On 23 January, United Nations State Liaison Functions (SLFs) in North Darfur, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Social Development of North Darfur, concluded a three-day training programme on Gender Based Violence (GBV), and children’s law as outlined in the Sudan Child Act endorsed in 2010, convened for Government of Sudan police officers and social workers in the area.

The training programme, attended by 50 participants from various north Darfur localities, was aimed at enhancing the capacity of participants to raise awareness among local communities on the negative impacts of violence against women and children.

Addressing participants during the closing ceremony, Ms. Ana Maria De Jesus Morais Valerio from UNAMID’s Governance and Community Stabilization Section (GCSS), called on the participants to transmit to others the knowledge they have gained during the training.

“Violence against children and women should not be looked at lightly, it should be taken seriously, because it does not affect only the children and women, it affects families and all the society”, added Ms. Valerio.

In her remarks, the Director of Health and Social Welfare in the Ministry of Health and Social Development in north Darfur, Ms. Intisar Abdel Aziz, commended the efforts made by UNAMID and UNICEF in supporting her institution in the domain of protection of children and women and for convening the training workshop.

“Lack of means of transportation for social workers is a huge challenge that hampers the quality of their work delivery, especially in the localities. We request UNAMID and UNICEF to continue to support the movement of social workers and facilitate their quick response to reported cases and emerging situations within the communities,” Ms. Aziz noted.

Speaking on behalf of the participants, Mr. Khalid Musa Abdallah, appreciated efforts made by the UN SLFs and the Social Welfare Unit at the State Ministry of Health and Social Development in north Darfur, in organizing this “ground-breaking” training in the area of child and women’s protection and urged his fellow participants to apply the experience and knowledge gained during the course into their daily life and for the benefit of their respective communities.