24 June 2023 – As part of efforts to address violence against children from a health system perspective, the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean held a training of trainers workshop for ministry of health staff and WHO staff from country offices in the Region (Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and United Arab Emirates) on 11–15 of June 2023.
The training aimed to build country capacity in preventing and addressing violence as an inherent component of efforts to improve the health and well-being of children and adolescents, within a multisectoral approach.
The training package is informed by the latest WHO guidelines and tools on violence against children, comprising structured and comprehensive content on how to respond to violence, including the management of cases subjected to domestic, intimate partner and sexual violence and other forms of gender-based violence and harmful traditional practices that intersect with violence against children. Participants learnt about the latest evidence-based interventions and strategies to prevent and respond to violence and were provided with an opportunity to exchange experiences on good practices.
The preliminary findings of the ongoing violence against children regional policy mapping exercise were shared. The findings will offer a useful guidance on the documents and resources available in the Region, as well as highlight any gaps that need to be addressed and identify ways forward.
During the training country teams also developed short- and medium-term action plans focusing on updating/developing policy and strengthening health workforce/health system capacity and multisectoral collaboration.
In closing remarks, WHO’s continuing engagement to meeting global and regional commitments was reiterated and its position as a key actor in addressing violence against children in countries of the Region. The expanding interest and progressive engagement of countries both in development and humanitarian contexts in the Region is a clear indication of the effective work being undertaken and identification of violence as an institutional priority at all levels to improve the health and well-being of children everywhere.
