BGA Hosts Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies Workshop

Sixty first responders from various entities benefited from a four-day workshop aimed at addressing Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in emergency situations.

The workshop, which ended on Friday (September 13), was organised by the Bureau of Gender Affairs (BGA) in the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Sub-Regional Office for the Caribbean.

Participants were drawn from ministries, department and agencies (MDAs), community-based, non-governmental and women-led organisations, and United Nations agencies.
Among the entities represented were the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), AIDS Healthcare Foundation, and the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB).

The training was conducted by GBV in Emergency (GBViE) Specialist, UNFPA, Mary Oyella.

Acting Director for the Community Liaison Unit of the BGA, Nardia McLaren, told JIS NEWS that the training was necessary, especially in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl and the need for effective GBV emergency response.

“The primary objective of this training is to build understanding on gender-based violence standards and how to apply these standards, especially in GBV crises and emergency situations,” she noted.

“We want to strengthen the Government of Jamaica’s response as it relates to treating with gender-based violence in cases of emergency,” she stressed.

Miss McLaren informed that the session, which included simulation exercises, helped the entities to better plan their responses.

She said that first responders must be equipped to deal with issues, particularly within shelters.

“For example, if someone is abused or raped at the shelter, if someone is pregnant there, or if there is a case of incest or other abuse, first responders or persons responsible for GBV responsiveness must act and provide support,” she pointed out.

Miss McLaren said that similar training will take place at the Tropics View Hotel in Hatfield, Mandeville, from September 17 to 20 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and will involve key stakeholders from St. Elizabeth, Clarendon and nearby communities that were affected by the recent passage of Hurricane Beryl.