spotlight initiative

response to COVID-19

The Spotlight Initiative has been rapidly responding to the increased violence against women and girls in the context of COVID-19.

It is critical that in times of emergency we ensure, more than ever, our focus on leaving no one behind. This is particularly important as crises exacerbate existing inequalities and vulnerabilities at the same time that resources, capacity and attention are diverted.

All country and regional programmes have been asked to take stock of programme activities to consider increased investments and/or small programmatic modifications to mitigate risk and ensure support is provided.

Explore the Spotlight Initiative's responses below.

Summary

COVID-19 Response Plans

A summary of Spotlight Initiative Regional/Country COVID-19 Response Plans has been developed, showcasing innovative activities implemented for rapid response. From the plans received, including the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women allocation, more than $21 million of Spotlight Initiative funds have been accelerated and/or redirected to address violence against women and girls in the context of the COVID-19 response. The summary is available here.

Technical Guidance

The Spotlight Initiative Guidance on COVID-19 and its impact on violence against women and girls has been designed to support Spotlight teams mobilize in prevention and response efforts given the sharp rise in violence against women and girls in the COVID-19 context. This guidance recommends measures that countries can take as suitable for your contexts, as well as resources and tools compiled by the Secretariat to assist with the specificities of EVAWG programming in this environment. Read the technical guidance here.

CSO Pillar Tip Sheets

Restrictions on movement has limited the ability of actors to effectively and safely implement activities that address the increase in violence against women and girls. To support the work of CSOs in the current context, the Secretariat has developed Pillar Tip Sheets with a list of sample activities that CSOs and the UN entities supporting them can undertake in response to COVID-19.

Key Resources

To support Spotlight regional and country teams, the Secretariat has been collecting key resources related to the impacts of COVID-19 on violence against women and girls. View the full list in the Virtual Library here.

National Status

This living document outlines national data and actions by government in response to increased violence against women and girls during the COVID-19 pandemic, as covered by media across the globe. View the full document in the Virtual Library here.

Webinar Recordings

The Spotlight Initiative, in collaboration with UN agencies, hosted a webinar on Wednesday, July 8th.

Ethical, effective use of technologies for quality data, service provision and campaigns: focusing on the use of RapidPro, U-Report, UN Info/RTM and the Be Safe app.

The Spotlight Initiative seeks to leverage innovative platforms and technologies through ethical and evidence-based approaches for the achievement of eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls. Particularly pronounced in the COVID-19 context, where much of the efforts to EVAWG have transitioned to remote spaces, it is critical to carefully consider and adapt these technologies for ethical use.

Watch the recording and find the presentation materials, relevant resources, and guidance on the ethical use of technologies for EVAWG here.

The Spotlight Initiative Secretariat, in coordination with UN agencies, hosted technical webinars on Tuesday, May 5th, 2020.

Q&A: Spotlight Initiative Programming during COVID-19

The purpose of the webinars was to hold a space for Spotlight teams to ask any technical/EVAWG questions on Spotlight programming in the COVID-19 context to UN experts.

Questions submitted in advance are available here.

The recordings, Q&A document, summary outcomes and full flyer are available here.

Spotlight Initiative Nigeria hosted a ‘Show and Tell’ webinar, Showcasing Interventions around Technology, Education & Design: Enhancing efforts through Innovation .

Given the implications of COVID19 on programming, several considerations were shared -

  • How has the context changed in Nigeria and how has the country adapted its response?

  • What are some of the sustainable solutions that have emerged from the crisis?

  • So far, what have we learnt and how do we intend for these lessons to inform the quality of future programming?

Watch the recording here (Password: 0p@83+9l)

Young Lives, Child Frontiers, Girls Not Brides and GreeneWorks hosted a webinar, Marriage and divorce among adolescents before and after Covid-19, why we can't go back to 'normal'.

This webinar brought together Girls Not Brides’ Agenda for Action in the face of COVID-19, new research from Young Lives and Child Frontiers on married, cohabiting and divorced adolescents, and GreeneWorks’ research on the pathways and obstacles to leaving child, early, and forced marriage. It argues for a range of specific measures that take young people’s needs into account as the world reorients itself after the current crisis.

Watch the recording here and read more about the panelists here.

The FGM Donor Working Group Secretariat hosted a webinar on Eliminating Female Genital Mutilation During the COVID-19 Pandemic. The webinar focused on how to integrate FGM into COVID-19 response plans, with presentations from organizations and networks about the implications of COVID-19 on FGM programming, and a discussion about the impact the pandemic will have on efforts to eliminate FGM by 2030.

View the recording, presentations, FAQs and key resources here.

The PRIO Centre on Gender, Peace & Security hosted a webinar, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in the time of COVID-19: A hidden pandemic?

This seminar asked how and in what ways the global COVID-19 pandemic has impacted sexual and gender-based violence from the perspectives of policy making, advocacy and practice. It also asked how the COVID-19 responses have impacted women, girls, and LGBTQ+ persons affected by conflict-related sexual violence.

Watch the recording here.

CIVICUS World Alliance for Citizen Participation held a Q&A webinar panel, Domestic Violence During COVID19: What civil society can do to address this pandemic within a pandemic, with speakers from Brazil, Botswana, Uganda, India and Fiji, including from the GBV Prevention Network.

View the recording here.

Global Rights for Women launched a webinar series featuring experts from around the world who will discuss emerging strategies for promoting victim safety and offender accountability during this period of decreased access to legal and community protections.

View the recordings of past webinars below:

HOW TO: Engage Responsibly with Perpetrators of Domestic Violence Individually and in a Videoconference Software Group during COVID-19 - Recording & Presentation

Part II: Courts’ Response to Violence Against Women during COVID-19 - Recording & Presentation

Court Response to Violence Against Women during COVID-19 - Recording & Presentation

The Asian Network of Women’s Shelters is hosting weekly webinars to share lessons learned and best practices from around the globe for organizations working with with victims of gender-based violence.

View recordings from past webinars below.

Updates from Around the Globe (summary)

Fundraising to Keep Shelters Going during COVID-19

Serving survivors with COVID-19

Using Technology to Support Victims during a Public Health Crisis

Using Technology to Support Victims - here & here

Policy perspectives on protection of victims of domestic violence

Coronavirus and women’s shelters: Planning, preparation and response to the COVID-19 pandemic

The UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women hosted a webinar, A dialogue with UNTF EVAW grantees: impact of COVID-19 on programming and operations.

An EU-Spotlight Initiative representative and the Spotlight Initiative Secretariat joined this dialogue, which created space for civil society to share challenges and needs especially relevant to the work on EVAWG in the context of COVID-19. The findings from this webinar can support and inform the decisions and responses in further work on EVAWG and how to provide support to the civil society organizations - particularly women’s organizations - in this crisis.

Watch the recording, view the invitation and agenda. Read the UNTF EVAW’s survey analysis on the impact of COVID-19 on CSOs/WROs working on EVAWG and UNTF EVAW’s COVID19 Immediate response - 5 Point Action Plan.

Communications on COVID-19

Key Messages

Humanitarian emergencies, natural disasters and global pandemics put women and girls at increased risk of violence. This was true during past outbreaks, where reports of violence against women and girls – an often-underreported statistic – spiked. The current COVID-19 crisis is no exception. View key messages from the Spotlight Initiative on violence against women and COVID-19 here.

social Media Pack

A social media pack has been developed on the Initiative’s response to violence against women and girls and COVID-19. This can be used for cross-promotion on the Initiative's social media platforms. Use the social media pack here.

Regional/Country-Specific Responses

The following response efforts have been formulated by Spotlight regional and country teams. Explore below to view the specific measures being taken by each regional/country programme.

Latin America

Africa

Caribbean

Pacific

asia

Joint EU-UN Letter

A joint EU-UN letter was shared with UN Resident Coordinators and EU Delegation heads of Spotlight Initiative countries on 23 March 2020. View the letter in the Virtual Library here.