image showing a woman, representative of the beneficiary group under Spotlight Initiative

Spotlight Initiative- Jamaica

The Spotlight Initiative (SI) in Jamaica will address three key priority areas within Family Violence against women and girls: 
1) Child Sexual Abuse, 
2) Intimate Partner Violence and 
3) Discrimination against vulnerable groups. 

The strategic direction of the SI in Jamaica will be to address Family Violence using a life-cycle approach. The Jamaica SI will prioritise significant efforts at intervening at the prevention level to address serious socio-cultural norms and discriminatory behaviours and attitudes that fuel family violence against women and girls. Efforts will be made to engage men and boys as agents of change within community mobilisation and school interventions. It is anticipated that working within communities and schools will encourage gender equitable norms, attitudes and behaviours within homes, communities and the wider society. Civil society organisations and women’s groups in Jamaica, which have been at the forefront of the response to violence against women and girls, will be supported through organizational development and technical support to continue to play this critical role. This will enable not only sustainability, but more joined up work and solidarity across diverse groups to create the impact required to address the scourge of violence against women and girls (VAWG) in Jamaica. The Jamaica SI will work with Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to reinforce and operationalize a standard protection system where women and girls feel safe from violence. The programme will address key legislative and policy gaps whilst building the capacity of duty bearers to respond in a humane fashion to Violence Against Women and Girls. Generating understanding of the impact of family violence supporting the formulation of legal and policy guidelines to improve reporting of violence, prosecution of cases and the treatment and care of those impacted are a major part of the SI.