News and Events
Gender based violence has to be approached in a systematic way, says Arjun Bahadur Singh, Director of the National Health Training Centre.
Kathmandu, 1 August 2008
The National Health Training Center (MoHP) with support of UNFPA Nepal and in partnership with Maternity and Paropakar Women's Hospital (Prashuti Griha) is organizing Training of Trainers on addressing gender based violence cases identified among health services clients.
'There is limited accurate data available on gender based violence levels in Nepal. However, it is still clear the issue must be addressed. Health workers play a key role in screening for treating the consequences of gender based violence. Training health workers to identify, treat and respond effectively to gender based violence is essential for the health sector and the communities that health workers serve. It also is the only way to ensure that women feel supported in being able to report cases of gender based violence and be treated, as well as learn of referral and justice issues.' says Dr. Peden Pradhan, Assistant Representative at UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund).
According to Mr. Arjun Bahadur Singh, Director of the National Health Training Centre, 'neglecting a social issue such as gender based violence, will be reflected in slowing down of other aspects of the country's development. This problem has to be approached in a systematic way and as far as the National Health Training Centre is concerned we have been conducting trainings on addressing gender based violence at the central level and through regional and district centers at the local level for many years. However from this time onward we want to emphasize more on the fact that the gender based violence is a cross-cutting issue. We want to communicate it very clearly to the participants who are the master trainers that whatever training they conduct later in the districts, gender based violence has to be a regular component of every training.'
In 2007, UNFPA supported the National Health Training Centre to develop manual on gender and reproductive health and train master trainers. Further, UNFPA, with technical support of the Doctors of the World trained the Mobile Reproductive Health Unit team in the UNFPA/GoN Population and Reproductive Health Integrated Community Based Project districts (Saptari, Mahhotari, Rautahat, Kapilvastu, Dang, Dadheldhura). The Mobile Reproductive Unit's team trained local health workers in line with the existing model clinical protocols on gender based violence for health service providers. Currently UNFPA is supporting the National Health Training Center to integrate gender based violence in the training calendar and to improve the capacity of the National Health Training Center and Regional Training Centers in training health service providers and managers for them to be able to respond to gender based violence issues.
The coming training will start on August 3rd (10 am) and will last till August 7th. The venue is Maternity and Women Hospital's library, Thapathali, Kathmandu.
For more information contact: Anna Adhikari, Communications Consultant, UNFPA, adhikari@unfpa.org 9841377061; or Mr. Madhukar Shrestha, Training Programme Officer, UNFPA, madhukar@fhdunfpa.wlink.com.np 9841423143
Back to Top
Back to News and Events