The Council of Europe Project “Strengthening the Human Rights Protection of Internally Displaced Persons in Ukraine” in cooperation with UNFPA organized the workshop “Gender-based violence: what the organizations working with IDPs and host communities should know” in three focus regions which have been effected by the consequences of massive internal displacement. Workshops took place in Severodonetsk (15 of May, Luhansk region), Kramatorsk (16 of May, Donetsk region) and Dnipro (30 of May).
The partners of the event were Luhansk and Donetsk regional military-civil administrations and Dnipro State University of Internal Affairs.
The aim of the workshops was to present standards and developments in preventing gender-based violence (hereinafter – GBV) during armed conflict and to improve capacities of inter-agency cooperation in preventing and responding to violence at the regional level.
More than 100 participants were involved in the activities in three regions. In particular, the specialists of district departments of social protection, departments of family and youth, centers of social services for family, children and young people, which are responsible for implementing activities towards preventing and responding to domestic violence, advocates of the centers of free legal aid provision, representatives of UN agencies, international, national and local NGOs working with internally displaced people and the communities.
The relevant suggestions for strengthening of inter-agency cooperation responding on GBV at regional level were expressed by the representatives of regional departments of health, departments of the National Police, representatives of the bureau of forensic medical examination.
First, participants attended three sessions of national experts. The session of Ms Olena Kochemyrovska, Senior Field Coordinator, UNFPA, was devoted to the concept and factors of GBV. Ms Nataliya Pylypiv, Human Rights Officer of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, presented the results of the report “Conflict-Related Sexual Violence in Ukraine (2014-2017)”, and Ms Ganna Khrystova, Senior Project Officer of the Council of Europe Project “Strengthening the Human Rights Protection of Internally Displaced Persons in Ukraine” gave an input on the connection between GBV and internal displacement in the context of human rights standards of the Council of Europe.
In the practical part of the workshop participants worked on the tools of preventing gender-based violence and discussed the mechanisms to raise awareness and to assist the victims.
Participants highly appreciated information leaflets for dissemination among vulnerable groups and professionals from social services and NGOs working with internally displaced persons.
The leaflets “Prevention of Sexual Violence”, “Human Trafficking – Slavery of the 21st Century”, “Violence against Women - a Special Issue” were prepared by the Project in cooperation with partners from Gender-Based Violence sub-cluster Ukraine and contain practical information on organizations and services that provide assistance to individuals, who have suffered from violence. You can view the leaflets in Ukrainian on the Project page in the “Publications” section.