Coordination of Multi-Sectoral Response to Gender-based Violence in Humanitarian Settings

International Training Course     Ghent, Belgium     2-13 November 2009

This is a two week residential course is specifically designed to train qualified gender-based violence (GBV) professionals from various backgrounds in the coordination of multi‐sectoral prevention of and response to GBV in humanitarian settings. Since 2007, nearly 50 GBV professionals from 26 countries – a mix of UN, international and national NGOs, government and academic organizations – have completed the 2 week course.  Course organized by UNFPA and Ghent University.

Men Can Stop Rape, Inc. (MCSR) is pleased to announce that our "FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE" STRENGTH TRAINING will be held July 16-18 at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill. Held every January and July, MCSR's comprehensive training has provided over 9,000 professionals with the skills to engage men in the prevention of men's violence against women. Over three days participants will learn the approach that has made Men Can Stop Rape one of the most sought out leaders in the primary violence prevention field. 

Who should attend?:

* Youth-serving professionals searching for better ways to teach teens about healthy masculinity and positive relationships.

* Activist men strategizing new ways to engage men and teens in their community on role modeling strength without violence.

* Rape crisis and domestic violence center personnel who are looking for ways to engage men on the primary prevention of men's violence against women.

Training Objectives:

* Become more aware of the "Dominant Stories" of masculinity and better understand the importance of "Counterstories," and how these relate to violence against women.

* Explore the challenges of engaging men and learn effective ways to overcome these barriers.

* Learn how men can be mobilized to become better allies with women.

* Strategize with others about how to involve men in our work.

* Build skills for speaking with men about sexism.

* Learn how to better assist men in connecting sexism to other forms of oppression.

* Provide participants with practice responses to common reactions and questions from male audiences.

Register at http://www.mencanstoprape.org/info-url2697/info-url_show.htm?doc_id=442957

Questions? Contact Joseph Vess at jvess@mencanstoprape.org

Global edition of the course "Empowerment, HIV and Violence against Women"

HIV and violence against women (VAW) are two pandemics putting women's health, wellbeing, and lives at risk. Evidence shows that violence may be a leading factor in the increasing "feminization" of the AIDS pandemic in many countries, and HIV can be both a cause and a consequence of VAW. Integrating HIV and VAW policies and programs, based on an empowerment approach, will enhance their effectiveness and impact by increasing women's access to comprehensive services of care and prevention.

Objectives    This course aims to develop competencies of human resources from governmental and non-governmental organizations to integrate HIV and VAW in prevention, treatment and care interception as well as to respond to emerging policy issues regarding both problems. The specific objectives are:

- To analyze the empowerment conceptual framework and its operationalization addressing HIV and VAW. 

- To examine the strategic and practical implications for integrating policies and programs on HIV and VAW.

- To manage tools for carrying out processes within organizations and intersectoral levels directed toward integration of both issues.

Participants

The target population includes managers, decision-makers at national and local levels, service providers and advocators for people living with HIV and women's rights.

Dates:

Jun 22 - Oct 8, 2009

Coordinators of the course:

Nazneen Damji (UNIFEM) and

Dinys Luciano (Development Connections)

Applications: The registration form must be sent by May 27, 2009.

Fellowships: 25 fellowships are available for candidates that can demonstrate how they will apply the skills obtained in the course within their organizations and who will commit to completing the course. Those individuals interested in applying for a fellowship should submit a request to info@dvcn.org by May 22, 2009.

For more information on the course please contact:

Dinys Luciano: lucianod@dvcn.org

Modules

I. Conceptual framework: Intersections between HIV and VAW, international commitments and national legislation, empowerment approach applied to HIV and VAW and methodological issues regarding scientific evidence on HIV and VAW

II. Prevention: Prevention strategies from a public health approach, best practices on HIV and VAW prevention.

III. Care and treatment: Voluntary counseling and testing, access to treatment, adherence strategies and VAW,  HIV perinatal transmission and VAW, integrating HIV within VAW services: screening, care, referral systems, and support groups.

IV. Considerations for special populations: young girls and adolescents, indigenous communities, migrants, sex workers, prisoners, injected drug users, among others.

Methodology and learning resources

The course is online and has a total duration of 95 hours. It includes online activities and workplace field tasks. Depending on the needs and possibilities in each country, participants may form small groups for face-to-face sessions with the online support of a tutor. The learning resources, for use in group discussions, working groups, virtual forums and assessments within the participants' organizations, include: cases, databases, glossary, checklists and other assessment tools, bibliography, and presentations.

The course will be taught in English.

This course is brought to you by UNIFEM and Development Connections

Development Connections

1629 K Street NW Suite 300

Washington DC 20006

(202) 466-0978