OSCE Project Co-ordinator assists police in combating gender-based violence in Ukraine

LVIV, Ukraine, 23 April 2012 – Law enforcement efforts in combating gender-based violence is the topic of a roundtable discussion jointly organized by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine (PCU) and the Ukrainian Ministry of Interior that started today in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.

The event brought together the heads of the Precinct Police Inspectors Service from the regions, and representatives of Ukraine’s Ministry of Social Policy and police educational institutions to discuss recent developments in tackling gender-based violence, as well as the role of precinct police inspectors in handling cases of domestic violence and trafficking in human beings.

"Joint efforts of the police and social agencies help tackling gender-based violence effectively," said Rene BeBeau, Senior Project Officer of the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine. "Along with promoting a multi-agency approach to this problem through events such as this, the OSCE is also supporting efforts to strengthen legislation and build national capacity in this area."

“The prevention and combating of gender-based violence is among the key priorities of the Ukrainian Precinct Police Inspectors Service, especially in the context of the upcoming European Football Championship that Ukraine will co-host with Poland this summer,” said Police Colonel Arkadiy Zaporozhtsev, the head of the Precinct Police Inspectors Service of the Interior Ministry. “This meeting will help to focus police approaches to respond to these challenges,” he added.

The event is part of the OSCE project “Assistance in the Promotion of Gender Equality and Prevention of Gender-Based Violence in Ukraine.”