Training and Capacity Building

DAW, now part of UN Women, convenes training activities and workshops on women’s human rights for government officials, judicial officers and representatives of civil society, at national and regional level. For example, DAW has convened judicial colloquia on the application of international human rights law at the domestic level in Santiago, Chile, 2005, Nassau, The Bahamas, 2004, Arusha, Tanzania, 2003, Bangkok, Thailand, 2002 and Vienna, Austria, 1999, which have also addressed the issue of violence against women. Events such as the foregoing serve to highlight legislative and judicial approaches in addressing violence against women, provide opportunities for exchanging experiences and enhancing cooperation among different stakeholders in efforts to eliminate violence against women. Hide

In its programming to end violence against women, UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, works to support and build the capacity of duty bearers to fulfil their responsibilities to promote and protect women’s human rights, including the right to be free from violence, with primary focus on the judiciary, law enforcement officials, parliamentarians, government ministries, legal practitioners, and departments of statistics. Hide

UNICEF hosted a region-wide workshop on best practices to prevent and respond to gender-based violence in South Africa which brought together representatives from more than 20 UNICEF offices in Africa, along with government partners to learn from the South African experience of addressing gender-based violence and share experiences to prevent and respond to it. Hide

Much of UNICEF’s work on gender-based violence focuses on capacity-building, with all regions increasingly prioritizing this aspect, as well as the development of a protective environment. Emphasis is placed on training of the police, the judiciary, and teachers. For example, both the West and Central Africa region and the East and Southern Africa region have developed strategies on gender-based violence and are working on capacity-building of UNICEF staff, partners and other actors to prevent and respond to gender-based violence. Training materials have been developed for UNICEF staff and partners on gender-based violence. Hide

UNFPA supports and advocates for the integration of training on gender-based violence into the curricula of school teachers, healthcare providers, the police, the judiciary, planners and statisticians. Hide

UNFPA employs a wide range of operational strategies to address violence against women, including the development of guidelines and tools, capacity-building and training. As such, UNFPA has supported sensitivity training of medical professionals to meet the health needs of women affected by violence. Pilot interventions have been tested in 10 countries—Cape Verde, Ecuador, Guatemala, Lebanon, Lithuania, Mozambique, Nepal, Romania, Russia and Sri Lanka. It has also supported an international consultation on programming to address gender-based violence. Hide

As part of its regional efforts to strengthen governmental capacity to deal with trafficking in persons in West and Southern Africa, UNODC has provided legislative assistance, trained officials, and supported regional coordination. A UNODC sub-regional project on juvenile justice that covers Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt includes components that target girl victims of crime. National projects in Colombia, Brazil, Lebanon, Vietnam, Philippines, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Moldova, Albania, Benin, Togo, Nigeria and South Africa assist Member States in implementing the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, including training initiatives. Hide

WHO developed ethical and safety recommendations for interviewing trafficked women, which contain recommendations for researchers, media, police and service providers who are new to working with trafficked women. Hide

WHO developed a Handbook for the documentation of interpersonal violence prevention programmes, which provides guidance on how to document violence programmes, as a basis for monitoring and evaluation of interventions to prevent and reduce violence. It also developed Preventing child maltreatment: a guide to taking action and generating evidence to assist countries to design, deliver, and measure the impact of programmes for the prevention of child maltreatment by parents and caregivers; and Preventing injuries and violence: A guide for ministries of health, which provides guidance to ministries of health for a public health approach to violence prevention. It covers policy development, data collection, advocacy work and capacity building. Hide

WHO has developed various training programmes, such as Teach-VIP that includes modules on intimate partner and sexual violence; a virtual course on comprehensive care for sexual and domestic violence victims (PAHO). WHO, with PATH, has developed Researching violence against women: A practical guide for researchers and activists that will be used as the basis of regional training courses. It also developed training packages on management of childbirth for women with FGM. Hide