A two-day “Capacity Building Training on GBV Case Management,” was held in Adwa, Tigray Region from 26 to 27 June. The training forms part of a series of trainings on psychosocial support, coordination and case management of Gender Based Violence (GBV) being organized in the Tigray and Amhara regions. The participants of the training were drawn from two districts identified in the 2017 Humanitarian Requirement Document as priority-one drought affected hot spot woredas in Tigray Region with urgent need for multi- sectoral humanitarian assistance. 

The trainings are aimed at strengthening coordination structures, improving the functioning of case management systems, equipping participants with psychological first aid skills in order to provide the required services for vulnerable groups, mainly women and girls, and to prevent gender based violence.

The Government endorsed 2017 Humanitarian Requirement Document (HRD) indicates that the drought situation has made an estimated population of 5.6 million require humanitarian assistance at the beginning of 2017. UNFPA estimates that around 1.3 million people from this number are women of reproductive age. The loss of assets, mainly cattle, is increasing tensions in households and heightening the vulnerability of women and girls to GBV. 

UNFPA is implementing a GBV in emergency project in a total of 14 drought affected hot spot woredas in the Afar, Amhara, Oromia, SNNP and Somali regions. The project is advocating for GBV mainstreaming and coordination in multi-sectoral responses, addressing the differential needs of vulnerable women and girls through distribution of culturally appropriate dignity kits, and ensuring access of vulnerable women and girls to awareness raising activities.

GBV services including psychosocial support are being provided by the project by using women friendly spaces and life-saving services are being availed for survivors of sexual violence through capacitating front line service providers and provision of post-rape treatment kits in health centers. A Gender Based Violence Information Management System has also been established and operationalized.

Government employees from pertinent sector offices, service providers, UNFPA project staff, NGOs working in the project area and community facilitators too part in the training. A total of 172 frontline service providers and community members in the target woredas are expected to participate in the series of trainings.