Gender-based violence: KP sets up facilities to help victims

PESHAWAR: The government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is establishing facilities to help survivors of gender-based violence learn skills that will help them become more self-reliant.This was stated by Deputy Secretary Social Welfare & Women’s Empowerment Warda Latif at the consultation on “Protection and Response Mechanism for Gender-Based Violence Survivors”, organised by Aawaz II programme in Peshawar.The event brought together more than 60 women, persons with disabilities, transgender persons, and religious minorities from across the province, including the districts of Peshawar, Nowshera, Buner, Lower Dir, Abbottabad, Mardan, Malakand and Kohat.

Warda Latif explained that 125 industrial training centres have been upgraded to provide advanced skills regarding handling gender-based violence (GBV) survivors, linking them directly to the market, which is a substantial step towards reintegrating violence survivors in society. She also gave details of efforts to expand and improve Dar-ul-Amans and extend the outreach of the Bolo Helpline.“Aawaz II has its presence in 14 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with a focus on addressing issues related to gender-based violence, child marriages and social cohesion.

The programme has established volunteer forums at village, district and provincial levels which link service providers with the community to respond to their needs directly,” stated Rafat Yasmin, Gender and Inclusion Advisor, Aawaz II.District Committees on the Status of Women (DCSW) have been nominated in all districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but their official notification is pending due to the need for amending the KPCSW (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Commission on the Status of Women) law to align the DCSW with KP’s local government law, stated Amna Durrani, Director Programmes of the KP Commission on the Status of Women.

Zikriya, Programme Analyst Gender/GBV from UNFPA Peshawar Office, said that government departments like police, health and social welfare must have strong coordination at multiple levels to ensure effective delivery of services for protection and response to gender-based violence.The participants from 14 districts of Khyber Pakht-unkhwa shared their challenges in accessing government facilities and put forward the certain recommendations to enhance services later on. Speaking about the importance of consultation, Rashida Dohad, Executive Director of Omar Asghar Khan Foundation said that the consultation was of utmost importance to gain insights from their experiences in accessing the services present at the district level.