Spotlight Initiative and National Strategic Action Plan on Gender-Based Violence — Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago was one of the Caribbean countries selected for the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative, a multi-sectoral programme implemented 2019-2023 engaging government, civil society and health institutions to address gender-based and family violence.

Build institutional capacity to respond to and reduce gender-based violence, in the context of national data showing roughly one in three women in intimate partnerships had experienced intimate-partner violence.

In July 2021, PAHO/WHO trained one representative from each of the country's five Regional Health Authorities plus University of the West Indies nursing faculty, with each trained team expected to cascade training to roughly 50 additional health workers per authority by October 2021. The initiative fed into the National Strategic Action Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Sexual Violence (NSAP GBV & SV) 2023-2027, framing prevention, protection, prosecution, punishment and survivor redress ('the Five Ps'). In March 2025, Trinidad and Tobago launched the first Caribbean National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security.

PAHO reported a 140% year-on-year increase in reported abuse cases in 2020 versus 2019; training was delivered to 5 Regional Health Authority representatives plus UWI nursing faculty in July 2021, with a projected cascade reach of over 250 staff by October 2021.

Available public reporting documents training and policy outputs rather than independently measured reductions in violence, and the 140% rise in reported cases may reflect improved reporting as much as any change in actual prevalence.