Australian funding equips regional participants with skills to reduce violence against women.

25 February 2010

Forty two graduates from a regional training workshop have formulated and will be implementing action plans to reduce violence against women and the broader fact of gender inequality, in their respective organisations, countries and communities.

Closing a month-long Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre-organized Regional Training Program on Violence Against Women in Suva today, the Australian High Commission’s First Secretary for Development Cooperation, Ms Jacqueline Clark, said violence against women negates every area of development activity and is an abuse of human rights.

“It impacts on women’s health and the ability of women to actively participate in the economic, political and social activities within their community,” Ms Clark told the workshop participants.

Referring to an Australian Government report titled “Violence against Women in Melanesia and East Timor” which was released in November 2008, she said it had found that violence against women is severe, pervasive and remains a fundamental challenge to development in the region.

“Reducing and eliminating violence against women is crucial to achieving equality between men and women and to delivering good development outcomes: safer, healthier and more prosperous communities,” she said.

“This training is a major turning point where you have learnt skills and knowledge to help you work better towards eliminating violence against women in your communities”, Ms Clark told the graduates.

The workshop equipped men and women participants with the skills to provide crisis counseling, legal advice, advocacy, training, education and awareness, and other support services for women survivors of violence.

“In this round of training we have 42 people and it is heartening to see both men and women being trained to eliminate violence against women”, Ms Clark noted as she handed participants their Certificate of Completion.

The Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre is a key partner in the Australian government’s efforts to address violence against women in the region, and women’s rights in general.

The Centre has been providing regional training programs on violence against women since 1995. The outcomes of this training include more appropriate and effective service provision to women experiencing violence and strengthening of institutions and service providers in this sector.

The Centre has received Australian Government support since 1989 and has established itself as a leading organisation that provides high quality, relevant and efficient services for women and children survivors of violence.

The Australian Government has signed a A$5.3 million (F$9.2million) funding agreement with the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre as part of its continued support for the Centre’s work over the next six years (2009-2015).

It has been providing regional training programs on violence against women since 1995. The outcomes of this training include more appropriate and effective service provision to women experiencing violence and strengthening of institutions and service providers in this sector.



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