United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East

In Lebanon, UNRWA conducted a training on detection, counselling, referral and follow up of gender-based violence and child survivors was conducted in December 2011 for 20 frontline staff members from Relief, Education, and Health sectors (Medical officers, midwives, Gynecologists/Obstetricians, head teachers, school counsellors, teacher counsellors, SWs, CDSSW/WP, CDSW/DP). An in-depth training will be conducted in March 2012 with the same participants. In December 2011, UNICEF, UNFPA and UNHCR concluded an 18-month project funded by ECHO in 9 countries (Nepal, Afghanistan and Pakistan, Ivory Coast, CAR, Chad, Sudan, occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) and Iraq) on Capacity Development around coordination of gender-based violence prevention and response. This project hasenabled 170 Gender-based Violence “Capacity Promoters” from those 9 countries to complete two-week train the trainers workshops on context-specific roll-out of standard good practices for gender-based violence (GBV) prevention and response in emergencies, which resulted in over 360 multi-sectoral actors having being trained to effectively address GBV in their contexts. 9 Standard Operating Procedures for GBV prevention and response were updated or developed and principles of good coordination were reinforced in the 9 settings through roll-out of the GBV Coordination Handbook. An online, multi-language Community of Practice was established to foster ongoing learning and information exchange.UNRWA developed data collection and tracking systems to monitor gender based violence in the communities in Gaza, West Bank, Jordan and Syria, and will also establish this system in Lebanon in 2012. The information gathered is allowing UNRWA staff to better understand the prevalence of gender based violence, its impact, consequences, trends and patterns. UNRWA developed a training manual on addressing survivors of gender based violence, which includes identifying, detecting, counselling and referring cases. 1316 UNRWA frontline staff representing the health, education, relief and social services departments in addition to other staff from Gaza, West Bank, Syria and Jordan were trained on this manual. Hide

UNRWA conducted training on gender-based violence, detection and referral of survivors, for community-based organizations and Health Ministry representatives, including in Gaza and the West Bank. Hide

As part of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence Campaign, UN entities supported and/or organized several initiatives, in partnership with multiple stakeholders. In Gaza, Jordan, Syria and the West Bank, UNRWA organized interactive theatrical performances, puppet shows, athletic activities, awareness sessions and lectures, as well as speeches by Imams at mosques – all highlighting the need to end gender based violence. Hide

UNRWA organized several awareness-raising initiatives, such as in Lebanon in partnership with the General Union of Palestinian Women, in a UNRWA health clinic. Hide

UNRWA, supporting the gender-based violence campaign in Palestine and connecting it to the International Year of Volunteers +10 (IYV+10), highlighted the importance of volunteerism in achieving results in fighting gender-based violence. One initiative was UNRWA’s use of a questionnaire to collect data on gender based violence in the Palestinian refugee camps. UNV mobilized around 300 local volunteers particularly university students. The added value of this partnership was that the volunteers considered themselves as recipients of this campaign. Hide

UNRWA continues its collaboration with UNICEF in Jordan to address violence in schools against girls and boys and to establish mechanisms in the health centres to address child abuse. During 2010 UNRWA focused on building referral systems. In Syria, UNRWA has identified its mechanism of referral in Yarmouk and Deraa camps, and worked to enhance staff capacities for detection of gender-based violence victims. In West Bank, UNRWA has collaborated with various stakeholders to develop its referral system, based on a community participation approach, and to organise trainings for medical staff. In Gaza, UNRWA is establishing one-stop shop centres, and has identified the role of staff involved in the process. In Jordan, UNRWA has been working with local partners towards the establishment of a referral system, and has commenced the mapping of external partners to provide support services to victims of gender-based violence. Hide

As part of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence campaign, UNRWA, in collaboration with various stakeholders, organised events in Gaza, Jordan, Syria, and West Bank, involving its health, education, relief and social services programmes. Activities included photograph exhibitions, mobile theatres, awareness events and poetry. UNRWA, in Gaza, held awareness-raising workshops on the role of the international instruments in fighting gender-based violence, where UNRWA teachers participated. Hide

In West Bank and Gaza, UNRWA is involved in the UN Country Team gender taskforce, by implementing the component addressing gender-based violence in the joint UN MDG gender programme “gender equality and women’s empowerment in oPT”. Hide

UNRWA conducted several trainings in West Bank and Gaza reaching members of the community involved in services provision, women, men and religious leaders on the provision of assistance to victims of gender-based violence. Hide

In Gaza, West Bank, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon, UNRWA staff attended training in detecting and counselling victims of gender-based violence. The staff included nurses, midwifes, health counsellors, medical officers, education counsellors, lawyers and social workers. In West Bank, and with the support of the Birzeit University, 4 trainings took place to introduce the concepts of community protection. Hide