The night 33-year-old Avorina’s Hall’s partner rapidly punched her face six times, everything faded to white before she slumped to the floor unconscious. He was a serial cheater who abused her relentlessly, and now he had quit paying her rent. This night marked an escalation. When she woke up, Avorina grabbed the nearest knife and lunged, but it sliced through a jug he raised to defend his chest and he fled. She knew he would return later, intent on killing her. So, she huddled in the front room with her three sons, a heavy wardrobe braced against the door. Later, he returned, kicking and pushing with all his might, but the wardrobe prevailed.   33 year old Avorina Hall has faced a lifetime of abuse, starting when she was four years old. Spotlight Initiative-funded training has equipped her with skills to overcome the trauma (UNDP/Ricardo Makyn photo).   Three nights later, he was back. “He wanted to sleep with me and when I told him over my dead body, he got upset and threw the TV off the wall and took a hammer to the serger”, she remembers. The serger, a specialty sewing machine that gives a finished look to her clothing, is her pride and joy. In a rage, he scattered its valuable parts across her dressmaking studio. In that crucial period of her life, something stirred.   Avorina and employee around her precious serger machine, now repaired after it was targeted by her former boyfriend. The serger ensures a professional finishing touch to garments. (UNDP/Ricardo Makyn photo)   Avorina was at the time enrolled in a small business and life skills programme under the European Union-United Nations Spotlight Initiative, soaking up lessons on her personal value, how to grow her business and how to deal with abusers. The women’s economic empowerment programme implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Multi Country Office in Jamaica in partnership with municipal corporations in Clarendon and St Thomas trained 80 survivors like Avorina. The 33-year-old fashion designer is seated around one of three sewing machines she owns, tracing her journey from victim to recommitted ad determined boss of her own business.   Avorina Hall, fashion desinger, dressmaker and tailor. (UNDP/Ricardo Makyn photo)     HE KNEW ABOUT SPOTLIGHT INITIATIVE. HE KNEW WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN “I realize the reason he was so aggressive is because he saw my progress and he tried to stop it … He knew about the Spotlight Initiative, so he knew what was going to happen,” she concludes. Then other lessons started to click. “I never knew there was something called financial abuse. I was going through all the five abuses, and never knew I was going through so many. He called me names … he told me bad things; some things made me feel less than myself … so the Spotlight Initiative helped me a lot. Avorina pauses, seemingly for minutes and tears flow as she processes painful memories of lifelong abuse, the latest at the hands of her son’s father. Now she has newfound hope.   "The programme taught us that whatever we are doing, be serious and don't go halfway and stop. As females we learned we can independent and help ourselves financially." - Avorina (UNDP/Ricardo Makyn photo)     AN EYE OPENER "The programme taught us that whatever we are doing, be serious and don’t go halfway and stop. As females we learned we can be independent and help ourselves financially.” - Avorina Hall “When I met the Spotlight Initiative it opened my eyes to many things as it has helped me to push my business further. It (taught) us how to manage our business, what to do, what not to do, and how to dress to impress. It also taught us that whatever we are doing, be serious and don’t go halfway and stop. As females we learned we can be independent and help ourselves financially.”       People can testify and see the difference within me, because the woman you see today you wouldn’t see two years ago. It’s a different, different me. - Avorina BUSINESS HAS NEVER BEEN BETTER Today, the abusive partner is out of her life, stricken with mental illness after repeatedly threatening to curse her. The business has never been better after applying lessons learned in the Spotlight Initiative-funded programme, and she now employs one person, she reports. “Business is good so far to be honest because the community challenged me …right now, I never knew I could do wedding dresses, jackets, suits.  Now I’m doing all that. I believe I can do ALL things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me … I only been to high school, I never go anywhere else to learn sewing, so that’s when I realize it’s a gift”, she says.       TAPPING INTO HER GREATNESS “…(through) Spotlight Initiative I realise there are great things within me, and I need to explore it. That’s when I decided to take my business serious and wanted to move further. With the grant (I bought) another sewing machine … I would like to employ more persons in need and also train them free of cost and employ them after.  People can testify and see the difference within me because the woman you see today you wouldn’t see two years ago. It’s a different, different me. The group (fellow students) has opened my eyes to see that there is greatness in me. Jamaica has a 27.8% prevalence rate of Gender Based Violence according to the 2016 Women's Health Survey which revealed that more than 1 in 4 women aged 15 to 64 years experienced intimate partner physical and sexual violence in their lifetime.       Through Spotlight Initiative I realised there are great things within me, and I need to explore it. That’s when I decided to take my business serious(ly). - Avorina Hall, fashion designer       TRACING THE CYCLE OF ABUSE Avorina’s journey to a liberated business owner is in her words painful, but she wants her whole story told, no holding back. She says in order to understand her trauma, she must start at the beginning.       MY MOTHER GAVE ME AWAY 5 TIMES When Avorina was a little girl, her mother sent her away to live with friends and relatives no less than five times. In her words, “My mother gave me away,” the only one of her 16 siblings to be treated this way.  It was years before she could process her feelings of pain and bewilderment. She was two years old when it started. By four years of age, the godmother’s husband started to molest her. “She used to let me sleep with him. I had to make sure at nighttime I sleep in a tight skort (skirt and shorts combined), because if I don’t do it, he would molest me all through the night. While her godmother went to market in the days, she stayed out to evade abuse and was beaten on her return. When she told her mother what happened her reply was ‘hush, he did the same to me’.   Jamaica's Child Protection Family Services Agency (CPFSA) received 9,800 cases of abuse against children in 2020. Sexual abuse accounted for 20 percent of these reports. The children’s registry reports an average of 700-800 cases monthly for 2021. “At age 11 she (mother) gave me away again, to my grandaunt,” she recalls shaking her head.  The husband also molested her, and they used her like a slave, demanding she cook, clean and do their grocery. “When I was 13, she gave me away again”, she sighs. “That lady abused me very badly and her brother also used to molest me”.   Later she passed for Thompson Town High, but a bad sore foot prevented her from attending regularly, so she was placed in a class for slow learners. When she placed first in her exams, everyone realised she was bright. Her mother placed her in a better school in Clarendon’s capital, May Pen, and sent food on the weekends. “Nobody was there to protect me. I could go anywhere I wanted to go. I tried suicide two times because I felt nobody loves me. When my monthly (menstruation)come, I had to cut up clothes to make pads to see me through. I have nothing, no roll on until I met my son’s father at age 16,” Avorina says. He gave her money, sent her to school and bought her a sewing machine. Later she took her exams and earned a Grade two in Clothing and Textile. That was the beginning of her journey into the dressmaking business.   The first time I heard I was beautiful was when I was 14. I went home and looked in the mirror and saw myself for the first time. I never used to see it because I felt nobody loves me" - Avorina Hall     Avorina wants victims of abuse to know that they are valued and that there is life after abuse. THERE IS LIFE AFTER ABUSE Reflecting on her choice of an abusive partner, Avorina points to the childhood trauma that left emotional scars and wounds and reinforced feelings of worthlessness. Now she wants victims of abuse to know that they are valued and that there is life after abuse. From troubled child to confident woman relishing her financial freedom, Avorina is determined to put the past behind her and is focused on taking her business to new heights.      FOOTNOTES Text by UNDP Communications Analyst, Gillian Scott. Thanks to UNDP Spotlight Initiative programme manager, Shellian Forrester and thanks to teams from St Thomas and Clarendon Municipal Corporation and Clarendon Parish Development Benevolent Society for facilitating the interviews. Photos by Ricardo Makyn for UNDP Multi Country Office in Jamaica.

Have you ever been on a rollercoaster ride? That's exactly what the trip between Kingston and St. Thomas felt like. The twists and turns and the ups and downs of the bumpy road surface seem to reflect the challenges faced by many Jamaican youth in accessing necessary psychosocial support and services. However, just like the new road currently being constructed, opportunities for youth in the parish are also improving with the opening of the new Teen Hub. Welcome to the second Teen Hub in Jamaica! Children and adolescents at the new Teen Hub, based in the Morant Bay Bus Park, now have access to a wide range of social, educational, and health services in a safe, youth-friendly space. This Teen Hub, established by the Ministry of Health and Wellness, is significant and follows the 2017 launch of the first Teen Hub in the Half-Way-Tree Transport Centre, St Andrew. Financed by the European Union-funded Spotlight Initiative to address gender-based violence, and constructed by UNICEF Jamaica, the Teen Hub aims to provide essential resources for holistic youth development. It offers homework and research assistance, health screening, counselling services, career guidance, sexual and reproductive health services, and much more. St Thomas is one of the target parishes for the Spotlight Initiative, since unfortunately, the parish suffers from high rates of child abuse and sexual violence. The Teen Hub provides an additional layer of support to youngsters It complements the assistance they already receive at school and home, by bridging the gaps. In a rapidly changing world where young people are exposed to various influences, the Teen Hub is at a convenient location. Mickayla Lynch, a 12-year-old student from Lyssons Primary, shared her expectations for the Teen Hub. She envisions a place where young people can freely express their opinions and emotions and seek help with family issues. She plans to take full advantage of the facility and engage with the workers for assistance in any situation she may face now or in the future. Aliyah Currie, an 11-year-old student from the same school, considers the Teen Hub a safe place for children. She recognizes the prevalence of issues such as suicide, smoking, and drinking among her peers and believes that the Teen Hub can provide the necessary support and guidance. Aliyah encourages others to seek help and take comfort in the fact that they are not alone. The opening marks a significant milestone for the youth in the parish. The journey may have been bumpy, but the destination is filled with promise and potential. Buckle up and get ready for an incredible ride! What’s UNICEF doing? The St Thomas Teen Hub was officially launched on June 9, 2023, and is now serving adolescents and young people in the parish of St. Thomas and its environs under the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative in Jamaica. St Thomas Teen Hub offers various services including HIV/STI testing, family planning counselling and life skills-based education support. The hub aims to contribute to a reduction in violence against women and girls in St Thomas. Welcome to the opening of the second Teen Hub in Jamaica
 

Seventeen participants from the Government, local financial institutions and the Bermuda Economic Development Corporation are now trained in gender lens investing and public financing policies and instruments for Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment in Bermuda. Two training workshops were delivered on May 3, 2023 and hosted by UN Women Multi-Country Office – Caribbean, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Multi Country Office in Jamaica, and partners: Development Finance Institute Canada Inc (FinDev Canada), Portland Private Equity and the UNDP Global Gender Team. The overall objective of both workshops was to strengthen the capacity of government experts, and financial institutions to remove the barriers which deny access to financing by women and young people. Government experts learned how to develop a gender sensitive entrepreneurial ecosystem, and investment professionals and fund managers learned how to apply a gender lens throughout the investment cycle. The training sessions are products of the United Nations Joint SDG Fund funded, Building Back Equal through Innovative Financing for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Joint Programme, in partnership with the Governments of The Bahamas and Bermuda. Public sector participants at the training on appropriate financing policies and instruments for Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment/Department of Communications, Bermuda Government   The Hon. Tinée Furbert, JP, MP, Minister of Social Development and Seniors shared, “The training workshops provided to government experts help to ensure the Government of Bermuda is equipped with the knowledge, skill set, and tools required to support the advancement of the ‘Building Back Equal through Innovative Financing for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment’ Joint Programme.” “As the Joint Programme, which aims to empower and advance Bermudians, in particular women and youth, is the first of its kind for Bermuda, the Government remains committed to working closely with UN Women Multi Country Office – Caribbean, UNDP, and private sector representatives to ensure the success of the Joint Programme.” “We are excited about the programme and look forward to the opportunities that will be provided to our women and youth entrepreneurs so that Bermuda becomes a more equitable society." The training for financial institutions, led by UN Women and grounded in the Women’s Empowerment Principles and the 2X criteria to ensure financiers learned the business case behind gender-lens investing, was the second held since the launch of the Joint Programme.  UN Women Multi Country Office – Caribbean Representative Tonni Ann Brodber noted that the training played a crucial role in a larger framework of UN Women, and the UN system, to mobilise more capital towards gender equality and strengthen the asset managers contributions to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Brodber said: “UN Women understands that financiers play a critical role in creating an enabling environment for women’s and youth’s full engagement in economic growth. An understanding of the barriers to women’s full engagement in the formal economy, in particular unpaid care responsibilities, and those faces by youth must be addressed if we hope to support economic growth and achieve sustainable development in the Caribbean.” With McKinsey Global Institute finding that by closing the economic gender gap, there could be an estimated increase of $28 trillion to the global gross domestic product (GDP) by the year 2025, gender lens investing is paramount for the Caribbean’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 crises and inclusive and sustainable development. This recovery is compounded by a persisting and narrowing gender gap in access to financing in developing countries, which has declined from nine percent to 4 percent, according to the latest data from a World Bank report. Participants at the Gender Lens Investing Training/Department of Communications, Bermuda Government   In her charge to participants, UNDP Resident Representative Denise E Antonio encouraged continuous strengthening of public/private partnerships to bolster the enabling environment and resource pool for gender equity in financing for the Medium Small and Micro Enterprises (MSME) sector. “Continue to see each other as partners in the mission to establish a gender-sensitive entrepreneurial ecosystem designed to holistically address financing needs while identifying and unleashing potential wherever it exists,” she urged. She said UNDP and the UN looked forward to shining a light on Bermuda’s best practices in innovative financing vehicles, digital platforms and tools which close the financing gap for women and youth.” The mission also featured courtesy calls with Premier the Hon. E. David Burt; Hon. Tinée Furbert, Ministry of Social Development and Seniors, and consultative meetings with the senior teams at the Bermuda Economic Development Corporation (BEDC) and Gender Affairs Council.

They are expected to discuss a wide range of issues, including the impact of the climate crisis in the Caribbean and upcoming High-Level discussions on the mid-term review of the global framework for disaster risk reduction. They will also discuss the situation in Haiti as well as ways of involving the international community, including Jamaica’s leadership, in efforts to reform the global financial architecture. Jamaica is co-chair, alongside Canada, of the Group of Friends on SDG Financing. The Secretary-General and the Prime Minister are scheduled to hold a joint press conference following their meeting, which is to be broadcast on Web TV Monday, 15 May, 2023. The live webcast of the joint press conference is scheduled to begin at 11.45 AM Jamaica time / 12.45 p.m. New York time and can be viewed by clicking here. The visit was announced 12 May by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, at a press briefing from UN Headquarters in New York.