Spotlight Initiative

To address the challenges of violence against women and girls (VAWG), the European Union (EU) and the United Nations have embarked on a new multi-year programme - the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative. The Spotlight Initiative in Timor-Leste is being implemented through five UN agencies (UN Women, UNFPA, UNDP, UNICEF, and ILO) with a focus on addressing intimate partner violence and domestic violence. The UNDP’s actions focus on strengthening evidence-based legislation to address violence against women and girls, capacity strengthening of institutions and municipal authorities to plan, fund, and deliver evidence-based programs that prevent and respond to gender-based violence (GBV), engaging with partners on GBV prevention initiatives via media, and ensuring that survivors of GBV have access to quality essential and legal services.

Photo from Oé-Cusse, Timor-Leste

Background
 

Timor-Leste is at an important crossroad in 2019, after achieving significant progress in the 20 years since its historic vote for independence. The young country of 1.18 million people has made many milestones demonstrating its commitment to ending violence against women and girls (EVAWG) and intimate partner violence. At the same time, the youthful nation, with more than 75% of the population under 35 and more than half living in rural areas, has been unable to shift the high tolerance for men’s perpetration of violence against women. 

The Programme will apply a lifecycle approach to violence, recognizing the continuum of violence that women and girls may experience, their exposure to specific forms of violence across each stage of their life, as well as the need to adapt the prevention and responses accordingly.

Project Outcome

Violence against women is not inevitable; it is preventable. Make our voices heard, tell your families, schools, communities, and workplaces. Together, our message will be amplified.

Related Materials