WPSI set to sensitize Community actors on preventing Gender-Based Violence in Kumasi, Ghana.

3^rd June, 2021: The Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) through its Women, Peace and Security Institute (WPSI) is set to organize a five-day Sensitisation Workshop on Gender-Based Violence for Community Actors in Kumasi, Ghana. The workshop comes off at the Sunset Hotel in Kumasi from 7th to 11th June, 2021. It is targeted at bringing together 30 local actors on Gender Based Violence (GBV) from the National Police Service, Judicial sector, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs), Media, Traditional and Community Leaders. Participants were selected across six (6) regions in Ghana namely; the Greater Accra, Ashanti, Northern, Eastern, Bono East and the Ahafo Regions.

The overall objective of this workshop is to enhance the capacity of this cross-section of local actors for effective prevention and response to GBV in Ghana. Specifically, the workshop aims to equip local actors with the knowledge on the conduct of investigations; create awareness and sensitize community and traditional leaders; provide participants with requisite media skills and strategies for reporting cases of GBV taking into consideration the sensitive nature of the subject matter.

It is envisaged that the workshop would enhance the individual knowledge and skills of participants, shape attitudes while building a sense of teamwork between the local actors to foster effective collaboration in handling GBV cases.

This initiative is fully funded by the Government of Denmark through a two-year project on “Promoting Peace and Security in West Africa” and forms part of the KAIPTC-WPSI’s broader strategic objective three to build African capacity to fully implement protocols on Women, Peace and Studies. Specifically, the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol) and the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and follow-up Resolutions on Women, Peace and Security in the context of Africa, with specific focus to assist member states to eliminate gender-based violence.

The training is in response to a survey the WPSI undertook in 2020, with the objective to better understand GBV in five (5) African countries, namely Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, South Sudan and Central African Republic. The survey also sought to find out the use of institutional approaches and how these were deployed to prevent and respond to GBV, whilst also assessing local capacity to investigate GBV cases. The survey produced insightful findings ranging from the need to create awareness and sensitize local communities to fight against the prevalence of GBV, to the call to build capacity of local actors and stakeholders to prevent, respond, and effectively investigate GBV cases.  It also shaped the development of a comprehensive manual to serve as a training tool to build capacity in targeted countries.

The Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda recognizes that women and girls are the most vulnerable who suffer all forms of sexual and gender-based violence in conflict and post conflict situations. Over the years, GBV continues to be prevalent in most African countries. The Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Violence (CEDAW), United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 and 1820 among others are frameworks adopted to combat this inhuman acts perpetrated mostly against women and girls.

Despite the existence of these frameworks, GBV continues to be prevalent and many women and girls continually suffer these atrocities without justice. At the end of the training, it is expected that participants will gain in-depth knowledge and understanding of GBV, enhance the knowledge, skills, and shape the attitudes of participants in preventing and mitigating the canker, while building a sense of team work and better collaboration among key local actors engaged in preventing and responding to GBV.

For further information, please contact the Women Peace and Security Institute of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) on 0302-718200 ext. 1085/1087. You can find the WPSI on Facebook. You can further find out more about the WPSI on our website: http://wpsi.kaiptc.org/.

About the Women Peace and Security Institute

The Women, Peace and Security Institute (WPSI) is an institute of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC). The Institute works to enhance the KAIPTC’s contribution to African capacity to fully implement the AU Protocol to the African Charter on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol) and the UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 and follow up resolutions on Women, Peace and Security in the context of Africa. This is achieved through building technical capacity, research, policy engagement and analysis on women, peace and security in order to better inform the broader security agenda in Africa.