Training

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.

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.

ESCAP undertakes capacity-building activities for more effective programme planning by governments and civil society organizations for achieving gender equality and health promotion, including addressing HIV/AIDS issues, human trafficking, and combating commercial sexual exploitation of children in Asia and the Pacific. It promotes strengthening of women’s national machineries at the governmental level and serves as a facilitator in building linkages among government, civil society and development partners.

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.

The Department of Political Affairs (DPA) missions assist governments in preparation for reporting under the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women. UNOGBIS assisted the Government of Guinea-Bissau with the preparation of, and advised on the content of, its initial report under the Convention.

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.

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.

UNDP supports and undertakes the development of training modules for policy makers, law enforcement agencies and communities aimed at addressing violence against women, and contributes to capacity development at national and local levels.

ECA supports Member States, at their request, and undertakes capacity-building activities for non-governmental organizations on women’s human rights. ECA supports training workshops on women’s human rights, with a focus also on violence against women, in collaboration with partners from governments, United Nations entities and civil society. Examples include a regional training workshop on women’s human rights in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, in 2003; and a national training workshop on gender mainstreaming in Uganda, in 2004.

Successful collaboration between DPKO and civilian police advisers has resulted in the establishment of special units within police stations to deal with violence against women, provision of private spaces for women to report gender-based violence, and establishment of safe houses for women victims of violence. Drawing from the experience in Sierra Leone, family support units have been established in Liberia. UNIFEM also supports the creation of specialised institutions, such as police gender desks.