7 January 2010 - UNAMID concluded today a two-day Human Rights/ Gender-Based Violence (HR/GBV) workshop at the ZamZam IDP camp, located on the outskirts of El Fasher, North Darfur.

The participants, 25 each day, included women, sheikhs and local community representatives.

The UNAMID-organized trainings, delivered by five legal trainers with the UNDP’s Justice and Confidence Centre, provided an opportunity to increase the level of information sharing, to decrease the number of HR/GBV incidents and to assist victims in gaining proper treatment.

Among the topics addressed were the importance of seeking medical treatment and the steps a victim must take to properly report a violation to the local authorities, as well as early/compulsory marriage, and child protection. “Our hope is that participants convey this knowledge to others in their community,” said Zahiril Islam, a human rights officer with UNAMID.

Both trainers and participants expressed hope that the event would build better cooperation between them.