This training came about as a result of a joint strategizing process involving UNFPA, UNDP and the concerned national counterparts that prioritized the need for strengthening capacity of police to investigate and report on GBV cases and establishing a two-way GBV referral mechanism between police and health facilities.

The rationale behind sensitizing and building capacity of police in GBV domain lies in the facts that girls continue to fall victims of rape, sexual assault, trafficking, kidnapping, but in most cases perpetrators disappear from the scene and escape justice.

UNFPA Head of Sub-Office, Dr. Bakhtior Kadirov delivered a statement emphasizing the importance of multi-sectoral gender-based violence response model that promotes interdisciplinary and inter-agency cooperation and coordination across key sectors, including health, psychosocial support, security and legal/justice sectors. It was further noted that strengthening prevention and protection against gender-based violence, using human right perspective require  referral mechanisms, involving police and health entities for  referral of survivors of  gender-based violence to police and legal services after clinical management and psychosocial support or vice versa. This is also based on the notion that no single sector can squarely address gender-based violence prevention and response.

UNDP Acting Head of Sub-Office, Mr. Yann Guezel noted the necessity of such training,  embracing a number of advanced topics regarding tackling GBV to ensure the quality and efficiency of the police response to GBV cases and skills building to investigate GBV crimes.  He welcomed the participation  of the female police officers in the training.

It is worth noting that the cooperation between UNFPA and UNDP also involves a needs assessment exercise on gender equity, equality aspects and gender-based violence in support of upscaling the multi-sectoral response.

In the concluding statement the Director General of the Ministry of Security/Police, Mr. Awad Hussein Ali drew the audience attention to trafficking in women in Bossaso and the challenge of dealing with criminal groups equipped with advanced tools and techniques.

In order to better handle major GBV crimes Ministry of Security has recently established a post of GBV Coordinator in the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ministry of Security of Puntland.