3).”
Invisible, exploited, abused, silenced. These are just some of the words used by migrant workers to describe their working conditions.
Because Namwaan did not read or speak Thai, she was unable to negotiate her working conditions and feared that her employer would punish her if she tried to speak.
“Some of my colleagues were harassed, imprisoned or suffered physical abuse when they spoke out about their working conditions,” he said.
Recover from abuse
Through awareness campaigns, support desks located at airports, and training of service providers, the Spotlight Initiative has explained the risks faced by female migrant workers.
For Namwann, the training offered a space to connect with others who had faced similar abuse.
“I felt completely connected to their stories,” she said. “This program offers millions of women the hope of decent work free of violence.”
Ban on corporal punishment in Tajikistan
In 2023, Tajikistan became the 66th country in the world to ban corporal punishment, a transformative policy change made possible by the Spotlight Initiative.
A mother and her three children stand in front of their house in Tajikistan.
In partnership with the Ministry of Health, the initiative established 15 victim support rooms, offering integrated medical, psychological and referral services, including short-term accommodation.
Most notably, the transformation extended to communities, strengthening the role of religious leaders as advocates for gender equality and key actors in violence prevention efforts.
In more than 300 schools, Spotlight supported the creation of a national incident reporting mechanism, which the government took full ownership of and publicly committed to expanding nationwide by 2030.
