Blue Veins, WHO Organize Awareness Sessions To Deal With GBV

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Jan, 2023 ) :Blue Veins, in collaboration with World Health Organization (WHO) Pakistan, organized the community awareness sessions about gender based violence (GBV) in those areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which were either hit by floods or hosting afghan refugees.

The districts include Peshawar, Charsadda, Swat, Nowshera, Lower Dir, Tank, Hangu, Khyber, Kohat, D.I Khan and Haripur, said a press release issued here Friday.

World Health Organization (WHO) Pakistan is providing technical assistance to the Government of Pakistan for strengthening the mechanism of 'Prevention and Healthcare System Response' to Gender-based violence(GBV) including sexual exploitation and abuse as multi-sectoral responsibility.

The awareness sessions were held with flood-affected local community, representatives from district-level administration, departments, service providers from flood-affected areas and in areas hosting Afghan refugee, to highlight the importance of community-based referral pathways and viable response mechanisms at district, union council, and village level to sexual and gender-based violence as a critical strategy.

The sessions aimed to enhance awareness, knowledge, and liaison among local communities, service providers and district administration to strengthen their role to prevent cases of gender based violence.

According to the press statement issued, in the recent humanitarian crisis, the devastated floods has increased the number and vulnerability in different forms of gender based violence.

The available data from different sources of government and non-government service providers including Bolo Helpline and Directorate General of Human Rights showed that approximately 1,972 cases have been reported during period of August-October in year 2022, in district D.I Khan, Tank, Swat, Charsadda, Nowshera, Kohat, Haripur, Peshawar, Khyber, Hangu, and Dir Lower.

Syeda Zainab Naqvi, Assistant Commissioner Peshawar appreciated the intervention of WHO Pakistan and said, "Sex and Gender Based Violence is a major problem in flood-affected and hosting areas." "Destruction of structures, displacement, lack and limited access to information and services, disruption of support, protection, referral mechanisms have increased women and girls' vulnerability to violence during and post-flood." "In an effort to prevent and respond more effectively to such issues during a humanitarian crisis, it is important for government and non-government institutions, to consider community-based needs and challenges,"she said.

Targeted outreach campaigns to raise awareness and workshops, to educate and empower community members, especially women and girls, were required to address the issues, she added.