Robust legal and policy frameworks are foundational to advancing gender equality and eliminating violence against women and girls. When national legislation is aligned with international standards grounded in inclusive, consultative processes, and responsive to diverse communities, it strengthens protections against and response to violence against women and girls. Ensuring that laws and policies are implemented and upheld is critical to promoting tangible outcomes for women and girls.
In 2025, Spotlight Initiative programmes supported progress in advancing legal and policy reforms. In Sierra Leone, the programme supported the review of the Matrimonial Causes Act (1960) through a nationwide participatory process engaging over 700 participants, informing proposed amendments to strengthen protections against economic and psychological violence and reinforce women's rights to marital property, particularly for rural women. Another example, in Uganda, six districts enacted GBV and violence against children ordinances, embedding enforceable local-level protections across district governments.
Robust legal and policy frameworks are foundational to advancing gender equality and eliminating violence against women and girls. When national legislation is aligned with international standards grounded in inclusive, consultative processes, and responsive to diverse communities, it strengthens protections against and response to violence against women and girls. Ensuring that laws and policies are implemented and upheld is critical to promoting tangible outcomes for women and girls.
In 2025, Spotlight Initiative programmes supported progress in advancing legal and policy reforms. In Sierra Leone, the programme supported the review of the Matrimonial Causes Act (1960) through a nationwide participatory process engaging over 700 participants, informing proposed amendments to strengthen protections against economic and psychological violence and reinforce women's rights to marital property, particularly for rural women. Another example, in Uganda, six districts enacted GBV and violence against children ordinances, embedding enforceable local-level protections across district governments.